It is Monday, what’s new? Well move in day has come and gone, the campus is full of students, Orientation activities continue to amaze us and the count down to the first day of classes is now under 5 digits. And we are on to our 2nd day of training for what are sure to be our amazing Career Development student workers. Today, I came across this great article on The Glass Door Blog about “What You Could Learn From Interns” and I thought, while we train the new student workers day and night with what we want them to learn, it would be great to look at what we can learn from them. And I think this post does a great job of pointing out some key ways…so please excuse me while I change audience focus and hopefully illustrate to all those interns or student workers out there that we do want to learn from you and that we love having you in our offices!
If you haven’t already connected, here are five areas where you could be tutored by an intern, whether or not you approve of their tattoo or way of talking:
- SPEED. My productivity and ability to juggle a myriad of assignments increased markedly when I sat next to interns at newspaper jobs. They know how to text, write a report and order lunch simultaneously. So pick up their fast moves.
- ENTHUSIASM. Interns are prized for their energy and enthusiasm. Full-time professionals feel it and “it’s contagious,” said Brady.
- NEW TOOLS OR SITES. Most 17 to 23-year-olds have used computers and the Internet since infancy. They can clue you in on mobile apps, great websites and amazing organizations, from Couch surfing to free online classes. Brady said interns introduced her to Pandora for great music. Other interns could show you around Foursquare or Twitter if you ask for a private lesson or two on a slow August day.
- CURRENT TRENDS. Choose your intern carefully on this one. To figure out the latest fashions, an intern from MIT may not make it. She’s more likely to introduce you to tech start-ups or artificial intelligence topics. For pop culture, someone from San Francisco, Calif. may be savvier than someone from Seymour, Ind.
- HUNGER FOR GROWTH. Watch how they soak up information and seek opportunities or extra assignments. At Ernst & Young, interns organize a summer community service project in each office, tapping their passion for service. “We have to keep them challenged,” said Brady, who works from Ernst & Young’s Detroit area office. This trait may motivate us out of our complacency or summer stupor.
So there you have 5 ways and I’d like to add a personal 6th regarding great new music:) I hope our student workers are ready for the challenge of teaching me (and us) some new tricks!
Visit the The Glass Door Blog and read the full article!