Ask a Mentor: Any Advice For an Intern?

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Compiled and edited by Julie Tereshchuk

Dear Mentors,

What advice do you have to interns? What qualities do you look for, or is it all about the connections?

Yours, Struggling Intern

Dear Ms. Struggling Intern,

Truth to be told…I took on an intern as a freshman (unusually young!) because I met her dad and he asked if she could volunteer with me. (But bear with me here… This isn’t all about who your dad knows…)

She showed up for a 4:30 a.m. media shot on the first day I invited her to tag along. She proved herself to be helpful and mature, so I invited her back. One day led to the next, and she interned with me over the holiday break while she was home from college. Because of her drive and maturity, we were able to hire her part time for the summer as an intern — we rarely have paid interns — and I’ve never had one this young before.

We (The Salvation Army US) use an agency for advertising and PR. During the time my intern was working with me, she was able to observe some interactions I had with agency.

Fast-forward two years, and she saw an internship available at the same agency. She called me for input as she was putting together her application. I encouraged her and gave her recommendations. I also picked up the phone to call one of my contacts. They ended up hiring her for an internship this summer.

I recommended her because she had consistently proven her worth to me. She brought all the skills they were looking for, and my recommendation simply brought her to their attention in the midst of the hundreds of other great resumes.

Her savvy in doing great work, taking initiative while working with me, reaching for this great opportunity and networking with me to support her — all these elements came together to pave the way for her internship.

It was all about her and how she used me as a guide and mentor to help move forward toward her career goals.

Yours,

Jan Gunter

“What Happened Next: Ask a Mentor Follow-Up” is taking a summer break. Check back this fall for more real-life WCA mentor stories.

And don’t forget to mark your calendars for Sept. 14 at Freelance Austin where you’ll have the opportunity to hear from, and talk with, three of WCA’s most experienced mentors in a moderated panel discussion.