At DMA, we’ve spent years integrating internships into our company culture and have even had successful remote interns. Not that we’re running a Yahoo-sized biz here, but we don’t entirely agree with Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer’s assessment that remote working isn’t conducive to collaboration and productivity. So we turned to Danielle, our current remote intern, to gather her perspective on the hot topic. And what she delivered, below, is a smart read from a quirky and talented millennial that will provide additional insights for employers and interns alike!

When I reflect back on my experiences interning remotely for DMA thus far, my first thought drifts directly to the calendar date. I’m rather astonished by how quickly the past six months have gone by. I guess time flies when you’re working from a distance! I’d like to provide you all with a few tips and tricks I’ve been keeping up my sleeve after interning from home instead of the office. So gather around all you faithful readers, internship seekers, marketing junkies, and future students entering the fabulous fresh produce industry:

Working Hard: To Do’s

• Communicate. I call this the Vitamin-C of a remote internship (C standing for communication, of course, rather than the power of citrus fruits)! Good communication keeps the internship healthy and builds immunity to problems that could spiral out of control from lack of contact with the office. This may seem obvious, but I can’t stress enough how important it truly is. Communication is key- especially when it comes to having a long distance relationship with your job! Plus, in this day and age, there really is no excuse not to stay connected with all the different forms of communication available to us. I would suggest a weekly update, every Monday morning, to inform your boss and fellow team members, what you will be working on that week. Also, stay verbal with frequent conference calls, just to make sure you are on the same page as the rest of the office – details and tone can get lost in an email!
• Lend a virtual helping hand. Although you may lack physical office presence by working remotely, you can always offer assistance via email! I trust your team will appreciate this thoughtful gesture, even from miles away.
• Pretend you truly are physically present in the office when working. In a nutshell, don’t attempt your work duties in a distracting environment. Try to get them done as if you were back in the office during normal work hours. Eliminate the television and swap lying in your bed for sitting at a desk.
• Learn from others’ experiences. How did your boss and teammates get to where they are today? Gathering an understanding of how your superiors landed in their current careers is always inspiring and may even set you up to travel down the same path.

Hardly Working: Do Not Do’s

• Do not let email (or your primary form of communication) slip your mind. You should be checking it as often as your schedule permits during the typical workday hours. Also, if you do not have access to a computer for an extended period of time, download your work email onto your smartphone.
• Do not only focus on your own assigned area of business. You should stay up to date as best you can on what is happening with other clients or accounts. Do not be left out of the loop. Ask questions.
• Do not let those relationships formed with your in-office coworkers suffer simply because you don’t share an office. You never know what great advice or help they may be willing to offer you, as well as what you could learn from them that may be applicable to your future at the company or with your career. Take up opportunities to stay in touch during AND after your internship.

So, are you ready to tackle your remote internship? A few last words of advice: Whether you’re a few cities away, or, a hop and a skip across an ocean, remember the common goal of the company and try your best to achieve interconnection. Lastly, don’t forget to ask yourself, “Are you working hard or hardly working?”

Looking for additional assistance in setting up an internship program? DMA has been actively hiring interns for the last 7 years and, wow, have we learned a ton! We share our insights in the FREE Internship Guide for fresh produce companies (with info that also applies beyond fresh produce)! Click ad below to download.