Things I asked the DevAd hiring manager before verbally accepting the intern offer
Tags: intern, devrel, firstpost
Published: 2022-01-02 04:24:21

As I prepare for my third and last internship before graduation, I thought it would help to articulate details I needed to know about a role before signing my soul away.

I had the luxury of meeting with my future manager a few times before making my decision, so I made sure each call was productive and insightful since I only had those moments to decide if vibes check out.

## What is the intern project?

I've learned to run for the hills when a hiring manager is extremely vague or even unsure about what they want me to work on. First, it comes off open-minded and flexible which is really intriguing. But then I find myself gaslit and working on something I absolutely did not want to do.

I'd love to know:
- What product I'll be working with
- What specific topics I'll be covering
- What my final project will be

I've narrowed my choices of employers based on (1) products that interest me and (2) projects assigned. I learned I don't make a good sellout, and there was no way I'd make a decent devad if I wasn't working on something I enjoyed.

## Why are you hiring an intern specifically on this team?

I was once brought onto a team as an impromptu intern (ie. they made my role because I was referred). During my first week, I approached my manager with a list of clarifying questions including "What are your expectations of me in order to get a return offer on this team?" _(Something I was taught to ask early on and a previous internship had addressed on my first day)_ Had I not asked this, I probably wouldn't have ever learned that **this team wasn't even hiring**.

That conversation turned into a real sh!t show, but my point is: Please don't bring an intern on without intent to keep them.

## Is mentorship offered? If yes, what's your style?

When hearing about my classmates who interned at Amazon, I envied the kind of mentorship they received. It was very organized and systematic, and expectations of the mentor were crystal clear. I never felt like I really had that. It's not their fault; none of my assigned mentors were given instructions on how to contribute to my internships. Some of them didn't even know what being a mentor entailed.

Ideally I would like an empathetic mentor(s) who can:
- willingly take on questions
- train me but understand I'm likely unable to perform at their level in the time I'm interning
- help unblock me after I've tried to solve a problem
- offer constructive feedback (I don't want to think I'm doing fine then get blindsided)
- offer the amount of guidance I need
- carve out time to have involved 1:1's; if they're busy, we can move it (I don't want a mentor who is constantly working on other things every time we meet while I'm trying to talk to them)

## What are the expectations to get a return offer?

I was once told it was "extremely off-putting" that I had asked about _what is expected of me in order to get a return offer_ because it came off "entitled that I even thought it was a possibility to return to the team." I hated that I tip-toed around this question for countless talks every since, but I've spoken to enough people now to confirm that **that isn't an offensive question and it's completely normal to want to know this information**.

I asked if we could establish some metrics we can refer to (e.g. How many videos am I expected to make?), so I have some level of self-awareness. I get that solely reaching a count isn't all it takes, but I just want some way of knowing how much I've done and how much I have left to do.

## Are you crazy? (Please don't ask this verbatim)

_"I just wanted to make sure you're not crazy."_

Lacks context but yes...I did actually say the above sentence verbatim.

Admittedly, it was unnecessarily vulnerable to share my story about being expected to work normally after 3 deaths in my family during a past internship. I'm sure there were other ways to find out whether my next boss understands that "life happens" and I'm a human-being before I'm an employee.

My point is: this was important to me, and I needed some reasurrance that I was going to work for a reasonable person.

## Wrap up

When I got the offer, I had already chosen the company based on their size, pay, benefits, etc. The only thing left was choosing my manager.

My key determining factors when deciding on a manager were their:
- assigned project
- purpose for hiring an intern
- mentorship style
- expectations
- response to emergencies

Can't wait to share my journey as a DevAd intern at Snowflake starting in February!