Posted by on Oct 30, 2011 in Ramblings | 10 comments

Why I’m Mean to Interns

I’ve supervised four interns here at Roundpeg.

I’ve made at least three of them cry.

Two of them hate my guts.

Two of them are respected professionals who I genuinely consider both friends and colleagues.

Why is there this dichotomy? Why do half of my former interns despise me–and why am I okay with it? Simple: I care enough about my interns to push them to the very limit of their abilities and then some. With me, they can’t get away with “good enough.”

Let’s face it: most undergrad and even graduate programs don’t prepare students for the real world. They teach them to read and regurgitate information and theories that are rarely used in the real world. I can honestly say  I’ve never used the n-step theories I learned in my Public Relations Theory class. There are only two things  I care that my interns can do: think and write.

Both sound deceptively simple. We “learn” to do these things from very young ages. But are we really learning them in ways that are productive and prepare us for the workplace?

Let’s take writing. Two of my past interns have been graduate students, and both  had a very hard time writing in common, every day language. They preferred  long, sprawling sentences with complicated syntax and convoluted clauses. This type of writing makes sense: in school, they’re required to write a certain number of words, and they’re trying to sound smart. In marketing, things need to be short and to the point. They shouldn’t be long or complicated. Academic writing is the enemy of good (and engaging) writing.

And then there’s thinking. Time and time again, I see students flounder when not given exact directions to follow. When I ask them to interpret something or come up with ideas, they become stymied and lost. Sure, I know how I’d do it, but I want them to figure it out. Maybe they’ll find a way that’s better.

So what’s the right thing to do? Quietly correct their writing, and give them exacting directions rather than asking them to think for themselves? I don’t think so. That doesn’t help them, the future generation of professionals or anyone else. So I give them feedback. Sometimes it’s harsh. Sometimes I make their writing bleed with red ink, or I force them to go through the birth-like pains that real, deep thinking involves. I tell them that I don’t care if they’re not feeling creative, we have a deadline, so they’d better come up with something fast. But I make sure they know it’s never personal. They’re not stupid, they’re learning. They’re not bad people, they’ve been poorly taught.

I’m mean to my interns because I care deeply about their development both as people and young professionals. If you care about your interns, you’ll do the same. Or if you’re an intern who genuinely wants to learn, get better and become the best, apply for an internship.

More on This Topic

  • http://www.slaughterdevelopment.com/ Robby Slaughter

    Hey there, meanie.

    If “most undergrad and even graduate programs don’t prepare students for the real world”, should people who want to work in PR or marketing even bother to go to school? Or should they just submit themselves to the wrath of Dr. Allison “Minerva McGonagall” Carter?

  • Sara C

    GREAT post. I’ve managed a few interns and I’m pretty sure one of them REALLY hated my guts because of how hard I pushed her to think outside the box. And for social media, it’s not just about scheduling tweets or updating Facebook pages, it’s about strategy, audience, and communication -something that isn’t going to be intuitive just because “you’re young and you know how to work Facebook.” You are dead on about editing their work. I’ve seen interns who have written very poor press releases (as have I) but you can’t expect them to know how you want them to do it without a little training and thought-provoking conversations that help them understand not just how, but why.

  • http://www.roundpeg.biz Allison Carter

    @Robby, ahh, I didn’t say college wasn’t useful, only that it often doesn’t teach work skills. I think it’s critical to help young adults mature, grow, learn to deal with people and be an independent person. College has an important place and will remain a qualification for most white collar jobs. There’s also a huge variation in how schools teach PR–for instance, I once had a rising senior PR major from IU who had never had to write a press release for class. That’s shockingly negligent, in my opinion.

    @Sara–Thanks! I completely agree, especially on the social media piece. If I had a nickel for every “Oh, I don’t know how to use social media so I’ll get an intern who does” comment I’ve heard, I’d have at least a dollar. Interns need hands-on help and guidance that they often don’t get in our large, crowded institutes of higher learning. Internships are like modern day apprenticeships.

  • http://twitter.com/bcalhoon Barrett Calhoon

    Coming from the production side of things, I completely agree. So much slips through the cracks in education in terms of common sense and getting the job done in a real world setting. I primarily deal with interns that change on a yearly basis in a rigid program (grad and undergrad), and it always takes a while to evaluate if they really can cut it and then move them towards actually performing. I don’t think I’ve ever made anyone cry though.

  • Anonymous

    And I thought you were mean because hazing was outlawed in college :-) I agree with you on most of these points. Many students graduate from college programs without the right stuff. They can’t write for everyday people. And, surely, they can’t write persuasive marketing copy.

    However, I use the theories learned in my graduate program daily. They help me understand how and why to plan, develop strategy, and understand how my work impacts people. I understand how to approach FOX News because I understand agenda setting and the spiral of silence theories. It is from these theories that I can frame pitches that journalists can’t resist.

    So, before you throw the baby out with the bath water, consider good programs do give people the brain muscle to think and train them how to write. Unfortunately, there are too few programs that do both well.

    At the end of the day, however, it’s good to push our colleagues. To challenge them. To sharpen iron with iron. After all, respect is a higher virtue than friendship.  

  • Allison

    Point taken–there certainly are some aspects of public relations and communications theory that play strongly into day to day practice. But by and large, I think there’s a practical component missing from many programs, and too strong an emphasis on simple recitation instead of critical thinking and cultivating writing skills. And that’s ultimately the problem.

    Thanks for your comment!

  • Jennifer Riley Simone

    Past intern here. I will admit that on just ONE day of my time at Roundpeg, I hated you for a moment – but just for a moment.You and the rest of the Roundpeg team taught me well, and I appreciate your style.

  • http://twitter.com/lorraineball Lorraine Ball

    Aaah, but you were one of the good ones! A quick study, always willing to try something new.  

  • Allison

    One moment out of nearly four months? I’d say that’s a new record. And I was totally right about that one, anyway. ;)

  • http://www.betamotivation.com/ Kola

    love this, Allison. thanks for not bowing to mediocrity :)