Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Ending An Internship With Etiquette


I have been looking forward to December break for way too long now and I can't believe it has finally arrived (or is about to arrive within the next few days)! This past semester was filled with juggling classes, homework, extra-curricular activities and a social life. Lucky for me (or arguably unlucky), one thing I didn't have to worry about was an internship.

After talking to one of my friends about her internship this semester, I realized that I forgot many of the ups and downs of the whole experience. One thing she reminded me of is the ending of an internship term. Depending upon where you intern, there can be many good things that come out of it at the end. For example, a recommendation letter or a job. But the most exciting thing can sometimes be a gift!

My friend was telling me that she received a Banana Republic gift card as a goodbye/thank you present. It brought me back to my not so fond days at my internship over the summer. After coffee runs, paper filing, client phone calls and more, I got absolutely nothing in return. The thing is, it's not like I worked for a small start-up company: I worked for a designer. A piece of her collection is not a huge thing to ask for! I don't mean to come off as materialistic or seem like I need some sort of award for my hard work. The internship experience can be considered a gift in itself. However, I just think that it is important for an intern to know that he or she was valued by the person/company he or she worked for. Is that too much to ask?

--Lauren

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