15 tips for Summer Interns (part 3)
"Save the best for last," someone once said
The third instalment of this series won’t be as fun, but it’s the most important of them all (see prior posts “15 tips for Summer Interns” June 1-25 and “15 tips for Summer Interns {part 2}” June 3-25).
Up until now, you might never have been exposed to what I’ll call “corporate secrets.” These “secrets” can take many forms, even if they don’t seem like a big deal. By opening their door to you this summer, the company in question is invariably going to share info about their business, clients and team members. Confidentiality is expected, even if you weren’t asked to sign a document where you promise to keep everything secret.
As much as you’ll be excited to share your new office environment with your friends and family, keep any briefing as generic as possible. Learn to talk about the nature of your work without mentioning specifics that might give someone not associated with the company any insight that isn’t already in the public domain.
When you and a fellow Intern take the elevator together, or go out for lunch or drinks, be conscious of your surroundings and how private the setting truly is. That person beside you in the elevator can likely hear everything you’re saying, and will also figure out where you work based on the floor you got on at. It’s not as easy in every random situation, but that’s not the point. It wasn’t hard to determine which hospital the three Residents worked at (they got on at the Queen subway station) recently as they debriefed on their day. The subway car is very tight during rush hour, and voices carry. As much as I don’t really care which St. Mike’s Doctor runs the toughest rounds, or who “could care less” about their proteges, per se, one of the names they dropped might have been my sibling or buddy. Although they were careful to not disclose confidential patient info, it was still tacky. Texting company secrets is no different, as accidents happen. Just ask U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
If you’re ever tempted to “get rich quick” using information you’ve gained at work, understand that the consequences are brutal and ever-lasting. Don’t do it. Don’t even think about it. The easiest example to cite is “insider trading,” which refers to buying or selling securities (such as shares or options) in a publicly-traded company based on something you heard or saw or read at work; either directly or by giving tips to someone else. To risk destroying a long and successful career so that you and a close friend from high school can stay in better hotel rooms, or buy a slightly faster car — NOW, rather than a few years later — is insane. Think of all the effort that you and your family have put into getting you where you are today: you’ll blow it all up in the blink of an eye.
Make sure you know what the company’s policies are before buying shares in your new employer; they’ll be delighted to hear that you want to invest in their business (CIBC Investor’s Edge has free trading for university students, btw), and they’ll be equally impressed that you knew enough to ask the question in the first place.
MRM
(this post, like all blogs, is an Opinion Piece)
(photo: Window Washer, 1950 by Irving Penn)
(disclosure: I own CM:TSX)