**TL;DR:**
Next week will be my last one after around 6 months at my internship. I would like to get some people’s phone numbers and instagrams, as it feels weird never seeing them againd and I would like to see what’s going in their lives. I feel extremely awkward asking for them and feel like I’m coming across as a creep or like I’m flirting with them.
**Full text:**
Hi,
So I’ve been doing an internship at a relatively small company for about 6 months now. I’m a 20 year old male. Next week will probably be my last one, and I would really like to stay in touch with some people. Not necessarily hanging out or texting, but just a way to contact them and see what’s going on in their life.
As it’s a small company, I know almost everyone, we eat lunch together and work on the same floor a few feet apart. I work in the tech department, while most of those people (the ones I want to stay in touch with) work in marketing. That means we don’t directly work together but we are in the same room and sometimes talk. I won’t consider them friends right now, but they’re all nice and fun to talk with during breaks.
I have one person’s phone number and Instagram because I paid for pizzas and she wanted to pay me back.
It feels weird spending almost half a year working there and then leaving and never seeing them again. That’s why I would really like to add some people on Instagram and get their phone number. I just feel extremely awkward asking for them. Some of them are girls/young women (all still older than me though), and I don’t want to come across as a creep or like I’m flirting with them. Also just looking them up and adding them out of the blue seems kinda creepy.
I hope you guys can give me some advice on how to do this without making anyone uncomfortable. Next week we’ll probably have some sort of farewell party for all the interns, although I don’t know all the details yet. Maybe I can ask them one way or another? I don’t want to go around with a card and asking everyone to write their instagram username and phone number. I know that’s kind of an extreme example, but one of the best ones I could think of.
Big thanks in advance for any advice!
4 comments
So first, you have to be honest about your intentions. Do you really care about what’s going on in *all* their lives, or only a select few? Are you attracted to one or more of them?
I wouldn’t be comfortable giving an intern I shared lunch with my personal social media. What you’re describing is what LinkedIn is for, but per above, depending on your intentions that may not be what you’re interested in seeing.
Unless you’d consider them a friend, I wouldn’t ask for Facebook or Instagram. For a phone number or LinkedIn, just say you really enjoyed getting to know them and wanted to know if they’d like to connect on LinkedIn or share numbers to keep in touch in the future and possibly network.
If your online presence is easy to find, tell them ahead of your last day that you really enjoyed your time with them all and that you’d like to keep in touch, you hope they’ll find you on ig or wherever. Also don’t forget LinkedIn, that’s employment related and less creepy for you to request connection
Rather than asking for their details, craft a “see you later” message (email if you have a work account) highlighting your gratitude for working with them, how you’ve enjoyed your time there and how you’ve grown as a result; include your contact details, so that they can choose to connect with you (or not as it may be). I’d skip the socials (other than LinkedIn) mind you as it’s not professional.
If anyone does contact you, you can then evolve that conversation however you see fit.
Good luck
Simple. Walk up to a group of people. Say you are leaving and here is my Insta. Let’s follow each other people. “I will mis you all!”. Let them volunteer it. Don’t make it awkward, don’t plead, just do it casually. Give them the option.