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What does a general internship do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a general internship do

A general intern is responsible for supporting the business operations by performing administrative and clerical duties under the supervision of a direct manager or tenured staff. Interns shadow employees from different teams to have a good grasp of the services and processes offered by the company, understanding each group's functions, and analyzing how the business works for the clients. They also attend and write meeting reports, assist with organizing programs and events, and conduct data processing procedures.

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General internship responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real general internship resumes:

  • Manage a web-base graphical interface that utilize a SQL database to better track fabrication lab operations.
  • Update and revise both standard and project specific engineering drawings in AutoCAD.
  • Update websites and Facebook page on the latest collections, successfully increasing followers and web traffic.
  • Work extensively with AutoCAD drafting floor plans, general planning, and designing using ADA standards.
  • Needle guidance for radiologists in thyroid fine needle aspirations and breast core biopsies under sterile conditions.
  • Handle all A/P functions with growing responsibility in the areas of A/R, purchasing and personnel administration.
  • General construction duties in all areas of remodeling, kitchens, baths, windows, doors, siding, plumbing etc.
  • Work with creative director and marketing manager within the creative department in updating company website in HTML on a regular basis.
  • Work with a team to create, customize, or fix XML and HTML documents submit to DocuTech by their clientele.
  • Monitor assignment desk twitter account.
  • Edit social media platforms Instagram and Facebook
  • Assist with thyroid biopsy and amniocentesis procedure.
  • Provide backup support where necessary to minimize payroll expenditures.
  • Ship orders from warehouses and assemble windows on manufacturing line
  • Record data and compile statistics for PowerPoint presentations used by CEO

General internship skills and personality traits

We calculated that 21% of General Interns are proficient in Internship Program, Patients, and PowerPoint. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Detail oriented, and Organizational skills.

We break down the percentage of General Interns that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Internship Program, 21%

    Employed as a manager in the General Management Internship Program by Owner/Operator D. Bailey.

  • Patients, 19%

    Monitored patients to determine changes in nutritional status and adjusted diet accordingly, including recommending supplements when appropriate.

  • PowerPoint, 11%

    Assisted in Women's Business Development Workshops - set-up PowerPoint presentations, organized and coordinated meetings.

  • Patient Care, 6%

    Provided general and surgery specific patient care, performed surgical cases under supervision.

  • Financial Statements, 4%

    Identified areas for cost reduction and supply chain improvement by reviewing financial statements, purchases/sales reports and other financial data.

  • Data Analysis, 4%

    Assisted Travel and Business Services commodities in conducting data analysis, updating key metrics, developing presentations and sourcing/RFP.

Common skills that a general internship uses to do their job include "internship program," "patients," and "powerpoint." You can find details on the most important general internship responsibilities below.

Customer-service skills. The most essential soft skill for a general internship to carry out their responsibilities is customer-service skills. This skill is important for the role because "general office clerks often provide general information to company staff, customers, or the public." Additionally, a general internship resume shows how their duties depend on customer-service skills: "developed strong autocad skills by creating and editing drawings participated in a customer service trip to pennsylvania for 1 week"

Detail oriented. Many general internship duties rely on detail oriented. "general office clerks perform many clerical tasks that require attention to detail, such as preparing bills.," so a general internship will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways general internship responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "conduct legal research and detailed analysis. "

Organizational skills. This is an important skill for general interns to perform their duties. For an example of how general internship responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "general office clerks file and retrieve records." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a general internship: "position as general management internship program (human resources) check employee's files for actualization in training and organizational development. ".

All general internship skills

The three companies that hire the most general internships are:

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Compare different general interns

General internship vs. Administrative clerk

An administrative clerk provides support to staff and does clerical works. These clerical duties include answering and making phone calls, typing documents, compiling and filing records, and scheduling appointments. The clerks often set up office meetings and invite reliable speakers. Also, they do research and prepare reports or presentations. Candidates for the job must be organized, detail-oriented, and can manage their time well. They must be tech-savvy and have a basic knowledge of bookkeeping. The salary depends on their experience, industry, and location of the job.

The annual salary of administrative clerks is $29,158 lower than the average salary of general interns.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between general interns and administrative clerks are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like patients, powerpoint, and administrative tasks.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a general internship are more likely to require skills like "internship program," "patient care," "community services," and "financial statements." On the other hand, a job as an administrative clerk requires skills like "customer service," "data entry," "word processing," and "payroll data." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Administrative clerks tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $33,044. In contrast, general interns make the biggest average salary, $68,231, in the professional industry.On average, administrative clerks reach similar levels of education than general interns. Administrative clerks are 4.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 6.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

General internship vs. Work study student

Work-study students are students who do part-time jobs to support their living and educational expenses. Usually, they offer their services in an organization related to their field of study. Work-study jobs are available either on or off-campus, depending on the student's application and the campus or employer's needs. They must be able to display excellent time-management skills to handle and balance work time and school responsibilities. A work-study student should also be fast-learner and open to constructive feedback to improve their job performance.

A career as a work study student brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a general internship. In fact, work study students salary is $36,903 lower than the salary of general interns per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. General interns and work study students both require similar skills like "powerpoint," "administrative tasks," and "event planning" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, general internship responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "internship program," "patients," "patient care," and "community services." Meanwhile, a work study student has duties that require skills in areas such as "work-study," "customer service," "veterans," and "computer lab." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, work study students earn a lower salary than general interns. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, work study students earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $26,294. Whereas general interns have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $68,231.work study students earn similar levels of education than general interns in general. They're 3.2% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 6.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

General internship vs. Clerk

Clerks are responsible for many of the general administrative tasks in the office. They are in charge of manning office telephone lines, managing incoming and outgoing mails, filing paperwork and other needed records, scheduling and documenting meetings, typing out documents when needed, disseminating memos and other official announcements, and keeping an inventory of office equipment and supplies. Clerks should have good office skills, communication skills, business writing skills, and time management skills. They should also be able to treat any document or paperwork they handle with confidentiality.

An average clerk eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of general interns. The difference in salaries amounts to clerks earning a $30,322 lower average salary than general interns.general interns and clerks both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "powerpoint," "administrative tasks," and "front desk," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a general internship is likely to be skilled in "internship program," "patients," "patient care," and "community services," while a typical clerk is skilled in "basic math," "math," "data entry," and "customer service."

Clerks earn the highest salary when working in the health care industry, where they receive an average salary of $31,380. Comparatively, general interns have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $68,231.Most clerks achieve a similar degree level compared to general interns. For example, they're 4.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 5.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

General internship vs. Office clerk

Office clerks are administrative employees who handle clerical activities for the organization. They are in charge of managing company records, organizing and storing documents, filing and sorting hard copies of documents, and liaising with other departments or external partners. They are also in charge of handling and scheduling meetings and appointments, managing the reservation of office meeting rooms, and manning telephone lines. Office clerks may also be in charge of ordering office supplies, preparing purchase requisitions for office needs, sending out and receiving official company documents, and other correspondences.

Office clerks typically earn lower pay than general interns. On average, office clerks earn a $30,558 lower salary per year.According to resumes from general interns and office clerks, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "powerpoint," "administrative tasks," and "front desk. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between general interns and office clerks, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a general internship might have more use for skills like "internship program," "patients," "patient care," and "community services." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of office clerks require skills like "customer service," "data entry," "telephone calls," and "payroll. "

Office clerks enjoy the best pay in the transportation industry, with an average salary of $31,504. For comparison, general interns earn the highest salary in the professional industry.The average resume of office clerks showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to general interns. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 4.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 6.5%.

Types of general internship

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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