After surveying and interviewing 200 students globally for my professional project at Richmond University in London I used what I learned from all of you to make a well researched list of questions you can ask a company during the interview so you know whether or not the unpaid internship will be worth the pay cut.
How many of your current employees started as interns here?
Unpaid internships are notoriously awful at promoting their interns to full time staff. According to the U.S. NACE only about 39% of unpaid interns end up with job offers from the place they interned. Based on the size of the company and amount of people they've promoted you can probably figure out what your odds are. If they have hired a lot of interns definitely consider taking this one.
Will travel expenses be covered?
According to CNN Money, Americans living in cities spend about $10 a day commuting to and from work. While that might not seem like a lot it definitely is. To do the math for you that's $50/week, $200/month, which means an average unpaid 3 month internship is going to cost you about $600 just to get to. No thanks.
Who would be my supervisor?
If companies don't know the answer to this question right away, or can't give you a definite answer without a good explanation, it's a huge warning sign that the whole internship might be a bit disorganized. Internships can be nerve wracking enough as is without having to worry about who you are supposed to go to with questions. While you obviously don't need their full name yet, they should probably be able give you the person's job title (ex. One of our account managers). Internships with established mentors and organized programs will help you get the most out of your time there.
Will I get a letter of recommendation or contact information for someone to be a reference at the end of my internship?
Seriously... If they're not going to hire you they've got to at least be willing to vouch for you when someone else wants to! It may seem like planning ahead but it's something you definitely need to know. Obviously if they say it's based on your performance that's understandable, but if you feel like you deserve one at the end ask for one.
What exactly will I be doing most days?
Let me let you in on a secret... "If personal assistant to _____" or "You might be asked to run a few errands for_____" is anywhere in the description, no matter how far down the list, then congrats; you've just applied to be an unpaid personal assistant. Welcome to The Devil Wear's Prada: You're Andy! Getting the CEO's coffee and dry cleaning not what you had in mind for your internship? Yeah. I didn't think so.
What is the company culture like?
You should be able to get a feel for this when you step into the office. You probably want to look for some people mingling or at least a few smiles. Other things to observe are: Where are people sitting? Are there cubicles or is everyone just out and about? How are people dressed? You know how you're going to work best so take that all of that into account. Usually if it's going to be a fun place to work you'll know it right away. If the person interviewing you is enthusiastic about working there and people you've talked to all seem upbeat and happy, that's a good sign there's a positive company culture.
Do your interns get invited to company conferences or other networking opportunities?
Meet who you can while you can. Most people find other job opportunities through people they know. I know you've heard it 100 times but seriously, networking is so important. If you're invited to company events you'll meet people naturally, so you won't even have to try very hard to network.
Do you offer any other benefits to your interns?
Your experience probably won't pay your rent but it might pay for some other things! Some companies sneak in little perks like gym memberships for the duration of your internship and flexible work days for their interns. You might not even know about this kind of stuff until you get hired or unless you ask, and it might help you to make your decision a bit easier. Any financial pressure they're willing to take off you will help while you're not making any money.
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