Everyone wants to get ahead in their job. Whether it’s eyeing a promotion or just trying to get a project off the ground, one attitude can always help: working like an intern would.
Photo by Andrew Hitchcock
As business blog Entrepreneur states, interns have an enthusiastic mindset that leads to getting things done. They have to. How well an intern performs at their job over the next few months can determine their entire career trajectory.
However, when people get comfortable in a job, they can lose that enthusiasm. Getting that energy back, however, can give your career a big boost:
“Hey, we need someone to crank out blog posts.” I’ll do it!
“Can someone run down and pick up lunch from Sprout?” On it!
“The swag hasn’t gone out to the users. Can someone help me send it?” Of course!
For those of you just getting started — especially those in a non-technical role — you need to embrace the hustle. You have to be absolutely sure that you love the product. Whatever you do, it doesn’t have to be glamorous. It just has to be valuable. Those early days when you’re starting out, you’re working late and trying to touch as many parts of the business as you can.
Of course, this doesn’t mean devaluing your work. In fact, quite the opposite. Interns work hard with the expectation that they will be rewarded in the near future, in tangible ways. Otherwise, the whole idea breaks down.
You don’t have to work yourself to death with no promise of improvement, but the more problems you can solve, the better your bargaining position when it comes time to ask for that raise.
Key to Success? Work Like You’re an Intern — Every Day [Entrepreneur]
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