7 Summer Internship Essentials

By Madison White on May 24, 2017

Image via lifeofpix.com

The idea of a summer internship is great: experience, challenge, and maybe a little extra cash. The reality of a summer internship, however, may leave you feeling totally unprepared for the real working world.

How do you know what you do and don’t need when starting a summer internship? Luckily, there are a few key items that will already elevate your office game from novice to at least intermediate. Keep these summer internship essentials in mind and you’ll be rocking that cubicle in no time.

1. A light blazer or sports jacket

When it comes to a summer internship, you want to look professional while staying cool. If you’re digging through your closet, you may find that all your professional clothes are heavy and dark-colored. Especially for a summer internship, you want a go-to jacket that will keep you looking stylish and summer appropriate.

Ditch the black wool and opt for something of a lighter color like gray or blue. Look for fabrics that are thin in nature but still have a tailored look to them. Trust me, you don’t want to be lugging around an out of place winter jacket to your internship all summer.

2. Comfortable office shoes

While you may expect to be sitting at a desk for most of the day, you might be surprised about how often you’re on your feet and moving around. Don’t take your time sitting for granted. A cute, but painful pair of shoes can throw off your entire mood for the entire day. You don’t want to snap at your coworkers just because the too tall heels you wore are giving you blisters.

Try and invest in some well-made shoes that are both comfortable and office appropriate. Test them out for a week beforehand to make sure you don’t get stuck in a painful situation while at the office.

3. A go-to outfit

If this is your first time working in a professional environment, you may be stressing out about how to dress. Don’t fret, working a summer internship doesn’t mean you have to revamp your entire wardrobe just to fit in. What you do want to invest in is at least one outfit that you feel completely comfortable and professional in.

In this outfit, you know that you’re looking good and will furthermore be performing your best. Once you have this one outfit, you’ll be more likely to start mixing and matching the rest of your wardrobe to create more office looks.

4. A professional notebook

Having the professional look doesn’t stop with your outfit, it extends to your office supplies too. Think of all the important meetings you’ll be attending and (hopefully) taking notes at. Do you really want to be pulling out a ripped or elementary-looking notebook in front of the higher-ups? Probably not.

For this reason, you’ll want to find at least one notebook that looks chic to bring with you. It doesn’t have to break the bank, but just look for something that says “I’m here to work hard” rather than “This is my first day of fifth grade.”

5. A desk organizer

Similarly, not all desks will come equipped with the things you need for a professional looking desk. Over time, you’ll accumulate many things like pens, paper clips, sticky notes, and papers galore. You definitely don’t want these just strewn all over your desk because it’ll make you look immediately unorganized even if you’re not. A good desk organizer can really elevate your desk to the next level and make anyone who walks past think that you really have your stuff together.

6. A reusable mug or cup

A summer internship probably means early mornings, or at least, getting up before noon. This also means you’ll need something to get you through the day like coffee, tea, or whatever other beverage you fancy. Instead of splurging on coffee shops every morning or bringing disposable cups, try getting a nice reusable one. You’ll look like a more refined caffeine addict while saving money and the environment at the same time.

7. A sleek lunchbox

Like the notebook situation, you don’t want to be bringing something to your new office that hails from your younger days. Because you probably can’t afford to eat out every day (money-wise or time-wise), you’ll probably end up bringing your lunch. Look for a type of lunch carrier that suits your personality, but that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to bring to your professional job. Instead of a comic book hero, maybe opt for something with a more minimal design.

Summer internships are a great place and opportunity to really hone in on your future career prospects. While doing them, you don’t want to be preoccupied with looking out of place in your new workplace. Try and find things that keep in line with your personality but still follow the unspoken rules of office style.

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