What to Do Before Refusing a Task During an Internship

The duties of an intern no longer largely consist of making coffee or copying documents.

Nowadays, many companies take interns seriously and treat them as if they were full-time employees

During your internship, you should be prepared to work on many different tasks that are both challenging and educational.

However, some employers step over the line and assign tasks that you may be unable to handle.

Pushing your limits is an excellent way to learn.

However, you need to know the limits that can’t be pushed.

Here’s what to do before refusing a task during an internship:

Understand your role

Before you sign up for an internship, it is important for you to know what you are getting yourself into.

This is the first way to prevent yourself from signing up for tasks that are too much or not within your capabilities.

If possible, get in touch with former interns who have been in the same position to ask about their experiences.

This will allow you to learn more about the tasks that you will be expected to work on.

If you think you cannot take on the challenge, perhaps it will be best to seek a new opportunity.

If you have already accepted an internship position, it can be difficult to refuse a task as your employer would have expected you to study the position beforehand.

Since it is your own fault that you failed to read the job description, you do not have enough of a reason to say no.

This is especially true when you are asked to work on something that was explicitly stated in the description.

If you are asked to do something that was never a part of your duties, however, you can say no to it.

However, don’t do so simply because you don’t want to.

You may come off as a problematic intern.

Instead, give them a legitimate reason and remind them that it was not included in the agreement and is, therefore, not a part of your responsibilities.

Trust your instincts

No one knows you better than yourself.

If you think that the task asked of you is beyond your limits, there is no need to work on it.

However, do not set the bar too low.

You want to allow some room for growth and development as well.

Draw the line at the point when you have reached a point that you are not willing to go past.

If you suspect that you are set to be at risk of doing something illegal or breaking the rules, you have the rights to refuse to comply.

You may be an intern but you have the right to speak up for yourself.

Do not refuse instantly

If you say no right away, things are going to become awkward very quickly.

Your manager might have a negative impression toward you, making it might be more uncomfortable to work throughout the rest of the internship.

Moreover, refusing too early on might make you miss great opportunities.

When you hear about the task at first, you might not like the idea of it.

However, rethink your decision and carefully a choice.

Before you say no immediately, try to ask for more details about the task.

In-depth information can help you decide correctly.

An internship is a great opportunity for you to learn.

There are many things that you will get from a company that your school will never be able to teach you.

Although there are a time and place to refuse a task, know how to identify opportunities to learn new things as well.

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