You know \u201cthe one\u201d is out there, but it might play hard to get. Then, just when you think you may have met a most attractive prospect, you notice an irritating quirk that you simply can\u2019t overlook. This may be a red flag that can signal a bogus internship.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t settle down with the first internship that gives you flirty eyes.<\/p>\n
It takes two to tango, and you should be screening those positions just as rigorously as they are vetting you.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nRed Flag #1: They are disorganized<\/h3>\n
When you arrive for your meeting, someone should be expecting you and guide you to the person you are scheduled to meet with. If no one seems to know anything about it, or the person is not available or late, that\u2019s a red flag. If you are already hired and there\u2019s no job description or someone to show you the ropes, another red flag.<\/p>\n
Factoid: Showing the ropes originates from sailing, where senior crew members showed newbies how to work the ropes that controlled the sails.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nRed Flag #2: The Internship has lots of angry exes<\/h3>\n
Have you ever met someone who claims that every single ex they\u2019ve ever had was a complete psychopath? Have you ever considered the common denominator in that equation? Right. Let\u2019s just say that if a closet consists solely of skeletons, you don\u2019t want to step foot inside.<\/p>\n
If, during your research, you find that a company or a department within a company has a high turnover rate or several angry ex-interns, it\u2019s probably safe to assume that there\u2019s something amiss with the company itself. Even worse, if the company has no long-term employees or past interns\u2014red flag\u2014walk away.<\/p>\n
Red Flag #3: It\u2019s too good to be true<\/h3>\n
![\"Too-Good-to-be-True-red-flag\"](\"http:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Projects\/Internsdc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Too-Good-to-be-True-red-flag.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Intuition can be your saving grace in nearly every situation that life throws your way. If a potential boyfriend or girlfriend promises you oceanfront property or a red Lambo, you\u2019re probably smart enough to know that you should take it with a grain of salt (especially if they, too, are living on an intern\u2019s salary).<\/p>\n
The same common sense should be applied to internships. If you\u2019re offered the sun and the moon and $50 per hour, don\u2019t believe a word of it. There are always exceptions, but as much as we would all love to be paid at this rate for our internship, it\u2019s just not the reality in most cases. Too good to be true is a definite red flag.<\/p>\n
Red Flag #4: It doesn\u2019t pass the parental smell test<\/h3>\n
If you think back to those woeful days of living under your so-called \u201coverbearing\u201d parents\u2019 roof, you just might recall their uncanny ability to spot a lie. They knew when another neighborhood kid was a bad seed. They could tell if you had a bad day at school, or if you were hiding candy in your room.<\/p>\n
Parents have a sixth sense about their children, even into adulthood. <\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nYou can call it hocus pocus, but you\u2019ve undoubtedly seen it for yourself. You know it\u2019s real. Run your internship by your parents or a guidance counselor. They can spot red flags too. So, if you think you\u2019ve found your perfect match, or maybe have a nagging doubt, call them for a second opinion.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, don\u2019t be in a rush to settle down. Play the field, and trust your instincts. If a relationship \u2013 professional or otherwise \u2013 feels fake or valueless, then it probably is.<\/p>\n
Red Flag #5: You\u2019re not included in meetings<\/h3>\nThe whole point of interning is to learn. If you are not included in brainstorming or planning meetings, you won\u2019t learn much. <\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIf they ask you to get coffee then go back to your desk, whoops, that\u2019s a red flag.<\/p>\n
Red Flag #6: You\u2019re not working on anything meaningful<\/h3>\n
When you interview, look for signs that the work you will be doing is related to what your interests are. Ask whom you will be working with, what their role is and how involved you\u2019ll be. You are there to learn, and if you aren\u2019t working with people who can teach you something you don\u2019t know, no real value there. Red flag.<\/strong><\/p>\nLook for internships that pay you, even minimum wage.<\/h4>\n
That\u2019s a good sign they value your work and they won\u2019t waste your time. Otherwise, how will you get to work and buy lunch? Though not all unpaid internships are bogus, some are. Be sharp, ask questions and be on the lookout for these 6 internship red flags.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Finding the perfect internship is like dating. You know \u201cthe one\u201d is out there, but it might play hard to get. Then, just when you think you may have met a most attractive prospect, you notice an irritating quirk that you simply can\u2019t overlook. This may be a red flag that can signal a bogus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employment-tips","category-internship-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Internsdc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"6-Red-Flags-Signal-Bogus-Internship\"](\"http:\/\/atdevserver.com\/Projects\/Internsdc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/6-Red-Flags-Signal-Bogus-Internship.jpg\")
<\/p>\n