It’s never a good time to let your current boss know that you are interviewing for a job especially if the job is outside of your current company. An interview is just that, an introduction and meeting.  It is by no means an offer of employment but an opportunity to get to know who you are and what you are like.  You should no more tell your boss about every encounter you had during the day that was not directly related to your work related business than you would about your personal life.  Setting boundaries about your work and your personal life is important.  An interview is an invitation to meet and review nothing more.  There is no reason to let your current boss know you are exploring other options because you may decide what you see on the other side of the desk is not for you.  There is no sense in upsetting your current work situation and making your boss paranoid that you are not committed to this job.  The only time it makes sense to inform your boss is when you receive a firm job offer in hand and are about to resign.  Otherwise it’s best to keep your meetings to yourself.

While it is often convenient to respond to job inquiries during business hours, it’s never a good idea to manage your job search and send your resume out using your current employer’s email address.  Most people have a multiple of free choices when it comes to setting up personal email accounts.  It’s best to have those accounts ready on a handheld device, etc., so you can respond to inquiries for employment and other personal information without relying on your employer’s email.  Sending your resume from your current employer sends a message to your prospective employer that you are not respectful or careful about handling private and confidential information even when it comes to your own job search.  Send the right message by transmitting all personal communication about your job search through a personal email account and save your employer’s email address for work related business only.

Most internship programs offer some form of credit or evaluation period to review your work.  If you are thinking that the internship is something you’d like to turn into a full time job, start looking at the company’s job board or internal posting and application process to see if there are any opportunities to transition to a full time job.  Most companies post positions internally for a period of time before they consider external applicants so it’s always wise to check with your company first in case there is a position you would be interested in applying for.  Knowing what opportunities exist if you are completing an internship gives you a leg up on the competition and makes you ready and aware of new opportunities.

Assuming the unpaid internship is in a field that is of interest to you and you can gain valuable and marketable experience then yes, take the internship.  These days most internship programs do offer a stipend of some sort so the notion that internships are unpaid is generally a thing of the past.  Did you request to be paid or would like an allowance for travel, meals, etc?  If there is a chance to get a paid internship, state your needs and desires and you may be surprised, they may offer you a minimum wage stipend to cover your commuting and travel expenses.

There is no appropriate number of days and every situation is different.  In general, and assuming the phone interview went well and they do want to hear from you, give it 5-7 business days before following up to determine next steps.  If the interviewer has indicated interest in meeting you in person, and you have not heard from him/her in a week, definitely follow up with both a phone call followed by an email stating your desire and interest in the job and your availability to meet in person.  Offering this up and your schedule signals to the interviewer that you are serious and takes it out of the waiting stage into the action stage to move you further along in the process.