<p>If it’s business formal, that means suits or at least outfits with jackets – for both sexes, with leather shoes and dark socks (men) or sheer hosiery (women). If a woman’s suit has pants rather than a skirt, she can cheat on the hosiery and wear the knee-high kind. </p>
<p>If it’s business causal, that means leather shoes, pants that are not jeans, and shirts with collars for men. No sandals. No sneakers. No denim. No T-shirts. No shirts of any kind with things written on them.</p>
<p>For women, it means pants that are not jeans with a non-sexy top, or a skirt that is not a miniskirt with a non-sexy top, or a non-sexy dress. No sneakers. No denim. No sexy sandals, but non-sexy ones with low heels are acceptable in most cases (unless there’s a safety requirement for closed shoes). Your blouse/top/sweater is critically important. It should be something your mother would wear. In fact, you should probably shop for your tops in the dull, boring, older women’s section of a department store (where your mother probably shops). Don’t buy anything that is see-through or shows cleavage. </p>
<p>You should also ask what the hours are and show up when you’re expected to. Even if it’s an unpaid internship, treat it as a real job. And don’t complain about being given routine tasks. The permanent employees do them, too.</p>
<p>Don’t think you’re so important that you don’t need to know how office equipment works.<br>
Don’t ask anyone else to copy things for you.
The administrative staff know a lot more than you do. Treat them appropriately.
Noone in an office wants to see your thong or tattoo.
Be on time. Include time in your commute for delayed buses, traffic, etc.
When someone shows you how to do a task, take notes so we don’t have to tell you 15 times (or keep correcting your mistakes).
No napping. (Seriously. We had an intern who did just that.)</p>
<p>I’m not that sure of what the internship is for but it is computer-oriented which makes sense since he’s a CS major. I had a look at the pictures of the staff and to say that they were dressed casually is a considerable understatement. I work with several grads (Phds) from the school so I should probably ask them.</p>
<p>I agree to ask about the dress code before buying a bunch of clothes anyway. I go to Northeastern and I have had two coops. One was in an extremely casual office. I came in on my first day in business casual – dress pants, nice shirt, sweater, black shoes (it was July and really hot) and found everyone in shorts. I asked if there was a dress code and was told “try not to wear a half shirt.” I still made sure that I looked decent, because you don’t want to push things (I’m also really short so I don’t want to look like a sloppy kid and I want to keep things appropriate) when you’re the co-op and the youngest person there, but I would have looked ridiculous if I kept wearing dress pants and ended up investing in a pair of nicer looking jeans instead. </p>
<p>My other coop was at a financial company, and was strictly business casual. However, we still ended up wearing jeans a lot more than one might expect (meet sales goal for the month, wear jeans for the rest of the month). They handed out a very descriptive policy though, which was helpful. </p>
<p>I think the big thing with clothes is to ask if there are questions, but to make sure you look appropriate. You don’t want to be remembered as the intern who sore pants with holes in them (even if, at the first office I mentioned, that’s technically acceptable, it’s still the image people will remember) or the person who always wore shirts that were too tight or low-cut or the person who got drunk at the Christmas party. I always think in terms of things like that, observe what everyone else does, but do it a step better. If someone’s been working well for the company for 15 years, maybe she can get away with getting drunk at the Christmas party, but the intern’s in a different position.</p>
<p>Book l’arnin’ is nice, but the people you’ll be working with will have decades of knowledge that you can’t get from a book. As my brother would always say to his new engineers–“Shut up and learn something.”</p>
<p>Don’t be afraid to “interview” the people who work there and learn about their jobs, how they got to their positions, what they like about their positions, etc. This kind of career info can be invaluable.</p>
<p>Be formal and professional in your manner, and realize that at least at first, your co-workers/managers aren’t your friends. Just went to a summer intern event this evening. I’m 3-5 yrs older than most of them, so they see me more like a peer than a boss, and I was surprised at how “familiar” some of them acted – at the things they told me and the questions they asked. It’s certainly good to ask about the job, how long people have been there, their departments, what they’re working on etc. It’s a little unnecessary to ask personal questions re compensation, levels of competition/politics within the firm, downsizing rumors etc. These are things you’ll figure out in time or maybe ask someone who becomes a mentor as time goes by – you don’t just ask them upfront, as if it’s your right to know.</p>
<p>Not only is appropriate clothing important but once you have the clothing–keeping it neat and cleaned is important–learn how to iron or pay the dry cleaners. I still remember an intern we had that looked like he slept in his clothes.</p>