The Three ‘C’s to Internship Success: Comradery, Curiosity, and Confidence

Drawn out meetings, endless emails, tiresome phone conversations, and more drawn out meetings. That’s what used to come to mind when I pictured the business world.

Five weeks ago, however, I began interning at USA TODAY NETWORK, and my understanding of the business world deepened. I realized that there is much more to the working world than attending meetings, talking on the phone, and responding to emails. I realized that in the working world, you must actually work hard to stay on top of your game. So how can you stay motivated? What are some methods that employees use to get them through the work days?

Along with my previous summer internship, my experience as an intern at USA TODAY NETWORK has taught me multiple secrets that I wish had been shared with me before I began interning. From the list of many, I’ll share my three most important secrets with you: what I call “The Three ‘C’s”: comradery, curiosity, and confidence.

1. Comradery: The most basic secret I can give you will clarify a huge misunderstanding that you may have regarding business. You’ve probably heard the term “don’t mix business with pleasure,” but I hope that you don’t take this phrase too literally. Many young professionals think that business is business and anything that is not business is a distraction. However, this is not 100% true, as it is crucial to your work experience that you mix in pleasure by maintaining positive relationships with your co-workers. This can be done by greeting other employees every morning, learning about others’ projects and providing feedback, eating lunch together, and taking ping-pong breaks with your co-workers. There are a couple of reasons why maintaining positive relationships with your co-workers can be helpful. For one, positive relationships foster a better work environment, which in turn increases employee productivity. Secondly, positive relationships cause people to feel more comfortable around each other, so collaborative assignments will likely run more smoothly.
2. Curiosity: The second fundamental secret that I will give you in order for you to succeed in your internship will blow your mind. If you think that “silence is better than unmeaning words,” then you are mistaken. Most people starting a new internship believe that age and experience are the sole factors that garner respect. However, I believe in quality over quantity. What I mean by that is that one assignment which you pour your heart and soul into can trump a lifetime of work. The key to ensuring that you are giving your all to your assignments is to ask questions. Don’t be afraid of people looking down on you and don’t be afraid of taking up people’s time. Asking questions actually saves time in the long run because it saves you from making future mistakes. While you may think your manager and co-workers are too busy to answer questions, a lack of communication could prove detrimental to your work. Even small questions can initiate practical discussions that can lead to improvement in the long run.
3. Confidence: If you are frustrated and feeling like you are not relied on or trusted as much as others, the last and most critical ‘C’ will solve your distress. Although the term “confidence is key” is one of the more cliché phrases out there, it is nevertheless a mantra that I strongly encourage you abide by. Confidence really is key in the workplace because without confidence your hard work may not come across as intended. In order to boost your confidence, you need to keep in mind that everything you say is important. While everyone has different opinions, your opinion is not any less valid. The need to express your opinion is also important because your contribution could be overlooked otherwise.

There’s one last secret I’ll share with you that will give you clarity about the workplace: those drawn out meetings, endless emails, and tiresome phone conversations do not exist! As long as you keep up the three ‘C’s, meetings will feel thought-provoking, emails informative, and phone conversations helpful.

All you have to do is maintain relationships, ask questions, and remember that your opinions are important, and your work days will fly by! Keeping the three ‘C’s in my mind has quickly led me to the halfway mark of my internship, and I actually dread the day that I will cross the finish line and end my summer internship at USA TODAY NETWORK.