Making new friends at your internship

Having a few friendly faces in an office can make even the most solitary jobs feel more interactive. But what if you’re the brand new intern who is desperately trying to find common ground with your intimidating professional colleagues? There’s only so much small talk about children and real estate woes that a semi-functioning undergrad student can make before even the friendliest of your co-workers will begin to see how poorly you adult.

Fear not, for Hijacked is here to guide you into the daunting world of office social circles with these handy tips.

Introduce yourself to everyone

Sure, it’s scary, but on your first day take a few minutes to introduce yourself to everyone in your immediate vicinity.  It’s time to crack out that endless Game of Thrones knowledge that can help you to get out there and make some friends. You never know which friendly colleague is going to end up loving the same hole-in-the-wall bar as you do, or who shares your terrible taste in horror movies.

By introducing yourself to everyone you get to meet a lot more people than those directly involved in your job. You might even earn yourself an office-wide reputation as an excellent team player that could potentially reach the boss’ ear.

Pick up some basic work from a stressed co-worker

It’s going to be time consuming and chances are you’ll hate what you just picked up; but by volunteering to help out a much busier co-worker, you’ve just made someone else’s day and earned yourself a friend.

We all know how soul-crushing stress can be. If you’re able to take some of that pressure off the shoulders of your colleagues, this is a great way to improve overall team morale and to earn some serious brownie points. Seriously, if someone volunteered to take filing off my hands I might just throw them a party.

Bring in a snack to share once a week

Ah food, helping people to bond since ancient times. While you should be prepared to put on about ten kilos from all the goodies your co-workers will bring in, food provides a great way to bring people together and gives you a chance to get to know colleagues in a more relaxed work setting.

You’re probably not wealthy enough to order an entire office’s worth of doughnuts so why not break out those baking skills and make something for your potential new friends to enjoy. Never underestimate how much joy baked goods can bring to someone’s day.

Get involved with company social events

There’s a good chance during your internship the HR team will try and bring people together through company social events. Whether it’s a cheesy team building exercise or a charity marathon, do yourself a favour and get involved in the event.

Spending extra time at the office or getting up early to train is going to be a bummer, but this new shared experience will provide the perfect common ground for flourishing office friendships. All it takes is a spark to get things started.

Be approachable

This might seem like common sense to most, but it has to be said. Be friendly, approachable and all those other buzzwords you listed in your cover letter to explain why you would be an excellent addition to the team. As time goes by your co-workers will begin to stop by your desk for a quick chat if you’ve shown you’re up for it. Don’t worry about wowing others, let your natural personality shine through and you’ll be just fine.

Shannon Coward

Shannon Coward is a third year Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Arts student at the University of Queensland. She enjoys period dramas, doughnuts and a good nap.