Questions to Ask as an Intern
Questions to ask as an intern, written for the intern's side of the desk and not for a manager checking in on one. They run in the order the weeks do: questions for the first day of an internship, what to ask your manager in the first week, how to ask about the work without looking lost, how to get feedback you can use, what to ask in a coffee chat, and what to ask at the end of the internship, from a return offer and a reference to your final timesheet.
Want questions from the whole vault instead? Try the random question generator.
The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
First Day
Where should I be on the first morning, and who do I ask for when I get there?
Why ask it
Send this in the email that confirms your start date, not from the pavement outside the building. Reception will not always have an intern's name on a list, so get a phone number as well as a name. If the first day is remote, the same question becomes which call to join and at what time.
Is there anything I should bring or have ready for the first day?
Why ask it
The usual answers are identification for a building pass, bank details for payroll and sometimes your own laptop. Which documents an employer has to see before you can start differs by country and by the kind of internship, so ask what applies here. Asking a few days ahead leaves time to find whatever is at the bottom of a drawer at home.
What is planned for me today, and what should I do when that runs out?
Why ask it
A first day is often an induction, a laptop and then a long gap while everyone goes back to their own deadlines. Knowing the plan stops you sitting at an empty desk wondering whether you have been forgotten. The second half gets you something to read or set up for the hours nobody has filled.
What should I call you, and how do people here address the senior staff?
Why ask it
Straight from school or university, plenty of interns use titles and surnames in a place that runs on first names, or the other way round. A manager can settle it in five seconds, and it saves you weeks of avoiding people's names altogether. Look at how emails to the senior people open as well, since writing can be more formal than speech.
Who should I introduce myself to today?
Why ask it
Most teams mean to walk a new intern round, and then a meeting gets in the way. Three or four names give you a small job for the afternoon, and the people you will need next week will already have met you. Keep each introduction short: your name, how long you are here and what you will be working on.
What do people usually do for lunch?
Why ask it
It sounds too small to ask, which is how interns end up eating at their desks for a week without knowing whether that is normal. The answer tells you where the kitchen or canteen is, how long people take and whether the team eats together. If someone offers to take you along on the first day, say yes.
Before I go home today, is there anything you would like me to have finished or understood?
Why ask it
A first day rarely produces any work, so this gives it an end point. The usual answer is modest: get logged in, read the project brief, come back tomorrow with questions. You also find out whether to check in before leaving or simply go when the others do.
First Week
What would a good first two weeks look like to you?
Why ask it
Few managers have this written down, but most can answer on the spot, and the answer tends to be smaller than an intern fears: get your accounts working, understand one system, finish one small thing. Write it down and use it as your checklist, so you are not inventing busywork while you wait to be told.
What are the main projects you have in mind for me, and which one matters most?
Why ask it
Some internships come with a defined project and some with whatever lands that week, and you want to know which you are in on day one. If there are several things, the one named as most important is the one to protect when time runs short. If nothing is planned yet, ask what you could start reading in the meantime.
At the end of the internship, how will you decide whether it went well?
Why ask it
This belongs in the first week, while the answer can still shape what you do. Some managers will talk about output, and others about reliability, judgment or how little checking your work needed. Whatever they name is the standard you are being held to, and it is rarely written anywhere you could look it up.
When I get stuck, how long should I try before asking?
Why ask it
Most managers will give you a rough figure, half an hour or half a day depending on the work, and that spares you the choice between losing an afternoon and looking helpless. Ask what they would like you to have tried first, so you arrive with 'here is what I did' and not only 'it does not work'.
How do you prefer to be contacted, and when should I expect a reply?
Why ask it
Some managers want everything saved for one daily message and others would rather be interrupted the moment you are blocked. Guess wrong and you come across as needy or as silent, and neither has anything to do with the quality of your work. Ask too what counts as urgent enough for a phone call.
Who should I go to for what?
Why ask it
Teams have an unwritten map: one person who knows the data, one who knows the process, one who has time. Have your manager name them, and find out whether there is a buddy or a recent intern for the small questions. Without the map, everything you need goes through the busiest person on the team.
How often will the two of us meet, and what should I bring to it?
Why ask it
A standing slot, even fifteen minutes a week, is where your saved-up questions go and where feedback has a chance to happen. If there is no regular meeting, ask whether you can put one in the calendar yourself. It is an easy thing for a manager to agree to.
What did the last intern do that worked, and what would you have them do differently?
Why ask it
It is easier for a manager to be frank about someone who has left than about the person in front of them, so you get a plain list of what to copy and what to avoid. If you are the first intern the team has had, ask what they hope the experiment will show.
What hours do people here actually keep, and which days is the team in the office?
Why ask it
The written policy and the real habit can be two different things, and on a hybrid team the days people come in matter as much as the hours. If you are paid by the hour, or your school or contract caps your week, say so and ask how extra time is handled here. Then match the team where you can, without quietly working hours nobody has agreed to.
What do people wear here on a normal day, and does that change when clients or visitors come in?
Why ask it
Easiest to ask before you start, in the email confirming your first day. The second half is the part that catches interns out: a relaxed office can still expect a jacket on the day a client visits. If nobody answers clearly, dress one step up on day one and adjust once you have seen the room.
What internal names and acronyms should I learn this week?
Why ask it
Every workplace has its own shorthand for projects, systems and clients, and meetings are hard to follow until you know it. If no glossary exists, keep your own and have someone check it. In week one this is an ordinary question, and in month two it suggests you have been nodding along.
Which tools and accounts will I need, and who sets up access?
Why ask it
Logins and permissions can take days to come through, and an intern without them has very little to do. Get the list and the name of whoever grants each item, then follow up yourself. Ask as well whether you may install software on a work laptop or have to request it.
How do I record my hours, and who do I ask about pay?
Why ask it
On a paid internship this is usually one for HR or whoever sent your offer letter, and better asked privately than in a team meeting. Timesheets, pay dates and what counts as working time are set by the employer and by local law, so ask how it works here. Note the deadline for submitting hours, because a missed one can hold up your first payment.
Is there anything I should not do, like contacting clients or editing shared files?
Why ask it
Limits like these are usually assumed and not written down, so an intern finds them by crossing one. Naming two examples makes the question easy to answer and tends to bring out the rest: who may email a client, which folders are live, what needs a sign-off.
Am I allowed to use AI tools for this work, and is there anything I must not paste into them?
Why ask it
Policies differ sharply from one employer to the next: some provide an approved tool, some ban them outright, and some have not decided. The second half matters most, since client data, source code and unreleased figures are the usual things to be careful with. Until you have a clear answer, keep company material out of any tool the company did not give you.
Who do I tell if I am ill or need a day off for an exam, and how much notice do you want?
Why ask it
Find out before the morning you wake up with a fever and no idea whether to message, call or email. Rules on sick days and time off for interns differ by employer and by country, so ask how it works here and whether the day is paid. If you already know your exam dates, hand them over now.
If my school needs forms signed for course credit, who handles that here?
Why ask it
Only relevant if the internship counts toward your degree, and then it matters a lot. Supervisors forget evaluation forms because nothing in their own job reminds them. Give the deadline in the first week, send the form with your own sections already filled in, and remind them a week ahead.
The Work
What does this team's work turn into, and who actually uses it?
Why ask it
Work handed to an intern often arrives without its destination. Once you know who reads the report or uses the feature, you can make the small decisions yourself: how much detail, which numbers come first, what can be left out.
What should I read to get up to speed on what the team is doing?
Why ask it
You are after the three or four documents that matter, not the whole shared drive: a recent plan, the last big report, the notes from a meeting where something was decided. Read them before your next one-to-one and bring the parts you did not understand. It is a good use of the quiet hours before your own work has started.
Which meetings should I be in, and which could I sit in on quietly?
Why ask it
Left to chance, an intern's calendar ends up either empty or full of meetings they add nothing to. The second half of the question is the valuable one, because listening in on a client call or a planning session shows you how decisions get made here. Afterwards, find one person who will explain the part you did not follow.
What does finished look like for this: rough notes, a recommendation, or something ready to send?
Why ask it
The same instruction can mean an hour or a week depending on the answer. Offering three options makes it quick for a busy manager to pick one. Ask at the moment the task is handed over, when it costs nothing, not after you have polished the wrong thing.
Of the things on my list, which are urgent and which just need to happen this month?
Why ask it
When requests come from several people, each one sounds urgent to the person making it. Let your manager rank them, and you can put your best hours into the task someone is waiting for and give an honest 'later this month' on the rest.
Is there an example of this done well that I could look at?
Why ask it
A previous report, deck or piece of code shows you the expected length, tone and level of detail faster than a briefing could. It also settles the formatting points nobody thinks to mention to an intern: headings, file names, how sources are cited. Copy the structure and spend your effort on the content.
Would you rather see a rough draft early or a finished version later?
Why ask it
Managers who like to steer early will redo your polished version anyway, and those who want a finished piece may read a rough draft as careless. This is a habit of the person and not of the task, so one answer per manager is enough. If they say early, show the outline before you write the body.
Would you look at this before I send it out?
Why ask it
Make it a reflex for anything going to a client, another department or someone senior. A second reader catches the wrong figure or the wrong tone while the work is still inside the team, and each correction teaches you the standard here. In time your manager will say which things you can send on your own.
Would a short end-of-week update from me be useful, and what should go in it?
Why ask it
Someone managing an intern often wonders how things are going and does not want to hover, so the offer is usually welcome. Let them choose the contents and the channel, since some want only the blockers and others want everything. Send it at the same time each week so that it comes to be expected.
Why is it done this way? Is there some history I should know?
Why ask it
Ask it as curiosity in your first weeks and people will tell you about the client who complained or the system that cannot be changed. Asked as a challenge, the same words sound like an intern who has decided the team is wrong. Write the reason down, because it tends to explain other things you were wondering about.
Who else is waiting on this, and should I update them myself or through you?
Why ask it
A task from your manager often has a second person behind it who needs the result by a certain day. Knowing they exist tells you the real deadline. The second half matters because some managers want interns talking to other teams directly and some want to be the only voice.
I got something wrong here. How would you like me to fix it, and who else needs to know?
Why ask it
Bring what you know when you ask: what happened, what it touched and what you have already checked. The question is easier to say than a confession, and it moves straight to the repair. Who else gets told is not yours to decide, and asking shows you understand that.
I have finished what you gave me. What would be most useful for me to pick up next?
Why ask it
Announce the finish and ask in the same message, so nobody discovers two days later that you had nothing to do. If you can, suggest something yourself: a manager finds it easier to approve an idea than to invent a task on the spot. Keep a note of small jobs people mention in passing for exactly this moment.
Could I sit beside someone while they do the part of the job I have not seen yet?
Why ask it
Shadowing asks very little of the other person and shows you the steps nobody thinks to write down. Name the specific thing you want to watch, such as a client call, a site visit or a month-end close. Offer to take the notes, which makes you useful while you learn.
What is a piece of work you would hand me if I showed you I could handle it?
Why ask it
Asking for 'more responsibility' tends to get a nod and nothing else. This version asks for a named task and the condition attached to it, so you come away knowing what to demonstrate first. Hold it until you have handed in a few things on time.
Is there a project sitting on the shelf that nobody has had time for?
Why ask it
Plenty of teams have one: the spreadsheet nobody has cleaned up, the process nobody has documented, the idea left over from last year's planning. Nobody else is competing for it, so it can be yours from start to finish, which is what you will want to describe in an interview. Check that it fits in the weeks you have left before you take it on.
How much of this work can I talk about or show outside the company?
Why ask it
Find out while you are still doing the work, so you can save what you are allowed to keep as you go. Some of it will be confidential, some can be described without names or numbers, and some can be shown freely. If you signed a confidentiality agreement, that document decides, so have someone walk you through what it covers.
Feedback
What is one thing I could do differently on the next piece of work?
Why ask it
Small and aimed at the future, so it is easy to answer honestly. Do that one thing on the next task and say so when you hand it in. A manager who sees a suggestion used will offer the next one without being asked.
What have I done so far that you would like to see more of?
Why ask it
Interns ask for criticism, forget to ask what is working, and then drop the useful thing by accident. The answer is often something you thought was minor, like the summary at the top of your emails or the way you flagged a delay early. Keep the exact words, because they are your answer when an interviewer asks about strengths.
Is there anything I should stop doing?
Why ask it
Ask for feedback in general and you tend to hear 'you are doing fine'. A request for one thing to stop gives your manager permission to mention the habit they were going to let pass: too many check-in messages, talking over people in the stand-up, reformatting things that did not need it. Thank them and leave it there, without defending yourself.
Am I creating any work for you that I could take off your plate?
Why ask it
Supervising an intern costs a manager real hours, and few interns acknowledge it. The answers are usually concrete: chase your own approvals, write up the meeting notes, check the draft before you send it. Take one on that same week and the change will be noticed.
When you changed my draft, what were you fixing?
Why ask it
Edits often come back without comment, and an intern who only accepts them will make the same choices again. Pick two or three changes you do not understand and ask about those. Each answer is a house rule you now know, and the next draft should come back with fewer marks on it.
Was there anything in that meeting I should have said, or left unsaid?
Why ask it
Ask within the hour, while your manager still remembers the moment. Some teams want interns asking questions in front of a client and some want them held until afterwards, and you will not know which until someone says. If you hear that you were too quiet, ask what kind of contribution would be welcome.
Am I where you would expect an intern to be at this point?
Why ask it
A yes or no question, which makes it quick to answer and hard to dodge. If the answer is yes, ask what ahead of expectations would look like. If there is a pause, ask which part is behind, and be glad you heard it with weeks left to change it.
Could we book a proper review at the halfway point?
Why ask it
Some programmes build a midpoint review in and many small teams do not, so raise it early and offer to send the invitation yourself. A date in the calendar makes the conversation routine instead of alarming, and it falls while you still have weeks to act on it. Bring your own list of what has gone well and what has not, so the meeting has somewhere to start.
Could we pick one skill for me to be noticeably better at by the end?
Why ask it
Finishing tasks is not the same as leaving with a skill. Agreeing on one, whether it is presenting, a particular tool or writing for clients, lets your manager steer the right work toward you. It also gives them something definite to say about you afterwards.
Careers
Who on the team would be worth half an hour of my time, and would you introduce me?
Why ask it
Your manager knows who enjoys talking to interns and who is buried this month. An introduction from them gets a quicker yes than a message out of nowhere, and they are not left wondering why you are booking time with their colleagues. Say what you are curious about so they can pick the right person.
What does a normal week look like for you?
Why ask it
A good opener for a coffee chat because anyone can answer it without preparing. Listen to how the week splits between meetings, solo work and firefighting, since that is the job you would be growing into. Follow up on whichever part they describe with the most energy.
How did you get from a role like mine to the one you have now?
Why ask it
Someone two or three steps ahead of you is the best person for this, because their route is recent enough to follow. You tend to hear the real sequence, including the sideways move and the job that did not work out, and not the version on the careers page. Ask which step they would skip if they were starting again.
What do you know now that you wish you had known in your first year of work?
Why ask it
Tying it to the first year keeps the answer close to where you are standing. Expect habits more than grand advice: asking sooner, writing things down, not waiting to be noticed. Ask what happened that taught them, and you get the story instead of the slogan.
If you were in my place, how would you make the most of this internship?
Why ask it
People tend to answer with the thing they regret not doing: meeting other teams, asking for harder work, keeping a record of what they produced. A former intern who now works there is the ideal person to ask, having sat where you are sitting. Choose one suggestion, act on it within the week, and tell them you did.
Which skills should I build before I apply for full-time jobs in this field?
Why ask it
Best put to someone who interviews graduates, because they know what is missing from the applications they read. Ask how they would spot the skill on a resume or in an interview. That tells you whether to take a course, build a project or get more practice at something you already do.
What do you like about working here, and what would you change?
Why ask it
One for a private conversation, not a team meeting. The first half is easy and the second half is where you learn something, so give it time and do not fill the silence. You are also deciding whether you would want to come back, and this is evidence for that.
What do people outside this team misunderstand about the work?
Why ask it
People enjoy correcting the record, so expect a long answer: the deadline another department never sees, the part that looks easy and is not. You come away knowing the constraints the team works under, which no induction slide covers. It also means you can describe the job accurately when a future interviewer asks what it was like.
What is the company trying hardest to get right this year?
Why ask it
Save this for a senior person who gives you fifteen minutes. They have been thinking about it all year, so it is easy for them to answer, and it shows you where your team's work sits in the larger plan. Read whatever the company has published first so you are not asking for the press release.
What makes a new graduate stand out in their first year here?
Why ask it
Every workplace rewards something slightly different: speed, accuracy, initiative, ease with clients. Put it to two or three people and compare what they say. Where the answers agree, you have found what this place values, and you can start showing it before the internship ends.
What do you read or follow to keep up with the field?
Why ask it
You want names: a newsletter, a trade publication, a person worth following. Read one before your next conversation and you will have something to bring to it. It also shows you how people in the job think about their industry between projects.
Who else would you suggest I talk to, and may I mention your name?
Why ask it
The closing question for any coffee chat. A name with permission attached turns a cold message into a warm one. Thank them the same day and tell them later how the conversation went, which is what makes them glad they offered.
End of Internship
If a return offer is possible, what would make you argue for one, and when is that decided?
Why ask it
Raise it once you are past the halfway mark, not in the final days, so there is still time to act on what you hear. Listen for the timing as much as the criteria, because some employers settle these decisions before the internship ends. Whether interns can be kept on at all differs by employer and by year, which is why the question opens with 'if'.
If this team has no opening, which other teams hire at entry level, and who should I speak to?
Why ask it
Whether a team can hire often comes down to budget and headcount, not to how the intern did. A manager who rates you may still have no seat to offer, and may be able to point you to a team or a recruiter who does. Ask for the introduction while you are still in the building.
When do applications for graduate roles open here, and does having interned change how I apply?
Why ask it
Some employers move former interns straight to a later interview stage and others have everyone start from the same form. A recruiter or whoever runs the intern programme will know the dates better than your manager does. Put the opening date in your calendar before you leave, because nobody will remind you once you are back in classes.
Could I present what I have worked on to the team before I leave?
Why ask it
Ten minutes is enough. Preparing it forces you to say what you did and what came of it, which is the same summary your resume and your next interview need. Ask two or three weeks ahead so a slot can be found, and invite the people your manager suggests.
With the days I have left, what would you most like me to finish?
Why ask it
The final week fills up with half-done things, and trying to close all of them usually means closing none properly. Your manager knows which one somebody is waiting for and which can pass to the team as it stands. Ask on the Monday of your last week, not on the Thursday.
Before I leave, what should I hand over and to whom?
Why ask it
When an intern leaves, half-finished files tend to go missing with them. Use part of your last week to write down what you did, where each file lives and what is still open, and send it to whoever your manager names. Find out in the same conversation what to do with your laptop, badge and logins.
When is my final pay, and do I need to send in my last hours early?
Why ask it
The last timesheet is the one that goes wrong, because its deadline can fall after you have left and lost access to the system. Take this to HR or whoever handles payroll, and ask whether unused leave or expenses are settled with it, since that depends on the employer and on local rules. Check that the address and bank details they hold will still be right in a month.
How should I describe this work on my resume so that it is accurate?
Why ask it
Your manager knows the proper name of the project, which results you may quote and which details must stay inside the company. Draft two or three lines and ask them to correct it. A line your supervisor has seen is also one they can confirm if a future employer calls.
May I list you as a reference, and how should I reach you if you change jobs?
Why ask it
Ask in person before your last day, not by email six months later. Work addresses stop working when people move, so get a personal email or connect on LinkedIn. Some employers only let HR confirm dates and job title, so ask what the rule is here and whether a personal recommendation is still possible.
Would you be willing to write a short recommendation now, while the details are fresh?
Why ask it
A reference is a phone call at some point in the future, and a written recommendation is something you can keep. Today your manager can still name the project and your part in it, and a year from now that will be a blur. Offer a few bullet points of what you worked on to make it easy, and take a no gracefully where company policy does not allow one.
Is there an exit interview or a feedback form for interns, and who reads what I say?
Why ask it
Larger programmes often run one and small teams usually do not, in which case you can offer your manager ten minutes of the same thing. Knowing the reader tells you how to pitch it: a recruiter wants to hear about the programme, a manager about the team. Be specific and fair, and leave out anything you would not say to the person directly.
Looking back over the whole internship, what should I keep doing in my next job, and what should I drop?
Why ask it
For the last one-to-one, when the internship is nearly over and people tend to speak more freely. Push for the strengths as much as the faults, because those are what you will describe in interviews. Write the answers down that evening while you still have the exact words.
Would it be all right if I sent you a short update once or twice a year?
Why ask it
Asking permission makes the later email expected instead of out of the blue. Keep each update to a few lines: what you are studying or doing, and one thing from the internship that turned out to be useful. Someone who has followed your progress will find it easier to recommend you.
Making an Internship Count
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Habits That Do the Work
Batch Your Questions
Keep a running list and bring it to one scheduled conversation rather than interrupting six times a day. You will find half the items answer themselves, and the ones that remain get proper attention instead of a hurried reply.
Send a Short Weekly Summary
Three lines: what you finished, what you are stuck on, what you plan next. It takes five minutes, gives your manager something to correct early, and becomes the record you draw on for a reference or a return offer discussion.
Write Down What You Are Told
The system names, the person who owns each process, the reason a decision went a certain way. Nobody minds explaining something once. Being asked the same thing again in week five is what people notice.
Ask for Feedback on One Thing
A request for feedback in general tends to get reassurance. Asking whether a specific document was the right length, or whether you spoke too much in a meeting, gets you something you can act on this week.
Keep Coffee Chats Short and Prepared
Ask for twenty minutes, not an open-ended chat, and bring three questions you could not have answered from the person's profile. Finish on time, thank them the same day, and let them know later if something they said led somewhere.
Sequences by Stage
First Day
- 1Where should I be on the first morning, and who do I ask for when I get there?
- 2What is planned for me today, and what should I do when that runs out?
- 3Who should I introduce myself to today?
- 4Before I go home today, is there anything you would like me to have finished or understood?
First Week
- 1What would a good first two weeks look like to you?
- 2What are the main projects you have in mind for me, and which one matters most?
- 3At the end of the internship, how will you decide whether it went well?
- 4When I get stuck, how long should I try before asking?
- 5How do you prefer to be contacted, and when should I expect a reply?
Halfway Through
- 1Could we book a proper review at the halfway point?
- 2What have I done so far that you would like to see more of?
- 3Is there anything I should stop doing?
- 4Am I creating any work for you that I could take off your plate?
- 5What is a piece of work you would hand me if I showed you I could handle it?
A Coffee Chat
- 1What does a normal week look like for you?
- 2How did you get from a role like mine to the one you have now?
- 3If you were in my place, how would you make the most of this internship?
- 4Who else would you suggest I talk to, and may I mention your name?
Final Two Weeks
- 1If a return offer is possible, what would make you argue for one, and when is that decided?
- 2How should I describe this work on my resume so that it is accurate?
- 3Before I leave, what should I hand over and to whom?
- 4May I list you as a reference, and how should I reach you if you change jobs?
- 5Would it be all right if I sent you a short update once or twice a year?
What Interns Get Wrong
Waiting to Be Given Work
Managers are busy and an idle intern is easy to overlook. When you finish something, say so and suggest the next thing yourself. Two quiet days can read as lack of interest even when they are only politeness.
Hiding a Mistake
Small errors are expected from an intern and are usually cheapest to fix on the day they happen. What costs you trust is your manager hearing about it a week later from someone else. Say it the same day, along with what you propose to do about it.
Treating the Internship as an Extended Interview
Turning every conversation toward the return offer wears people out and makes colleagues guarded. Do the work well and ask about the offer once, past the halfway mark, with the return offer question in the End of Internship group.
Asking Only Your Manager
Your manager is often the busiest person you could ask. Colleagues one or two years ahead of you tend to have more patience for explaining the systems, the shortcuts and how things really get decided, and they remember being new.