how to deal with a rude intern by Alison Green on January 28, 2019 A reader writes: I am a relatively new manager who is having an odd issue with my intern. He has been with us for about two months, and in that time I have noticed that his basic professional manners are incredibly lacking-much more than I might reasonably expect for someone just out of college who […] Read the full article →
tell us your weird summer intern stories by Alison Green on September 13, 2018 There was the intern who gave another intern a tattoo in the office conference room; the intern who told a horribly offensive joke at an external meeting; the intern who set up a cot for himself, complete with pillow shams; the intern who was blown away by an electric stapler and thought dragons exist; the intern […] Read the full article →
how to manage an overly talkative intern by Alison Green on July 18, 2018 This week on the Ask a Manager podcast, I talk to a manager whose intern is way too talkative — and who has some boundary problems too. The show is 23 minutes long, and you can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever else you get your podcasts (or here’s the direct RSS feed). […] Read the full article →
my intern is refusing assignments because of her politics by Alison Green on July 10, 2018 A reader writes: I am a curator at a large museum, and we are currently running a major special exhibition. There has been an enormous amount of public interest in the exhibition, and demand for tickets is very high. Recently I was asked by my higher-ups to give a private tour of this exhibition to […] Read the full article →
our summer intern won’t use first names by Alison Green on June 28, 2018 A reader writes: My office hired a summer intern. For context, she is a graduate student at a local university, she is in her early 20s, she is not from the U.S., and this internship is her first job in a professional setting. Despite being asked numerous times to call everyone here by first names, […] Read the full article →
office kitchen wars, finding a good internship, and more by Alison Green on June 4, 2018 I recorded a piece for the BBC about office kitchen wars — why office kitchens are always so filthy, and the scourge of people stealing their coworkers’ food. It’s three minutes long and you can listen here. Also, I was on Marketplace this weekend, talking about summer internships, including what to do if you have an absentee manager […] Read the full article →
we give our interns free housing — and there are problems by Alison Green on March 19, 2018 A reader writes: I train and manage a team of young (22-25) paid interns who, as part of their compensation, have free housing in a shared living space owned by my organization. Recently, one of my female interns told me (in tears) that the male interns repeatedly use the word “bitch” in their shared living […] Read the full article →
why didn’t I get a full-time offer after my internship? by Alison Green on January 16, 2018 A reader writes: Something has been bothering me for the last few months. I worked at a financial company as an intern over the summer. My job dealt with computer programming, so my assignments were based on that and a big group project presentation at the end of the summer. I was assigned to a […] Read the full article →
my intern has a terrible attitude by Alison Green on October 17, 2017 A reader writes: I’m struggling to figure out how to give feedback to an intern about the constant barrage of criticism she emits. The intern in question, “Alice,” spends one day a week here, along with several other interns, through a graduate-level academic program that will last four years. All of these interns are over […] Read the full article →
our interns are clueless about our office dress code by Alison Green on August 8, 2017 A reader writes: I’m a new manager. Each year, the company I work for brings on college students as interns. One thing I have noticed is the lack of following the dress code and unprofessional outfits from the interns. Our industry is on the conservative side and wearing suits and button-downs is expected for everyone, from […] Read the full article →