The Five Questions Every Intern Should Ask

As summer internships continue, we already posted about the five common mistakes interns make. One of them is being afraid to ask questions. When you start an internship, you’re not expected to know everything about the field. In fact, it’s the opposite. Interning is not the time to act like a know it all and go with the flow. You want to ask as many questions as possible so you can learn as much as possible. Here are a few questions every intern should ask their mentor/manager on a daily basis.

• What is this for? Always ask this. Whether you’re pulling together a media list, a mailer, making a copy of something – ask what it’s for.
• What does that mean? PR pros have their own language. There is a lot of PR jargon thrown around the office every single day. Ask what SMT means. Ask what ROI means. This is the only way to learn.
• Can I come? Hear about an event or meeting that’s of interest? Ask if you can come. Don’t be offended if the answer is no, but most likely they would love to have an intern tag along.
• Why am I doing this? Similar to what is this for, ask why you’re doing it. It will help you put two and two together.
• Why is this happening? See something interesting going on in the office and unsure of what it’s for? Find out the why.
• Ask all of these questions again – multiple times. Don’t think you’re coming off as annoying. The more questions you ask, the better. And of course, take notes.

What are some other questions interns should ask?

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