{"id":4734,"date":"2014-01-28T10:00:55","date_gmt":"2014-01-28T15:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/?p=4734"},"modified":"2018-08-22T11:09:15","modified_gmt":"2018-08-22T15:09:15","slug":"intern-talk-navigating-tough-conversations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/2014\/01\/28\/intern-talk-navigating-tough-conversations\/","title":{"rendered":"Intern Talk: Navigating Tough Conversations"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Image<\/a>
Image via nicolekcnw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Internships and job searches both bring with them the need to broach difficult topics with your supervisor. Though important discussions regarding full-time employment, salary and job searching can be scary, avoiding them may lead to more difficulty down the road. Open conversations are always a good policy.<\/p>\n

Getting Feedback
\n<\/b>Opening yourself up for criticism \u2013 even constructive criticism \u2013 takes a while to get used to because it\u2019s hard to hear that, despite your best efforts, you might still be doing some things wrong. Here\u2019s the flip side: if you never ask for feedback, you\u2019re going to continue doing it wrong. Consider talking to your internship supervisor to schedule a meeting for 15-30 minutes every week. Go over what you\u2019re working on, challenges you\u2019re facing and make a point to ask each time if there are areas that you can improve or ways to take your work to the next level. Sometimes you\u2019ll have a lot to discuss and other times you won\u2019t, but you\u2019ll be surprised at the difference that opening yourself to feedback will have on the internship experience.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/b> Be specific. Simply asking, \u201cDo you have any feedback for me?\u201d may not do the trick. Prompt your supervisor\u2019s memory by asking about specific projects, initiatives or challenges.<\/p>\n

Asking for Time Off
\n<\/b>You want to impress at your internship, so asking for time away from the office is challenging but a necessary evil. Taking sick days, going to doctor\u2019s appointments or making time to travel home for the holidays are essential to staying on point and healthy at work. Make sure to clear taking time out of the office with your supervisor in advance whenever possible, since being out may cause more work for others on your team.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/b> On the same note, be willing to work late the day before you\u2019ll be out or tackle daily duties from home. Expressing the desire to go above and beyond will ease the conversation.<\/p>\n

Applying for Other Jobs
\n<\/b>Once you start looking for a full-time job, it\u2019s important to sit down with your supervisor to tell them of your intentions. Why is this necessary? That\u2019s none of their business, right? Not quite. Internship supervisors are in charge of staffing internship positions and, if you\u2019re thinking about accepting a full-time position elsewhere, they\u2019re going to have to fill it. (Plus, it\u2019s just the right thing to do.) The point of interning is to gain experience so that you can land a job after graduation. Good employers understand that and won\u2019t be upset upon hearing that you\u2019re job searching. In fact, it shows motivation and forward thinking.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/b> Be prepared to answer questions about timing. If you landed a new position, when would it start? Your supervisor will want to know because it will influence the projects thrown your way, as well as when to start searching for a new intern.<\/p>\n

In 2014, let\u2019s resolve for open and honest career conversations. What other tough conversations have you encountered in the workplace, and how did you deal with them?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cIntern Talk\u201d is a monthly guest column produced by Ellie Boggs,\u00a0<\/i>vice president of career services<\/i><\/a>. The column covers various aspects of the public relations industry, giving PRSSA members the tools to secure internships and make the most of their professional experiences. For more career resources, visit the PRSSA\u00a0<\/i>Career Manual<\/i><\/a> and\u00a0<\/i>Internship Center<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Internships and job searches both bring with them the need to broach difficult topics with your supervisor. Though important discussions regarding full-time employment, salary and job searching can be scary, avoiding them may lead to more difficulty down the road. Open conversations are always a good policy. Getting Feedback Opening yourself up for criticism \u2013 even constructive criticism \u2013 takes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":4735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2894],"tags":[28,849,45,15,40,755,762,730,422],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4734"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4734"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9160,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4734\/revisions\/9160"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/progressions.prsa.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}