Time Management

One of the first lessons I learned when I started in the "real world" was time management. In college, time management meant making sure assignments and projects were completed within the given time frame - usually a week or two. At a job, that turn around time is usually 1 to 2 days or even a few hours.

I'm famous for always asking "when do you need this by" or "Is this an emergency?" While 9 times out of 10 you can tell when it's an emergency, it never hurts to ask. If for no other reason than to cover your tail if something goes wrong.

I've had interns who have done tasks lickty split, no questions asked, and the project was perfect. I've also had interns who, at the end of their employment, still hadn't completed all their tasks. In full disclosure, I probably had a few in my day that weren't completed, but I digress!

Another thing - if someone gives you an assignment that your superior (boss) doesn't know about make sure to keep them informed. It will reflect much better on you if your boss realizes that you can multi-task and juggle multiple projects than if he or she thinks you can't handle any more than a single assignment at a time. In which case, you might want to rethink your work ethic. Rarely is there a "real world" day when you will be focused on one task and one task only.