Top 4 Things I Learned From Our Summer Intern
Doesn’t it seem that we learn the most in situations when we least expect it and often times from the people we least expect to learn it from?
That is definitely what happened to me over the course of the last three months while mentoring our Summer Intern. Our VP of Sales and President announced that we would have a summer intern joining us a few days a week to help out in any capacity that we needed. Obviously my first thought was, “great”! I can hand off all the little mundane items that quickly fill my daily schedule (and the things that I dread doing). At the time, I was naively unaware just how much this intern would contribute and how much I would learn from him…
I learned so much from him that I felt it valuable to share…
Lesson #1: Show up to your job every day with a smile and be excited to be there!
Although he never said it or showed it, I would assume that our intern did not love that he had to come into our office and work 3 days a week while on his summer break from college. Please also note that he was caddying at a golf course as well; so he was working two jobs on his summer off. However, not one single day did he give any indication that he did not want to be here and he showed up every day with a smile and willing to do whatever we asked of him.
Ask yourself, how many days a week do you go into the office with a less than eager and positive attitude? Have you noticed the difference in your days when you go in with a negative attitude vs a positive attitude? It is amazing how much my days and daily interactions are impacted by setting my mind to being positive and going into work excited.
Lesson #2: Use every task as an opportunity to learn something.
We had our intern doing some pretty cool things like managing our social media sites, creating event updates, writing blogs, etc. However, we also had him doing things like data entry and uploading resumes into a database (so exciting)! Instead of complaining about having to do any of that, he used the time to learn about the technologies on the resumes, proof reading, perfecting his Microsoft Word skills, etc. He took a seemingly unimportant task and chose to learn and better himself while doing it.
How many opportunities do we pass up to perfect our skills, or learn while doing tasks we deem or feel are unimportant?
Lesson #3: Never be “above” doing anything.
Somewhat related to #2, and truly not something we face in our office or within our company, but something I have witnessed and encountered while speaking with candidates, too often people express that they feel they are above doing certain things. It was refreshing to see intern willing to do anything that we asked. In our company the President never feels above ordering lunch when I need it in a pinch for a last minute meeting. Our CFO never feels above dropping a package at the Post Office for me. I never feel above answering the phone when our recruiting coordinator or administrative assistant is busy. This mentality and mindset is what our company was founded on and has created a mutual respect and understanding of how important everyone’s role is. We all know that we have each other’s backs.
Do YOU feel that you are or give the impression that you are above doing certain tasks? I encourage you to help the person with ordering the supplies, or tidying up the break-room, or ordering lunch, etc. If you sincerely don’t have the time, at least take a moment out of your day to acknowledge what they are doing and tell them that you appreciate the work they do. I promise you that the impact it will have on that person is much greater than the few minutes of time and effort you will have put into it.
Lesson #4: Be open-minded and coachable.
On our interns first day, I pulled him into my office and asked him what he hoped to gain or learn while he was here over the summer. He was honest in saying, he had no clue! He went on to say that he was using this as an opportunity to learn everything that he could about the business and hoped to find what roles he did or didn’t like and use that experience to determine his next step in creating his career path.
This lesson didn’t hit me right away, but it did today as I sat here and reflected. We become so hyper tuned into the one path that we have envisioned for ourselves, that we may overlook new opportunities, or new approaches, or new areas we can grow in. Now, I am not saying to lose sight of your main goal; what I am saying is, be open minded to new things and the opportunity to change your approach or add additional goals for yourself. I am also saying, if at some point you realize that what you are striving for is no longer what you believe will bring you happiness and success, it is ok to change your path and create a new plan for yourself.
Now that the summer is coming to an end and our summer intern is back at school, I feel like a little piece of us is missing! However, I am thankful that we had the opportunity to help him learn more about the business, himself and some of his interests and strengths. But I am most thankful for all of the positive things that he taught and reminded me.
Thank you Nickle Pickle! We are wishing you the best of luck in your education, career and all future endeavors. You are welcome back anytime and we hope to see you in our office again soon!
Written and Published By:
Heather Termohlen
On Behalf of the Entire MatchPoint Consulting Group Team