15 mistakes that trainees often make

Organizations working in the media field often have to recruit a lot of interns. Business Insider, for example, has extensive trainee programs that not only bring experience to journalists for many people, but also provide opportunities for editors and reporters to test their management skills. .

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To help give readers a few tips on what not to do when they are in their internship, Business Insider reporters have asked their partners who have worked with or ever managed trainees - about the mistakes they see in trainees. If you are preparing to apply for a trainee program, please read it carefully and learn for yourself using the lessons below.

1. Excessive sharing

I had a trainee on the first day of work that told us that he was a psychic and could predict our requests. Then he made us sit and listen to a program about his ability.

2. Or complain

I have an intern who requested a meeting and he prepared a long list of things to complain about and complain about.

I know that sometimes things don't work out the way we want. But complaining is the worst way to handle . If you find it difficult at the beginning, make a list of questions and give them to management, not complain. It is a way too early to become a "problematic employee". In addition, finding a problem will only make opportunities away from you.

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3. Assume what you don't know

In the journal I used to work, there was an intern who made a very serious error when she couldn't distinguish between transcription and rewriting in another word (paraphase). Her article only picks up the original sentences and brings a lot of trouble to the writers. If you work in media, finance, or law that is required to reproduce, ask carefully what the request is .

4. Don't know how to initiate

The biggest mistake a trainee can make is to never initiate anything. Some argue that trainees should just sit and wait for things to happen - just like when you were in school and the only job was to sit and wait for the teacher to teach. One thing at Business Insider makes me so extremely excited is that it encourages us to make our career.Trainees can give ideas and take initiative every day .

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5. Consider office as an inn

The biggest mistake I see in trainees is sleeping over at the office overnight . They went out, drank and then returned to the office, able to pick up the things but then slept on the sofa of the front desk. Someone who was on the night shift saw, took pictures and sent me.

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We talked to trainees and explained that the office is not a place to sleep overnight or on weekends. Especially, never go back to the office after you've been drunk because who knows what will happen?

6. Don't know my boundaries

When I was working at my old company, I had a trainee who was quite normal, capable enough to pass the interview round but in the end everything became extremely bad. Not only is she always rude, but she also thinks that the assignments for trainees - such as writing articles on our CMS system or writing the legal content (credit) - are under her strength. She even surpassed me and my colleagues to email the CEO directly about some of her ideas. She doesn't have any idea of ​​boundaries and doesn't show respect for her manager .

7. Quitting your job because of another internship position

I once had a trainee who left position after 1 month because I chose another position as a trainee. I spent a lot of time training, checking and making sure she was doing what she liked - and then she left us in a very difficult situation, forcing us to look for interns in the middle of the season. This really destroys relationships, cannot be healed, and everyone should avoid them, especially in the early days of their careers.

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8. Do not pay

I must say that one big mistake I made when I was a trainee was to work without pay.

I think everything is fine because there is support from another job at the restaurant and can improve the experience to hope to change careers. At first everything was fine but then I had a health problem and I simply had to choose the job that paid my rent and all my expenses (At that time I didn't have insurance either. time before people can use the insurance of their parents before age 26). I have to give up my unpaid job because trying to pay for everything while keeping my energy working without pay makes no sense.

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Everyone felt fine and would probably give me advice if I asked but I decided to refuse because I felt like it was exploitative. I have found another job that doesn't pay much, but still has a lot, which means that at least I can use the money earned from my few hours of work to pay for something.

Underestimating your work is also a mistake.

9. Clothes are not suitable

I was a trainee in a newspaper many years ago. A colleague who was also a trainee of mine was always late, went to her office and slept when asked to run the job for our editor, dressed in floral decorations. What a miracle when she was not fired.

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I'm not complimenting myself but I'm sure there are many trainees coming to the office late, very indifferent to errands and not seeing the practice time as a real job (that's fine too). But wearing a wolf flower is really terrible. What you wear to your workplace will directly reflect what you want your colleagues and superiors to see you, and you will definitely not be able to impress professionally and positively if you wear inappropriate clothes.Be neat and simple.

10. Poor communication ability

There are excellent trainees during the time they worked but at the end they destroyed all themselves.

There is a trainee who leaves a few weeks earlier before the internship ends. This is not great either. He sent an email quite late saying that it takes time for a personal affair, this is fine. But he didn't say whether he came back or not.

I gave him time to solve personal problems and tried to find out if he came back. My email was dropped until the end of the internship and he said he did not receive my email so he did not reply. It's hard to believe, but with Instagram account, I am easy to Google and know he doesn't come back. I wish he had made a specific plan so that we could arrange the schedule instead of letting everything delay and wait.

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The truth is we can't force someone to stay. If the trainee said, "I don't want to work here anymore, thank you for taking the time and I won't return," we saved weeks of waiting and didn't know the situation well. .

11. Not paying attention to details

I have a trainee who sends emails daily but also writes my name wrongly. I wrote it down and signed my right name but she never saw it.

12. Vacation

The biggest mistake with trainees is deciding to take a two-week vacation in the middle of an internship while they themselves are desperate for it.

13. Lazy and disrespectful

I used to work with a trainee doing almost everything a trainee should not have done.

She not only dressed improperly (always very revealing), but also came late, spent all day texting, going out for a long lunch, shopping and generally doing everything except working. She complains about everything - how bad the road to work, New York or how slow her computer is.

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She is really lazy and never satisfied. It is really frustrating to think that she is having an internship that many people expect from a big media company and many outsiders deserve more, and also more enthusiasm to work than they should have. can be selected .

One day I saw her surfing Facebook so I asked her to help me with a job. She said, " Can you ask someone else, I'm busy now ." I had to stop myself from laughing, was she really serious? The worst thing is that she has a relationship with the company's executive board so no one can say anything or do anything.

14. Not professional

The worst thing a trainee can do is not treat the internship as a real professional job opportunity. They may be late, too late, lazy or not interested in working. Another mistake is that they share too much - a trainee should not tell the boss last night at the bar how crazy things are.

Act as if you were given the right to participate in internships including activities such as wearing inappropriate clothes, eating a 2-hour lunch, taking advantage of free things too much. Not just because it's free but you use it all the time. Obviously your boss will pay attention and don't like it.

Not every internship is always interesting, but the goal is to create professional and useful connections to make good introductions in the future . When there is no voice to remind the trainees that they need to impress their boss even the most basic things, they will often not be able to work there for long.

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15. Slow response

The first trainee I managed was really an "experience". He did not respond or even refuse the job that I delivered, even saying "it is not worth doing". He often doesn't respond to emails and messages, so I have to go to his desk and ask if he reads them. He also very often "forgot" to respond to his manager. I had to send him an email "I am alive" once he did not go to work without notifying me at all.

Author: Rachel Gillett