Why You Should Befriend Your Fellow Interns

Hey fellow Edsters!

Week two at The Mag was really great (and super busy)! With projects coming in left and right, I was thrilled to have another editorial intern in the office with me (even if it’s only one day a week), but she’s great! We’re definitely in the same boat — a few internships under our belts, graduation quickly approaching, a serious love for traveling and sushi, and high hopes for our internships at The Mag.

But too often I’ve heard of people that rarely speak with their fellow interns. They approach an internship like a competition: everyone is super-competitive and out for themselves, hoping to best impress the boss and get the most exciting tasks or clips. And it’s a solid mentality, right? Every man for himself and may the best man win.

But that’s really not my style and I truly don’t think it’s the best way to approach any situation. (Honestly, when does that girl on reality TV— you know, the one who says, “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to win?”—ever win?!).

Obviously interns opt to work so many hours for free to learn how magazines run, rack up an impressive resume, and leave with some solid references (and possibly clips!). But I believe that magazines bring in interns to help the office run smoothly, make the editors’ lives just a little bit easier and teach potential future employees how things are done. So I think that with that purpose in mind, why not work together, become friends and enjoy the experience of being an intern together? Besides, don’t forget that your fellow interns are going to be working in the industry too, and wouldn’t it be great to have a handful of contacts at a handful of different publications when you start working yourself? I also just think that working 9 to 5 (or in my case 9 to 6:30!) is tough enough — why not make some friends along the way to soften the load?

And I’m not naïve. I’ve absolutely encountered the super-awful really snooty intern who is absolutely not interested in making friends, and after a few failed attempts at conversation, I felt sorry for her. Because I’ve met really amazing (and intelligent) friends through my internships — friends I still meet for lunch, drinks, or even Fashion’s Night Out. And more importantly, I know that our editors saw how well we worked as a team and how happy we were to be at work every day. I really think they enjoyed having us in the office and I believe that an intern who is friendly, knows how to work well in teams, and knows how to get the job done is the one they’ll want to call back when an EA position opens up.

All this to say, keep a smile on your face from day one and be open to making friends with your fellow interns. In the long run, I think it’s more beneficial to you and the magazine that’s employed you, and it will make your internship so much more enjoyable!

Until next time,
Your (friendly and open-minded!) Features Intern