Internship Reflection

Employers these days aren’t looking for the traditional traits many people think to prepare for when looking for a job. Although there are several different traits that are becoming more important and useful in the workplace, one trait that continues to stick out through the changing times is effective communication. Last summer, I was hired as an intern at a company that gave me the opportunity to work with a variety of people, from fellow interns to C-levels. While working with the different leveled employees, I gained experience in communication that helped me grow into the strong potential employee I am today.

My first experiences with this company were spent shadowing a mid-manager that took the role of my mentor who held the position

There were three other interns that were hired at the same time I was hired. We all came from different backgrounds and brought different experiences with us. In total, we worked on four group projects together. Right away, it was much easier to communicate with my fellow interns because just as I, they were all college students experiencing their first internship. As we began working together, it was obvious someone would have to step up and take the lead on the projects. Although I didn’t volunteer to take the lead, the other interns looked to me for direction when we were assigned with tasks and projects. The leadership role I took on came with the responsibility of updating management with any problems and all progress made on the projects. I found myself in a position where in order to keep everyone on the same page I had to communicate important information and updates to and from management and interns. This experience continued to take me out of my comfort zone by constantly having me communicate to upper management our task results and updates. In return, it made me comfortable in, as I was the main person communicating with upper management, which was giving me several opportunities in building relationships with