Internship Dos and Don’ts from Nicole Najafi, Founder of Industry Standard

After crafting the perfect resume and acing your interview, you’ve finally landed a coveted spot at your dream company. Initial excitement aside, first-day jitters are completely expected as you seek to make the best first impression. With countless myths surrounding the internship process (what should you do, what shouldn’t you do), there’s no such thing as being too prepared. Whether you’re an undergrad embarking on your first internship or you’re a post-graduate still trying to find your footing in the real world, there are certain tips (both big and small) that all interns can benefit from knowing. Everyone has to start somewhere!
Dos
DO ask for help. Believe it or not, your boss will not expect you to know everything during week one (or even week 10) of your internship. You should reach out for help, “specifically when you are really stuck and have exhausted all resources around you,” Nicole says. “Chances are your boss prefers that things are done correctly rather than never being bothered.”
DO go the extra mile. Whether it’s running routine errands or engaging in more in-depth research, always go that extra mile. Nicole reflects, “My first boss gave me a piece of advice on my first day that stuck with me. He said, ‘If someone asks for A and B, do A, B, C, D and E.” I still think about that!” This is a great rule of thumb for every internship and job position you have moving forward.
DO format your work. As it turns out, all those years spent properly formatting papers in school does eventually pay off. This includes proper titles, spacing and borders — the whole nine yards. According to Nicole, “Your teachers taught you how to do this for a reason and it’s imperative in the working world too.”
DO dress comfortably. AKA, if your heels aren’t made for running across the city, then you best be swapping them out for sensible flats. According to Nicole, you want to be “professional and presentable, of course, but you want to dress to work, even if it’s a fashion company.”
DO think of little ways to make your boss’s job easier. Coming from a boss’s perspective, this is a major do that could pay off in the long run — like when it comes time for asking for recommendation letters. Nicole says, “I’ve had some great interns in the past who got to know my work style really well and could foresee what I was going to need and did it before I asked. Amazing!” Take note, savvy interns!
DO apply through Instagram for internship positions. For all you millennials who swear by a top-notch Instagram aesthetic, this is advice you’ll want to take to heart. Not only is applying through Instagram a great way to stand out from the crowd, but you’d be surprised at the number of companies that advertise internships on Instagram these days. On applying through Instagram, Nicole says, “Maybe not to Microsoft, but if it’s a small company or a company with a strong Instagram presence, they’ll love it. One of my wonderful summer interns got her internship through a direct message on Instagram!”
So how does one go about applying for an internship through Instagram, you ask? First things first, Nicole notes that having a good feed is a major selling point for any digital brand or company. “I suggest sending a simple DM, saying you love the company and asking who would be the best contact to submit your resume for an internship,” she says. “I can’t guarantee this will work, but the other brand founders I’ve chatted with have agreed that this is a great way to get noticed.”
DO get in touch with your former bosses. Just because an internship has to end doesn’t mean you have to cut ties with your former bosses. Don’t hesitate to reach out to those “with whom you had a good rapport for advice and networking.” Nicole says, “You worked hard and they are your best champions.”
Don’ts
DON’T ask a question that can be Googled. Period. Not only will your boss be annoyed, but the entire point of your internship is to learn and be independent. Save the questions for when you’re really stumped.
DON’T feel too shy to ask for an expense you incur on behalf of your boss. No, your boss won’t think less of you if you ask to be reimbursed for a subway ticket or office supplies. “Ask tactfully, of course, but ask!” Nicole says.
DON’T complain. Not only is complaining viewed as incredibly disrespectful in the workplace, but odds are if you do, you won’t be in your boss’s good graces for long. To reflect Nicole’s sentiment: “It’s a no-brainer, but good to remember!” Agreed.
DON’T give any indication you are unhappy with an assignment you’ve been given. Sometimes being a superstar intern means having to put in the grunt work, and that’s okay. Nicole says, “I promise you your boss had to do it at one point and probably still does a lot of undesirable tasks.” Remember that interning is not all rainbows and unicorns, and that no task (even going on coffee runs) is below you.
DON’T take a phone call in front of your boss. Just don’t go there. Nicole suggests, “If your phone rings, step outside to take it.” Resist the urge to text, check your social feeds or take calls by keeping your phone tucked away during work hours.
DON’T accept wage inequality. This one may be an eye-opener for you, but it’s definitely important to note that wage inequality does exist. Nicole shares, “I discovered a male intern was getting paid more than twice as much as me to do the same internship, and I still regret not speaking up to this day.” Again, it may be one of the tougher conversations to have with your boss, but it shouldn’t go undiscussed.
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(Photos via Nicole Najafi)
Welcome to Selfmade Finance School, our new money series with Block Advisors to help small business owners with their tax, bookkeeping, and payroll needs year-round. This week, we explore the tax implications of bringing family members into your business.
The question for today is this: Does hiring your family members make sense for your business? Let me be clear. This is not a piece about whether hiring your family members makes sense for your relationships with those family members. As someone who is part of a family business, I could fill up a lot more than 600 words on my opinions about that. For today's purposes, we focus on whether it makes sense from an overall "good business and tax implication" perspective. As it turns out, there is a decent amount of tax nuance when it comes to employing your family. Let's break it down based on relationship to the employee:
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Spouses Who Are In Business Together
Personally, if I had to be in business with my husband, it would not go well. However, many couples build viable, strong businesses together and I say, good for them! Depending on how you have your business entity structured, it will make a big difference on the tax treatment of you and your spouse working as partners. Because a business jointly owned and operated by a married couple is generally treated as a partnership for Federal tax purposes, the spouses must comply with filing and record keeping requirements imposed on partnerships and their partners. The election to file two Schedule C (Form 1040) forms, (one for each spouse) permits certain married co-owners to avoid filing partnership returns, provided that each spouse separately reports a share of all the businesses' items of income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit. Under the election, both spouses will be subject to self-employment tax and on net earnings from self-employment and receive credit for Social Security earnings.
One Spouse Employs Another
If you have a dynamic where your spouse is an employee of your business, then your spouse's wages are subject to income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes. If you are self-employed (not a corporation or a partnership), your spouse's pay does not have to be included in your federal unemployment tax account (FUTA) contributions and payments. However, if your business is a corporation or a partnership you must include that spouse's pay in your unemployment tax contribution calculation.
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You Employ Your Child
First, let's be clear. I work in my family business, but I am an adult, so I am treated just like a normal employee. However, if you, for example, run a family restaurant and want to hire your children under 18 to work for you, there are some tax benefits. But first, you should check with your state for rules on how many hours minors can work (in non-agricultural jobs) and reference the Fair Labor Standards Act for information on limitations on the kinds of work children can perform.
"This is an often overlooked or under-utilized strategy. Paying your children for true services they provide in your business can be a powerful tax-saving tool," says Cathi Reed, Block Advisors Regional Director. "If you are a sole-proprietorship or single member LLC, and the child is less than 18 years of age, the business is not required to withhold FICA or payroll taxes. The child can use his or her standard deduction against income you pay."
You Hire Your Parent
Oh dear. If you are brave enough to do this, know that you will need to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes on your parent's wages and make the appropriate withholdings, but you don't have to pay unemployment taxes. Now all you have to do is convince your parent that you are the boss. Have fun with that!
Is Hiring Family Members Worth It For The Tax Benefits?
"There are some positive tax advantages to hiring family members. It's important to treat a family member like any other employee. Hiring your children can result in substantial savings for businesses. Make sure your child has real, age-appropriate work to do and a reasonable pay rate, comparable to other employees. Consult with a Block Advisors small business certified tax pro to ensure that you are complying with all requirements," advises Reed. "Block Advisors, a team within H&R Block, is dedicated to meeting the tax, bookkeeping and payroll needs of small business owners year-round. To start working with the tax experts at Block Advisors, visit blockadvisors.com."
In my opinion, you should not hire a family member solely because of the tax benefits. You should always hire based on whether that person is right for the job and keep in mind how this hire could materially impact your relationship with that person and others in your family. Finally, as I mentioned, make sure you have a tax professional on your team when making these determinations. As you can see, things can get a little tricky!
*All details were sourced from IRS.gov and blockadvisors.com
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect those held by Kestra Investment Services, LLC or Kestra Advisory Services, LLC. This is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific investment advice or recommendations for any individual. It is suggested that you consult your financial professional, attorney, or tax advisor with regards to your individual situation. Comments concerning the past performance are not intended to be forward looking and should not be viewed as an indication of future results. Securities offered through Kestra Investment Services, LLC (Kestra IS), member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Kestra Advisory Services, LLC (Kestra AS), an affiliate of Kestra IS. O'Keeffe Financial Partners and any other entity listed herein is not affiliated with Kestra IS or Kestra AS Investor Disclosures: https://bit.ly/KF-Disclosures