15 tips for Summer Interns (part 2)
An additional 15 - mostly crowd-sourced - tips for your Summer Intern
The first post (see prior post “15 tips for Summer Interns” June 1-25) has generated some fabulous feedback. I had a few extra points that I can’t believe I missed initially, but — best of all — several very successful business people have sent along some additional advice to share with y’all. According to my former colleague Laura Lenz, all of this is equally useful to every budding young professional — so, unless you’re already running you’re own venture capital fund, you should listen to her.
Part Two:
Over the course of your first two decades on the planet, the overarching goal was to get you to eat the right things, at the right time. It is entirely possible that allowances were made for the “how” part. Plus, there was some parental tip-toeing around during Covid. Understandably, this may have confused you to believe that “how” you eat doesn’t matter — this would be the wrong conclusion to have drawn. You may not think that how you hold your fork and knife matters, or that shovelling food into your mouth as your forearm rests on the side of the table gets noticed, but I can assure you that you’ll never become the CEO of anything beyond your own Start-up company if eating dinner with you is like a scene out of Quest for Fire.
Table manners, how you treat a server, if you talk with your mouth full, how loud you are at the bar after work, etc. All of this will be noticed by someone who may wind-up having a key role to play in your career progression (or not).
Don’t believe me? Try Plan B and call me in 30 years and we can commiserate about why you’re neither Chair nor CEO of Brookfield. (It also gets noticed by a future romantic partner, and will be a deal-breaker for some of them as you’ll invariably come to find.)
This next piece of advice comes via a comment from a reader by the name of “Toronto Observer”: “On #10, I might add that the ‘office’ coffee in general has improved a lot in the last two decades, and its bad reputation is really something lingering from the distant past. To combine #10 and #4 (on the commandment to ‘take it all in’), I would also suggest someone in a 2025 summer intern role might pick up more useful insights from colleagues by say 2 visits a day to the coffee machine (and using them as excuses to have quick 5-7 minute chats with various different colleagues) than say from visibly disappearing from one's desk once a week for 45 minutes for a long coffee with one colleague. As in all things in life - your mileage may vary, and this is not intended as definitively prescriptive advice.”
As you’re working at an office, wear “business attire” each and every day. And, having gone to the trouble of doing so, take some pride in it. If your black, hard-soled shoes have salt stains on them from last Christmas, clean them. Whether you like it or not, you’re constantly being judged in the business world. Everyone loves a free spirit, someone who allegedly doesn’t sweat the small stuff — particularly if they’re a success in the music or artistic world. However, unless you are Interning with Ben Buchanan at CAA (which is a great idea btw, but Artists are also sticklers for detail), it is more than likely that you are working somewhere that’s regulated by someone/something. Ironically, that crowd cares a lot about “the small stuff,” as you’ll come to learn. There’s a connection between success and getting the small stuff right. Follow Derek Guy on Twitter if you want to learn more about the rules of men’s fashion; or just go to Harry Rosen and beg Ralph Sansone or one of the other pros there to guide you. Oh, and don’t always wear brown shoes with a dark suit — your Teen friends are wrong about that. Women — I defer to Marlo Sutton (@marlofrance) and Mariangela D’Agostino (@fashion_scramble) at Holt’s.
More on the attire front from my former colleague Paul McKinlay, CFA: “Dress like you care. Put the effort in. Clothes that fit, neat, no more casual than your bosses for sure. The world has gone too casual and it’s starting to swing back.”
Paul would also recommend that you should “tinker with AI tools. Even if it’s just GPT/Gemini or maybe the deep research tools…get in the habit of using them.”
Paul’s next bit of advice is to “learn to be a good dinner guest or host. It matters!”
From Tony S.: “Make sure tasks are completed diligently and listen carefully to instructions. And there’s no need to ever respond with ‘I know.’”
From Christian G.: “If you didn’t get the internship, use www.hifinance.ai to practice!”
Next comes a package of six tips from Neil Selfe, founder of INFOR Financial, one of Canada’s leading advisory investment banks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he sent them from a small island in Greece (which means, if YOU ever want to be vacationing on a small island in Greece on your own dime, take these all to heart): “Be intellectually curious about everything. If you do not understand something, research it. Do not ask others to help explain it until you’ve done at least a base level of research yourself.”
NS: “Listen way more than you talk. Be a sponge and absorb as much information as you can. Be open to everyone’s ideas. The seemingly most far-fetched ideas are often the best.”
NS: “Always follow the money. Find out which companies are making the most money and understand why. Also, ask yourself why certain companies are failing and understand the root causes of their failures.”
NS: “Find out who are the most successful people at your firm without engaging in gossip. Make sure you work with those people, emulate their best traits while at the same time being true to yourself.”
NS: “Keep controversial or provocative opinions to yourself. You do not have enough experience yet to be overly critical or controversial.”
NS: “Do not mistake intelligence for wisdom. The latter requires experience. Pattern recognition is a very valuable skill. Whether with people or businesses, look for common traits of success and emulate them. Conversely, ask what characteristics make people or businesses unsuccessful, and ensure that you avoid those characteristics.”
Last but not least, a contribution from Substack subscriber Joel Watson: “I would add that in the office environment, whether they are called ‘Secretaries, Assistants, Executive Assistants, or Clerks,’ be nice and learn from the people who know the place and get things done. Be humble and learn from them even if they do not have fancy MBAs or LLBs because they know the ropes and they are the gatekeepers for the bosses. If you do not see them, they definitely see you and it will be related. On the work site, there are similar folks without titles but a host of experience who can teach you things and importantly make your life easier or harder. Be humble, work hard, listen and learn.”
MRM
(this post, like all blogs, is an Opinion Piece)
I would add, that Paul McKinlay not only gives good advice but he lives it. As a young man in his very early twenties, he, together with two friends, coached my son Alex in Oakville Hockey. Paul was always a true professional, dealing with kids not that much younger than him but also parents much older, and as hockey parents sometimes are... full of opinions. As the "intern," he clearly stood out as someone going places, and time has proven that assessment true. If proof of the truth of these tips are needed, Paul is exhibit "A".
Your last point about EAs, clerks and administrative staffers is so on point. Having worked in those roles in the 80s and 90s for some super bosses who appreciate the position and person has tremendous impact and boosts workplace morale