By Amy Eisman
As an intern working remotely, you might feel out of it, forgotten or less important. Or, you are in touch with the office but don’t know how much contact is too much contact.
- Don’t take it personally. You may not be top of mind, but remember your boss is likely working at home or in a changed environment, and is juggling more than usual.
- Ask your supervisors how often they want to be contacted. Agree on the right device (text, e-mail, Slack, Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc) and ask if there is a good time to connect.
- Figure out which communication styles work (narrative with links? Summaries?) and repeat successes.
- Constantly watch/listen to the organization’s reports online, on air or on social media, so you know where the focus has been, who is working on what topic and where you might fit in.
- Don’t take risks. Follow health guidelines. Your employer does not expect you to put yourself in harm’s way. Don’t.
- Be more clear than humanly possible. If, for example, the supervisor uses e-mail, then the subject fields should be direct to the topic at hand. Nothing fuzzy, nothing vague.
- Abide by your organization’s policies and practices, employers say.
- Ask to participate in newsroom-wide virtual meetings.
- Find other interns with whom to stay in touch. You are in this together.
Be the same reporter you are in the classroom: highly ethical, unfailingly accurate, and forever useful.
Amy Eisman is the Director of Journalism Division, School of Communication at American University.