As we are nearing the end of February we are also nearing the close of what I like to kindly refer to as Internship Hell Period. Somehow, I never realized how competitive internships are until this year but wow, really wow. I have friends who have done dozens of interviews, coaxed professors into writing recommendations, padded resumes that were already exemplary, and are so competitive with their peers that will lie to each other when they’ve gotten offers. It seems like it is harder to get some of these internships than it is to get a job.

The kicker is that most of them are unpaid and located in one of the most expensive cities in the world. People are competing to work ridiculous hours at the bottom of the totem pole for a measly stipend (at most) and they seem to actually want to do this!

I think internships can be great. No, I’ve never been an intern, but I have developed an internship program. They can be educational, inspiring, and help guide an individual down the correct career path. It doesn’t always have to be a hellish experience.

One thing that really gets me is the age to which people are getting internships now-a-days. While managing an internship program at a production company I had interns who were 2, 3, even 4 years older than me. I was 19 at the time. I inherited an intern team from an outgoing manager and found out quickly that they had been horribly mismanaged. There was no infrastructure for communication, complaints, or suggestions. There was no central task management system or any educational components. Over four months I worked to develop a communication system, internship handbook, and foster a stronger community.

Overall, I feel like I had a fair amount of success. However, there was one glaring failure.While the majority of my interns were insanely amazing, one of them just didn’t respect me. I don’t know if it was because she was older than me, or because I was put in a senior position immediately instead of having to work my way up, or because I am naturally a really direct person. Whatever it was, I ended up feeling enormously disrespected and was in an HR nightmare.

Based on my experiences, both good and bad, I have compiled a few pieces of advice for interns and managers in this time of stress.

Interns:

1. Remember that your goal is to learn. Make a list of things you want from your internship and make sure your supervisors know what those are and are willing to work towards them .
2. Be in control of the process. Yes, the company has to choose you first but after you get offers the decision is in your hands when it comes to which you want to take.
3. Don’t be afraid to turn down a big name. Morgan Stanley might look fancy on your  resume but that doesn’t mean that it would be the right fit for you. If you want a personal experience with lots of learning potential look for smaller companies or start-ups.

Managers:

1. A few years ago my dad told me a new hire (especially if it is their first job/internship) is like a puppy. It is your job to design and reinforce a system that will inform how they work. Bad management can ruin an employee and be really hard, if not impossible, to reverse without a huge time commitment and loss of productivity. Create those systems and own the fact that you have the chance to train and shape future leaders. 
2. This is educational. Getting coffee isn’t educational. That doesn’t mean an intern can’t get coffee, it just means that it shouldn’t be the only thing that they do. Find ways to combine research, background reading/studies, and your own personal expertise to create an educational ecosystem in which interns can thrive.