Your Guide to Gen-Zers workflow

Starting your career in Egypt as an undergraduate became a race that undergraduates get bombed with once they set foot into university life. The pressure keeps growing as they watch sophomores with multiple work experiences and seniors with stable work positions, and before they know it, they feel already late.

With this new turn with undergraduates rushing for interns positions in every industry now, some unclear areas remain under question: boundaries of time, paid work, job descriptions, and social implications in a world hungry for naïve passionate interns.

So, here’s your big sister Layla getting you her intern life experience in a nutshell. Crack it and become the perfect intern you won’t look down on years later when you look back.

DO’s

1- Every Skill Counts

When applying for an internship with no prior experience, make sure you do not look shaken or applying out of nothing. Instead of saying ‘I don’t have previous experience’, say ‘I have a lot of personal skills that will enable me to master the work in a blink’. Tell them every single skill you possess, either in your interview or your CV. Discipline, resilience, and determination will get you any position if you communicate them right.

Nutshell: as an undergraduate, you get hired for the future employer you convey.

2- Speak Your Mind

It is quite alright to sit still and listen as much as you can to people around you to learn the craft. However, it is always good to step in at the right time with your fresh ideas, either to adjust the work process or to add to the ideas of the company. An employer will always be impressed by an intern, with no long-term attachment to the entity, willing to enrich it.

Nutshell: Don’t be afraid to speak out your ideas, you never know when your ‘stupid’ idea will take you places.

3- Your Network Is Your Biggest Asset

In every field, your network and social reputation are of bigger value than your cv, portfolio, and previous projects. And building your network starts from day 1 at your first internship. Attend events, seminars, conferences, and social gatherings as much as you can and build up circles you would be proud of. One day you are work buddies, the next day you are partners in your dream project.

Nutshell: Your network may not have a huge impact on your career now, but when the time comes, it is of immense value, so invest in it.

DON'Ts

1- Don’t assume that extra work is a merit

Be clear about your job description and working hours since day one. And don’t be afraid to say: “I am sorry, this does not fall within my scope of work”. Either get paid for the extra work or leave it. They are not doing you a favor by hiring you, you are doing their work and you get paid for them even as an intern. This says a lot about your work ethic.

Nutshell: It is okay to say no to unpaid work. Your limits are yours to determine.

2- Don’t be afraid to ask about something you don’t know

That’s exactly why you have applied to be an intern. If you get assigned to a task that you are not familiar with, here is the best order of seeking help:

1. Seek the information online from a trusted site. The internet has it all.

2. If the task or information needs elaboration beyond web pages, ask an external expert you know, if available.

3. If you cannot find the direction you need, it is high time you asked your supervisor for help.

Nutshell: It is a promising thing not to go around your supervisor asking for everything, show them you want to try to dig information on your own, first.

3- Don’t overlook your mental health!

We know you worked hard to get an internship as an undergrad. But we also know that employers may take advantage of that to overwhelm enthusiastic interns with work and tasks, so always check on your mental health and what the work environment is doing to your energy.

Nutshell: Being a good intern requires looking after yourself, too.

4- Don’t forget that the expert was once a smart intern!

Always play smart, not hard! Sleeping on your laptop, and taking work home long after your working hours do not mean you are doing better. It will drain you and affect your efficiency. Do your tasks in the fastest, and smartest way possible!
Nutshell: Sometimes working hard is not what you need to get up the career ladder; playing smart may be a faster way up.