How To Handle Internship Dilemma

Parents Forum
1

<p>D has been actively seeking out internships and is trying to narrow it down.</p>

<p>Of course, the one she likes best, has been the slowest about responding. She sent out emails to the 5 "managers" at this business on March 10. She got positive reponses from manager A and from a secretary to manager B. E-mails, resumes and phonecalls have been going back and forth. Manager B's secretary forwarded her resume to the HR administrator, and from that point D was communicating with Manager A and the HR person, but independently. Both have been 'excited' about hiring her, promising to tie loose ends etc., but telling her that they are incredibly busy. Ofcourse, they have a business to run.</p>

<p>So yesterday, D sent an email to Manager A, nicely asking when this will be finalized, as she needs to make some choices soon. No response. Today, D sent another email and a follow-up phonecall to her, and she got a little snippy, and said, well I haven't had the time to forward your resume to the HR person. So, D says, hey, someone already forwarded that a few weeks ago, so the good news is that HR has it. Manager A gets in a huff, and does some highpitched voice berating to D, and accuses her of going behind her back, and how A was going to hire her, but now HR might give her to another manager, and she broke a trust, etc. D was shocked, and explained how HR got her resume through another manager . 15 minutes later she gets an email from Manager A:


:( How very unprofessional I thought. I mean this is to a 19 year old student who does not know the inner workings/hierarchy.</p>

<p>So, should she leave it alone, and move on to her other options.</p>

<pre><code> OR
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<p>Respond with how there was no subterfuge on D's part, and it was a misunderstanding on A's part.</p>

2

<p>Sounds like she dodged a major bullet. Be happy it happened! It would have been much worse to take that internship and then find out her immediate boss has major control problems.:) Move on with a smile.</p>

<p>I would have your daughter email HR and explain the mix up, and state she is still interested in the other positions.</p>

3

<p>Yikes! Sorry that happened. I'd be mortified as well :(</p>

4

<p>That person's attitude really sucks, if you ask me! Your D could send a follow up note (even if the job is a lost cause) to Manager A and say that she had contacted several managers at the company about an internship. Explain that Manager B's secretary had sent her resume to HR. Explain how both of these inquiries were SIMULTANEOUS. Explain that today she was following up with Manager A about the process. Expain that she did not go around her and she did NOT contact HR herself. She had put in applications/inquiries to different managers and one manager had sent her resume to HR from the get go. She would like to correct the misunderstanding or misrepresentation of her actions because she never went around anyone's back and wasn't sure who to call as follow up about her application to this company. She chose to contact Manager A. She had NO idea she had done anything wrong. She had sent resumes to more than one person at this company from day one and was under the impression that her resume had gone onto HR and she didn't know who to call for follow up and chose to call Manager A. Even if this has NO effect on employment, she will have set the record straight with Manager A and I'd be curious what Manager A writes back, if anything. I think Manager A was NOT nice to your D in how she spoke with her and at the very least, your D should have a chance to set the record straight as to her own actions so that she can be understood, as she was mischaracterized by Manager A. Meanwhile, I hope your D has other options. </p>

<p>Hugs....because as a parent, nobody wishes to see their kid handled in some unfair way or be accused of doing something they had not done. Yes, it is a lesson in the real world, but it still sucks. I don't know if your D wishes to contact the secretary of Manager B to follow up on her resume having gone to HR or to even ask that person to let Manager A know that she had contacted Manager B from the get go whose secretary had told her that her resume had been sent on to HR and so your D had not gone around anyone's back this past week, as being accused of doing. </p>

<p>Good luck. Let us know what transpires.</p>

5

<p>I wouldn't waste my time explaining. This will just make manager A even more upset to be told he was "wrong," by a "kid, after all, with no real experience!" Move on. You obviously have a sane young lady, who thinks that everyone should be just as sane. They aren't. Believe me, "The Devil Wears Prada" didn't just happen in the fashion industry. Many of us can tell you stories!? Better she not get anywhere near this person. And if a company can't do things in a timely fashion, then what makes you think everything else will happen that way?</p>

6

<p>Thanks everyone. I was just so upset at hearing the tears in D's voice. All of this happened 30 minutes before her exam today. This person made sure that HR would not hire her directly for ANY other manager. Wow!</p>

<p>She did speak with the HR lady, who was very nice to her, and said she would get back to her by the end of the week. Actually, she has a very lucrative offer that needs an answer tomorrow, but it involved very long hours and a long commute; this one was going to be an unpaid internship, but far more in line with her interests and close to home. So I guess she will go for the $$ :)</p>

<p>I will advise her to write a sweet letter to Manager A. But D is just so steaming mad and insulted, it probably should not be written today.</p>

<p>I did go on their website and took a look at this manager's face. :eek: she does look mean. But that's probably because I hate her already!!</p>

7

<p>Yes, I think that would definitely be the best course of action.</p>

<p>Just write a nice response to manager A and leave it at that and move on. That would be the best way to leave things diplomatically and with your head held high.</p>

8

<p>I'd be irate too. Sorry about the bad timing with the exam. Otherwise a great learning moment for your daughter (some people are just jerks).</p>

9

<p>I second sax's comment--much better to find out about a boss like that BEFORE she's committed to work the summer there. </p>

<p>She can feel free to send a follow-up note to Manager A (and CC it to HR!), but shouldn't expect anything other than some more vitriol and ranting on the manager's part. An explanatory note to HR might help Manager A out the door if he's already been causing problems (as I imagine someone of his personality might be).</p>

10

<p>Hmmm...well, first of all, anyone who would send an email in that tone and choice of words is NOT a manager, and not very professional. Second of all, HR is not a department that one "goes around" someone else to get to - HR is a straight line of access for all communicants, internal and external. </p>

<p>I think I would forget about any more dialog with managers (manager A probably has lots of problems and probably won't be employed at this firm much longer), and instead send communications directly to HR along the lines of what Soozievt suggested. </p>

<p>In the future, though, I would recommend getting these communications out of email and into telephone conversations as quickly as possible. An email from an intern applicant becomes number 200 in a busy day of emails; a telephone call allows a relationship to begin to build. Also, instead of asking for a decision (regardless of how one is communicating), I would recommend saying something like "I wanted to make sure my resume crossed your desk, and be available to answer any questions you might have"; also, if someone says "I need to send your resume to HR", try responding something like "may I save you the step and do that for you? Who in HR needs to receive it..." - in other words, be a participating problem solver, not a person making requests (if possible). </p>

<p>Last, recommend not asking someone for something because "I need to make decisions soon" - rather I would phrase it as what's in it for them - say something like "wanted to learn the status of my candidacy, so I can have some understanding of what timeframe would be most convenient for the things you will need help with" and "is there anything else I can offer that will help with the process" - not the best choice of words but the point is to always position it in context of what that person or their organization needs, not what the applicant/candidate needs. </p>

<p>Manager A sounds like a jerk anyway, so, no loss...</p>

11

<p>Agreed, and good suggestions. But there <em>are</em> times when an applicant/candidate has competing offers and will need to respond to a deadline set by another firm. In that case, it's not inappropriate to let the first company know you're most interested in working for and with them, but are being asked to respond to another offer, and could they give you an idea when their decision might be made.</p>

12

<p>^^ Ohhh, that's some good advice I will certainly be using in the future :D</p>

13

<p>It's time to move on past this. Your D should be grateful she found out what kind of 'manager' person 'A' is. She doesn't sound like anyone I'd want to report to and especially wouldn't want a young intern reporting to someone like this who can't handle themselves properly.</p>

<p>I'm curious - are her other options other managers at the same firm or are they other firms?</p>

14

<p>Students want internships. They want to get a feel for the real world.</p>

<p>Well, your D now knows what kind of nonsense goes on in the real world--and how the real world views young interns who suck up billable time. </p>

<p>Bottom line: your D screwed up her 'gentle pressure' sales technique and it backfired. Whoops. There is an art to selling. There is an art to learning while taking up the least amount of billable time. Your D needs to focus on both to become successful in the workplace.</p>

<p>Your D should write a handwritten apology which contains a back door for Manager A--ie a way that the manager (?) can blame your D for her own temper. Then give Manager A a chance to cool down and wait for her to respond in time.</p>

15

<p>Advice to your D: I would write an incredibly sweet letter to Manager A that <em>pointedly</em> ignores her rudeness. Copy to HR. Accept the position with the dollars. Thank your lucky stars that she escaped with her summer intact, because it sounds as if it might have been a horrendous experience working for Manager A.</p>

16

<p>^^ Here here :)</p>

17

<p>First of all, I have not quoted any of my D's words above, (they're all my paraphrasing), and her communications with them have been extremely polite and professional.</p>

<p>The other offer she has is with a different company, and is paying a lot of money. For some very real work. Just not in her primary field of interest. But who knows where things may lead. </p>

<p>She was willing to work all summer for no pay, at this place, as the type of business seems more relevant. Come to think of it, D has asked Manager A several times for more details on the expectations of the job and the contributions she could make (once again, not necessarily her exact words), and the woman has been too busy for 7 weeks.</p>

18

<p>The manager sounds too busy to provide adequate guidance for an intern anyway</p>

19

<p>LTS,
there were phonecalls and emails. Phonecalls did not work very well, as the managers are never sitting at their desks, or in the office, so really emails were often the only effective way of getting any messages across. </p>

<p>Also, D never asked for a 'decision', as she had already been verbally promised the job, in a real phonecall. There were some details that needed to be ironed out, as well as a job description that is required by her college. Which was simply not forthcoming.</p>

<p>I think she handled everything so far in a very impressive way, for a 19-year-old.</p>

20

<p>collegeguy</p>

<p>my thoughts exactly. This woman may just be looking for someone to do her busywork while she tends to clients.</p>