Dear Intern

By Mara Nelson-Greenberg

Everyone makes mistakes—especially in their first job. Cringe and commiserate with the everyday missteps and epic workplace screwups in this collection of self-confessed blunders from disaster‑prone‑yet‑good‑intentioned interns finding their footing in professional settings.

All tenured professionals know that detours and mishaps are an essential rite of passage en route to a successful career—but that doesn't make them any less funny. This curated collection of true intern confessions, from minor mistakes to major messes, is the workplace humor book everyone can relate to. Whether spilling coffee on the boss's laptop or drunkenly sending out a personal tweet on the company's Twitter account, these first-hand stories comprise a cringe- and compassion-inducing celebration of the many memorable blunders that can (and do) happen in our entry‑level years.

UNIQUE ADULTING BOOK: This one-of-a-kind collection of hilarious intern stories is the perfect way for current and past interns and entry-level newbies to commiserate over embarrassing moments and lessons learned. 

RELATABLE HUMOR: Whether you are about to start an internship, currently are an intern, or were once an intern, these stories are a great reminder that levity in the workplace makes all the difference in getting through any given day. Everyone has humiliating slipups, and it is comforting to share them.

GREAT GIFT FOR GRADS: What better way to celebrate the trials and tribulations of the workforce than a book poking fun at interns and their amusing mistakes? For anyone from recent graduates to long-standing coworkers, this is perfect as a funny first-job gift or work-iversary present.

Perfect for:

• Graduates and young professionals
• Gift-giving between coworkers or from bosses to interns
• Comedy and humor fans
• Short story and essay collection readers
• Fans of The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Office Space

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chronicle Books Digital
• Release date: Apr 2, 2024
• ISBN: 9781797223957

Mara Nelson-Greenberg

Mara Nelson-Greenberg is a writer and editor. Her work has been developed at Playwrights Horizons, Clubbed Thumb, and Ensemble Studio Theatre, among others. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Book preview

Introduction

We all make mistakes—but the workplace mistake lends itself to a special kind of embarrassment. And this feels especially true when you’re just starting out. You feel shy, unsure. Every coffee you drink ends up on your shirt. Someone asks you your own name and you hesitate. What we hope for you is that sometime between walking into a supply closet thinking it was the bathroom and accidentally cc’ing your boss on an email to your mom, you manage to find some older, wiser colleague who can give you the reassurance you need: It happens to the best of us.

Because the truth is, eventually you’ll find your footing. One day you’ll respond to an email without rereading it a hundred times first. Or you’ll say something in a meeting and as the words leave your mouth, you’ll think to yourself, Actually, that was pretty smart. That day just might not be today. And that’s OK! Those mortifying mistakes you made as an intern or in the early years of employment will eventually become blips. And when that time comes, you may actually be able to spin those blips into a funny story to reassure someone else who’s just starting out, who’s feeling shy, unsure, and covered in coffee. This will be you: Oh, me, back then? I didn’t even know my own name! Laugh, laugh, laugh.

Which brings us to a fateful moment in 2021 that kickstarted this collection of tales—a moment when the internet put aside its cat memes and rallied behind an intern who’d done what we’ve all done: make a massive mistake. This well-meaning intern accidentally sent out an internal test email to a very large number of subscribers, and instead of a quiet reprimand behind closed doors, the company took to Twitter to blame the new employee for the slipup. Instead of a public shaming, the intern was offered an outpouring of riotously funny and encouraging stories from people across the internet sharing their own calamitous experiences. And the hashtag #dearintern was born.

Inspired by this affirming and wholesome viral moment, this collection of #dearintern advice serves as a written record of workplace stories so bad they are