10 Ways You Could Lose Your Internship

By Francine Fluetsch on May 11, 2015

This article is brought to you by Dream Careers, the largest global internship program for college students offering all-inclusive programs in 11 cities worldwide. To learn more about Dream Careers, please visit us at SummerInternships.com.

After working your booty off to obtain your internship, the last thing you want to do is lose it.

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This may seem like a no brainer, but there are a lot of things you could be doing that could put your internship in jeopardy, maybe without even knowing that it’s bad. So to help you out and to avoid an annoying situation, here are 10 ways that you could potentially lose your internship.

1) Misuse of social media

Social media has become a prime place for us all to vent about our problems, and while they make for compelling stories and are the source of a lot of likes, you want to be really careful about what you are posting on there.

Let’s say your boss was being super annoying, so you take to Twitter to vent about it. “My boss doesn’t follow me” you think, “my profile is on private.” This gives you a false sense of security that your boss will never see your tweet about them that may not be all that nice. The thing is, once something is out on the internet, there is no going back, and since people have connections, your boss totally has the potential of seeing your tweet.

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The same goes for if you are playing hooky from your internship (which I’m not promoting), don’t post about it! Always assume that your boss or coworker will be able to see your posts, and you should plan your social media postings accordingly. You’ll be thankful about your mindfulness in the long run.

2) Showing up late

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Life happens, so if you have to show up late once or twice you’ll probably be fine, but don’t make a habit of it. Especially if you stroll in half an hour late with a coffee cup in your hand and you don’t look rushed at all.

If you have to be late for whatever reason on a particular day, make sure to let your higher ups know. A quick text, email, or phone call will make your tardiness a bit better. Even with letting them know, if you show up late too often, it could mean that you lose your internship. Why should they put up with your lateness all the time when they could replace you with someone who will be there when they are supposed to?

Being late looks like you don’t care, and that doesn’t look good to a company. You want to show them that you value their time and yours, and that you are willing to make an effort to be there early or late or whenever they want that are in the parameters of what you signed up for.

3) Not giving your best

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All the work you are doing should be something that you are proud of. Sometimes with deadline constraints and being stressed, you might find yourself in a struggle to finish on time, but you always want to try your best to put forth your best work. If once or twice you know that it’s not going to be all that great because of being overworked or what have you, talk to your supervisor and see what you can do. If you are planning out your time and there is no way to finish, it’s totally okay to talk to them and let them know what’s going on.

If, however, you are running out of time because you were procrastinating (which we all fall victim to) it will be on you that your work wasn’t your best. You want to give the company a reason to keep you around, and possibly hire you after your internship is done, so handing in work that you know you could have done better on is not a good idea. If it becomes a pattern, they will start looking for someone else to fill the position.

4) Talking back

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You are an intern, and though your supervisors and coworkers should be treating you with respect, they might get annoyed with you pretty easily if you aren’t catching on to things or doing things up to their standards right away. As hard as it is, you want to make sure you aren’t talking back.

Vent about your day to your friends to let off some stream, but at your internship, you really need to try and take the criticism and attempt to learn from it, even if your boss isn’t telling you in the nicest way. If they feel like you are giving them an attitude, they might not want to keep you around.

5) Socializing too much

image via theselfemployed.com

It’s wonderful if you are getting along with your fellow interns/employees, but you don’t want to let it get to the point where you are distracting yourself and others. If there is some down time and you don’t have anything else to do, slight chit chat can be okay, but think also about other things you could be doing, things that can’t be done when there is a lot of commotion going on.

The main thing is, you don’t want to get caught by your boss doing nothing but talking, especially if it turns out that you actually aren’t done with your work. You’ll be seen as a disturbance to the work environment, and you don’t want that title.

6) Don’t get crunk at office events

image via listcrown.com

Whether your office is hosting a party or you are going out with some of the other interns for drinks, make sure to drink less than you normally would. According to this article by Emily Grier on Huffington Post, “If you wake up the next morning and can’t remember the specifics of the previous night, you did something wrong.”

Especially if your boss is present, you don’t want to lose control. Have a drink or two for the social aspect, and then know when enough is enough. If you do go out with coworkers, make sure there aren’t crazy photos of you that will be posted on social media!

7) Dressing inappropriately

image via pixgood.com

Even if the place you are interning for doesn’t have a dress code, you always want to make sure you are putting out a professional vibe. This doesn’t mean you have to go over the top fancy, but you don’t want to be walking around showing your stomach, or sporting clothes that are obviously not clean. It makes you look unprofessional, and can give the company a bad image.

If they do have a dress code, make sure you adhere to it. I know it can be frustrating, but keep your fun clothes for after you get off work. You wouldn’t want to be let go over something so simple as dressing how they would like you to.

8) Dating co-workers

image via listdose.com

If you are interning somewhere, you want to rule out your fellow interns/ bosses as potential dates/one night stands. Even if your company doesn’t have a rule against it, don’t do it. If you break up or have an awkward encounter, it will create unwanted drama at the work place, and if it gets bad enough, could put your internship in jeopardy.

Now if there is a no-date rule, comply with the no-date rule, at least until you know when you’ll be done with your internship.

9) Not pulling your weight

image via kithkrielkin.blogspot.com

If you were that person in group projects that just sat back and did nothing but then put your name on it at the end, just know that that is not going to fly at your internship. You need to make sure you are pulling your weight, because you never know when your boss is observing the way you work in a group or what your partners are telling your higher ups when you aren’t there. Don’t take credit for things that you know you don’t deserve credit for and you’ll be good.

10) Don’t make personal phone calls

image via onlinecareertips.com

Your phone should not be out when you are working, even if you have a free moment. Wait for your break or when you are off before pulling it out and making a call or sending a text or checking social media.

And don’t try to get sneaky by using the office phone for a personal phone call. You never know who is listening, and you wouldn’t want to get in trouble for missing an important phone call from a client while you were talking to your friend Brittney about some crazy stuff that went down the night before.

Big picture: just remember that all your actions can come with consequences, so always make sure to think things through before making a decision and you’ll be set!

Looking for a top internship in an exciting city? Enroll in Dream Careers and guarantee yourself an internship and a fun summer in your choice of 11 cities globally. To visit our website, please click here.

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