MANILA, Philippines -- ?Oh my god!? an intern squealed when she saw me make the sign of the cross before eating. ?You?re so cute, you pray!?

Then she patted my arm encouragingly. The eyebrow I raised at her went unnoticed; for the rest of the evening, she blathered on like she and my other co-workers had been good friends for years. In succeeding weeks, she committed other boo-boos, such as refusing to order pizza (she made her driver do it) and complaining that she wasn?t included in meetings. Obviously, she wasn?t a hit.

Interns, beware: while friendliness is always a plus, there are some lines that you should never cross. Being overly familiar with the people in the company where you intern can spell disaster for the early stages of your career. Also, it?s never a good idea to complain about the tasks given you.

Menial tasks

However, being an intern doesn?t mean you have to tuck yourself into a corner while slaving away at menial tasks?after all, you?re there to apply what you learned in school. Try to look for an internship position that provides you good opportunities for learning and networking.

Remember, getting on-the-job training while in school presents a good opportunity to acquaint yourself with the industry you want to join without committing yourself indefinitely. Take it seriously, but have fun while you?re at it.

By now, you?re probably already a couple of weeks into your internship. You?ve probably learned a thing or two, and made a few mistakes. But it?s never too late to learn?save yourself from embarrassment and earn yourself extra points with 2bU?s internship pointers.

Do?s :

1. Take your tasks seriously. Sure, you might just be filing folders or ordering pizza all day, but when your bosses see how dedicated and responsible you are, they will start giving you bigger assignments (which lead to bigger learning opportunities).

2. Ask questions! Mistakes are often committed because interns are afraid to ask questions. Better take an extra minute to clarify matters than to dive straight into a task you don?t know how to do.

3. Dress the part. Trendy clothes and loud colors are generally frowned upon in corporate settings. But magazine editors wouldn?t want to have frumpy, unfashionable interns working for them. When in doubt, remember it?s better to be underdressed than overdressed.

4. Give feedback. When you?re comfortable enough with your superiors and feel that you?re ready to give feedback, do so. For instance, publications often ask their interns for suggestions for cover girls, hot places to feature, etc.

5. Get to know the other interns. Don?t be a snob?talk to interns from other schools or departments and get to know them. Who knows, you might be able to help each other with tasks. Plus, they could be the people you work with in the future!

6. Volunteer to order the pizza. Or bring cookies for everyone. People appreciate kind gestures, and your superiors will be impressed by your initiative. But remember there?s a very fine line between sucking up to your boss and being nice to everyone.

7. Do research on the company. This is actually something you should do before joining the company, but it?s always a good idea to keep up with developments. Are they launching a new product, or are they embroiled in controversy? It?s in your best interests to find out everything you can.

Don?ts

1. Don?t use company resources for personal purposes. Interns can get into big trouble over this?save the chats and Facebook updates for when you get home.

2. Don?t come to work with a hangover or with too little sleep. Yes, you have a social life. While it?s fun to let loose on weeknights without worrying about a killer exam, remember you?re on an internship to work. They probably wouldn?t fire you, but it?ll reflect in your evaluation. Even if you?re doing your internship just for fun (i.e., no grades), remember that first impressions last.

3. Don?t be too eager for lunch breaks. It just looks bad if you consistently leave for lunch much earlier than everyone else, or if you watch the clock, ready to bolt the minute it?s time to log out.

4. Don?t spend most of your time chatting. It especially annoys people when you talk about personal issues in really loud voices, even when you?re on your break. Unfortunately, as an intern, you?re at the bottom of the barrel, so any mistakes you make are greatly magnified.

5. Don?t be overly familiar with your superiors. This is one of the more common errors interns make when their bosses are just a few years older. While some young staffers tend to power-trip, asking interns to do everything for them, it?s better to err on the safe side and be overly polite than too comfortable.

6. Don?t invite your friends to the office. Your OJT should be treated as a job, not as a barkada gimmick. And what happens in the office should stay in the office, especially company policies or developments.

7. Don?t roll your eyes. Ever. No task should ever be beneath you; so even if you?re working on an engineering or management degree, you might be asked to make the coffee once in a while. If you feel that you?re treated unfairly, have a talk with the HR people, but don?t roll your eyes or show other signs of contempt for seemingly menial jobs.

E-mail the author at biancaconsunji@yahoo.com