10. Do one thing well. Your company hasn’t invested very much money in you. The ROI for you is just one new client over the summer, a couple of eye catching articles that drive traffic, or an idea that brings new business. Don’t worry about messing up – you just don’t cost that much.

9. Take risks. Great places will not be angry that you wrote a controversial blog post or tried to pitch your dad’s friend who buys the marketing software your company makes. Just do it.  Great companies do not frown on this.

8. Fix something. You will know a company’s  problem(s) within the first week or so. Fix them! Come up with a plan, tell your manager how you are going to fix the problems, and do it. For example, if the company can’t drive traffic to its stellar marketing blog, come up with a plan to promote the blog on twitter and build links. Pitch it. Then do it. Jobs are created to solve problems and people that solve problems will never be out of a job.

7. Don’t bother managers. Managers are busy, so don’t wait for them to tell you what to do all the time – it’s annoying. Most of the time they simply think that you can’t do things as well as they can. Simply put, they don’t trust you to get things done. Prove them wrong and you will get more assignments then you can handle.

6. You can use Gmail and Facebook. Everyone usually checks Gmail and Facebook during the day. It’s okay.  It’s not okay if you try to hide it. Confident and conscientious people, the people that get things done, don’t worry about what’s on their screen.

5. Do it. Don’t sit there and talk about how your company can use twitter to bring on new clients – do it! Anybody can sit there and talk about the plans they have – it’s the winners that take these plans and make them happen. Don’t be that intern that talks a big game and can’t back it up. Instead, do it.

4. Celebrate victories. If you work for a company and something goes well, celebrate it! Don’t hesitate. Knock down your manager’s door and give him/her a high-five. That’s what teams do. Be the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

3. Find a solution. Operating a business is difficult – if it wasn’t, everybody would be doing it! Complex problems will be presented for you to solve. Don’t ever, ever come back to a manager and say, “This is just too hard and can’t be done.” Present a solution or an alternative path to solve to the problem. Be part of the solution. Always.

2. Sell. Sales matter to every company – I don’t care whether your employer is large or small, sales matter.  If you intern at a cool company that has an awesome product that your mom’s friend would love, sell it to her. If you can produce sales, you will never be out of a job. Never.

1. Make an impact. You have about 10 weeks to change the way a business does business. You decide the impact you will have. Loser Interns whine about how it can’t be done in 10 weeks, how they don’t understand the business, and how they need more tools. Winner interns create opportunity out of nothing. They act and get things done.

You decide.

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