Asking for Feedback 🔁

Most interns wait until their final review to hear how they’re doing. Don’t be that intern. Ask early, ask often, ask specifically.

The “one thing” question

Once every 2–3 weeks, ask your manager (or a mentor):

“What’s one thing I could do differently that would make me more effective?”

That single sentence unlocks more useful feedback than any formal review process.

Ask about specific moments, not general performance

Bad: “How am I doing?” (gets you: “yeah, good, keep going!”)

Good:

“In yesterday’s meeting when I presented X — anything you’d have done differently?”
“Was the update I sent Friday clear enough, or was there something missing?”
“When I disagreed with Y in standup — did that land okay?”

Specific = actionable.

Receiving feedback well

Don’t defend. Even if you disagree. Just listen.
Ask a clarifying question. “Can you give me an example?”
Say what you’ll do. “Okay — next time I’ll try X. Can we check in on it in a week?”
Say thank you. Genuinely.

If feedback is harsh or unfair, sit with it for 24 hours before responding. Almost always looks different by then.

Give feedback upward, too (carefully)

Yes, you can give feedback to your manager. Frame it as your experience, not their failure:

“I’ve found it hard to prioritise this week because I’ve been getting requests from a few different directions. Would it help if everything routed through you first, or should I use my own judgement?”

That’s feedback. It just doesn’t sound like it.