WORST. INTERNS. EVER.
Don’t fret your summer job faux pas. Here’s how (gainfully employed) worker bees fixed their terrible mistakes
the rest of the summer.”
— John, 35, lawyer, Upper West Side
I NTERNSHIPS are all about opportunity . . . including the chance to make a major flub that can gain instant infamy as an #internmistake, just one of the latest Instagram hashtags. Most employers are understanding about the occasional misstep taken by the people lowest on the ladder — if the intern is quick to apologize and ensure it’ll never happen again. “Interns aren’t expected to be perfect, and, of course, sometimes their actions won’t live up to expectations,” says Lauren Berger, creator and CEO of internqueen.com, an internship search and information site. “The key is to own up to them, apologize and then go above and beyond to show that you’re learning.”
These New Yorkers fessed up to their biggest preprofessional faux pas — and how they recovered from them. Take a look.
Facing the music
“I worked as an intern for a magazine, back when CDs were still a thing. Our magazine didn’t cover music, but I found out I could drop the name of the mag, say we were considering a certain album for coverage and get a copy for free. After a few weeks of doing this, I got called into the editorinchief ’s office. She said she appreciated my taste, but what I was doing was completely inappropriate. I learned my lesson.” — Sarah, 39, executive editor,
Murray Hill
All by myself
“I was a summer associate at a law firm and was in charge of setting up an ongoing education seminar for the firm. I booked a room, a speaker, catering . . . and when I got to the room, I realized I’d forgotten to send an invitation. After I made that mistake, I made sure I was the first one in, last one out of the office for
Home office
“I was an intern at a publishing company and had just moved to Manhattan. I didn’t have a doorman and had no idea how I would be able to have my furniture delivered to my apartment in the middle of the workday. So I had all my furniture sent to my office. The boxes took over my entire cube, and I got a talking to about how using the office address for personal packages wasn’t appropriate.”
— Kathryn, 30, editor, Park Slope
You’ve got male
“I was invited to a fancy company party midway through the summer. I’d just turned 21 and was pretty excited by the open bar. After six drinks, I ended up getting flirty with the guy who delivered the mail on my floor . . . and we ended up making out in the elevator. One of my supervisors was riding with us, but I was so caught up in the moment (and, OK, drunk) that I didn’t think to stop. The next morning, my supervisor didn’t say anything about what she saw — but did mention that, at company parties, she liked mixing seltzer with white wine so she didn’t get ‘carried away.’ ” — Ellen, 24, marketing associate,
Lower East Side
A little too familiar
“I was on a urology rotation early in my medical internship. I was trying to create rapport with my patient so I ended up saying that he looked like my grandfather, but I said it at the exact wrong time: When his pants were down, and all eyes were on his youknowwhat. After that, I became more careful about when the gettingtoknowyou chat should begin.” — Justin, 42, anesthesiologist,
Jersey City
Making a mark
“I interned for a nonprofit theater company. One day, my cointern and I were asked to set up some tables in the lobby. We were goofing off and rolling the round tables across the floor from the doorway when one of them crashed into the wall, creating a huge hole and crack. We had to fess up to what we did, and since a show was premiering that night and there was no time to fix things, our supervisors were less than pleased.”
— Jeff, 28, realtor, Chelsea