What is the most important…………?
What are the most important skills (business/technical) and people that you have discovered in your internship? Is there a skill that you didn’t have before but realize that you absolutely need? Is there a person that you discovered that you definitely want on your side (besides your boss of course)?
Laurel Miller
I think the most important thing that I have learned is not to say “I guess”. I learned quickly that it wasn’t the right response when someone asked me a question. Always answer “yes” or “no”! If you don’t know what you’re doing ask ask and ask questions no matter what! I picked up a lot of skills in Excel. When I first started it took me a couple of hours to go through excel documents and find errors, duplicates or missing information. It may not seem that hard but when there are a couple hundred or even thousands of rows , it gets a little tricky. You start to see data that is there, but really isn’t and it starts to hurts your eyes because excel is not fun to look at. I do it for about 4 hours a day so I can get through a lot of information quickly now because I got a lot of practice. I have started to notice if a zip code isn’t matching a state or if a state abbreviation is not matching US state or if a phone number has an extra digit or if just the information has shifted into the wrong column. In the beginning it was hard to notice all these small errors but it has become much clearer after practice. I work with 3 other people in our extend cubicle. They help me out daily with excel formulas, SQL questions, list management question, and just about anything. It good to have someone to talk to and cool off when your staring at a excel sheet for hours and hours.
Things evolve and change constantly. This summer internship (2011) has been a great experience and fantastic learning opportunity. At the beginning of the internship, while the department was in the process of implementing an IT solution for their strategic objectives, my manager had decided to leave to a non-competitive organization. It was a great opportunity for her and I had my summer objectives laid out for me. Unfortunately, I lost my key person for insight and guidance until an interim person was in-place. What I learned here was that with unexpected events, you are still responsible for your objectives and deliverables so it becomes your responsibility to find the appropriate support and guidance. I went to my department lead while I defined my tasks and expectations which have resulted in positive outcomes. Another positive outcome is an abundance of professional training and mentorship. I completed my Six Sigma Yellow belt training. The tools learned here included things like SIPOC, VOC, and 5 Whys, among others. Overall, the skill of defining the problem and uncovering the root causes is applicable to my job duties and daily life tasks. As the MIS department teaches PM, I got to experience Sigma which coincides allowing for hopefully improved projects and outcomes. Another skill that I am gaining experience with is change management and communication management. Working with my department lead and my interim manager, roles and responsibilities are being added to my plate. What has made my experience exceptional is that when I begin to have extra bandwidth in my schedule, I let my team know which improves my learning and the project task outcomes. Being vocal has delivered value to my team and myself.
Figured I post!
Deepan–very important lesson you learned as far as not being afraid to say you don’t know the answer or no. always remember to ask a lot of questions.
Brian–Thanks for adding in your comments too! we always welcome other’s insights as well.
I have already learned so much at my internship and I find myself learning something new every day. I feel that the most important thing I have learned so far is patience. When you have a end user that may not be so tech savvy asking you questions it can be hard to deal with them and “dumb down” my terminology. I had to quickly realize that employees in other departments can struggle with their computer and ask a lot of questions about how to do “simple” things. Having patience with these users is essential at any work place otherwise I’d go bald very fast.
As for somebody that I enjoy working with…I am a part of the help desk team and I work directly with two other engineers. These two guys have taught me everything during my time here at ICGC. I always feel bad asking so many questions and asking them the same questions over and over but they always have no problem answering me. I figure that it’s better to ask a lot of questions and not mess something up then it would be to not ask any questions and cause a bigger problem.
Similar to Jeff, I also work with a service desk team. The first couple of weeks I felt bad asking so many questions to the other people on the team. They advised me to ask a lot of questions, so I did, and they always answered happily. Now that I have been here for about 7 weeks, I find myself still asking questions, but much less. If it wasn’t for me asking questions in the beginning, I wouldn’t be where I am now.
A second skill I have worked on since I’ve been here is to be wary of the “politics” in the company. Because I am at the service desk, I interact with almost every type of employee. I have learned how to approach certain people based on their ranking, whether the difference is approaching them by Microsoft Office Communicator, calling them, sending them an e-mail, or going to their office to personally trouble shoot their issue.
A third skill I have acquired since I’ve been here is how to asses a problem. There could be a number of reasons why a problem is occurring. I’ve learned how to test different possibilities as to what could be happening, using process of elimination to understand the underlying cause of a problem. Sometimes when solving a problem, it is not the solution that is the hardest part. The hardest part to solving a problem can be to understand the problem first.
There is one person I’ve discovered to be extremely helpful during my internship here at West Pharma. One of the service desk members, who is only a few years older than me, has helped me a lot. When I first started, they had me shadowing him which I really enjoyed because I was less hesitant to ask questions to somebody closer to my age.
One of the most important business skills I’ve learned is organization. In my role at AZ, I attend a lot of meetings, most of the time they are one right after the other. I haven’t quite mastered the art of taking notes but it is definitely key to become organized and make sure that I am delivering what is expected of me and on-time.
Juggling multiple projects at one time with different timelines can become a fast-paced and hectic environment. I’ve learned to organize tasks/deliverables in order not to miss any deadlines. The good ‘ole “procrastination” trick that seems to always work before an exam in college doesn’t seem to be working here
On another note, I am very grateful to be working with a boss who takes my professional growth as part of her task in supervising my internship. She has set me up with a lot of project managers and directors to learn the field and gain some advise. Some of the most important people that I’ve met are the Jon Kirby (CIO) and Matt Pammer (VP of North American IS) of AstraZeneca. It was such a pleasure to meet them and learn from their experiences. They are definitely some of the most intelligent people I’ve spoken with.
At AmeriHealth Mercy, two of the most important skills I’ve learned to utilize are organization and multi-tasking. Like Michelle, I attend numerous meetings everyday and it can be a challenge considering each meeting could be on a completely different project. My note taking skills have improved and I am better organized than when I first began.
Before this internship, multi-tasking was not one of my strong points. In fact, I was horrible at it. Because of the multiple projects I’ve been assigned to, I’ve had an opportunity to improve upon my multi-tasking skills. In particular, one of my projects I am currently working on is a data mining project that requires me to use four different programs to gather the information I need.
At AmeriHealth, I report to Karen Michael, who is the Vice President of the Medical Affairs Department. She is constantly busy but always takes the time to help me grow and answer any questions I have or just give me advice. She is a motivator and strives to help her staff to her greatest capabilities. Thus far, everyone at AmeriHealth have been freidnly and accommodating and show a willingness to assist me is I need help. Some other important people I have met and learned from are Diana Rappa-Kesser (Director of Care Coordination), Lynne Harsha (Director of Rapid Response), and Michael Rashid (President and CEO). Their knowledge and experience have helped me adjust and become more comfortable at AmeriHealth Mercy.
Some of the most important business/technical skills I’ve learned so far are networking and time management. My manager always suggests that I network to other people to get an idea how other Lines of Business within JP Morgan Chase function. She offered tips and even introduced me to key people to help further discover my interests in IT. I also reached out and emailed the CEO of the US Private Bank of JP Morgan Chase, and actually have a meeting with her on Tuesday .
The other skill I’ve learned that is essential to succeed in business is time management. We all are taught in classes and workshops how to manage time, but it becomes real when you have 4 different projects, different meetings for each of the projects, as well as meetings for the program that you’re in or for networking purposes. Really prioritizing your time and deciding what is most important as well as communicating with your manager is probably the most important skill I’m still continuing to learn at my internship.
There is definitely one person want on my side; my manager, because she is the “liason” between my other managers, my HR rep, and myself. She gives me both constructive criticism and praise, which I think is really needed to help me succeed. (And hopefully, the CEO of the US Private Bank will be on my side after Tuesday, which definitely won’t be a bad thing !).
A key skill I learned was not to be afraid to ask questions. Many people at Subaru have been in the company 10+ years and have a vast amount of knowledge that they are willing to share if one asks. Because of the great work environment, I have learned a lot this first half of the summer. Another key thing for me was being able to work with several people in my age group. As I said earlier, there are many people in the department who have been here for years and are great people, but it’s always nice to be able to talk and discuss work with someone who is at a similar stage as me (whether a fellow intern or recently out of college).
Understanding a need for something is often more important than getting exact requirements, or simply knowing “what” they need done. Often times when requirements are given, the requestor does not always know exactly what they need or want, but they know why they want it. I have been working on a website for the IT department, and when certain requirements come in, it is often difficult to make a decision on how to get it done because it is not always clear why they need it. as soon as the “why” question is answered, it is easy to take a loosely defined requirement and execute it. Now, every time I have a meeting with a stakeholder who needs something done on the site, the first question I have (if they dont already tell me) is why they need it. This reduces a lot of guessing and makes everything more efficient. This differs greatly from the work I have done in school because the requirements are usually given to the student in the form of “what”, and that is typically good enough to go on.
Due to the high diversity of data in the website I’m building, I have had to meet with many people in the IT Department. It is always nice to be working with someone who is easy to contact, and responds quickly.
At AstraZeneca, Communication is the most important skill to have in any work environment. The ability to talk to someone and build a relationship with them can greatly help you with your work and your ability to perform at a high level with your colleagues. It can be a challenge for some to approach someone and communicate with them whether it is face to face or through email without understanding the etiquette and culture of the organization. At the end of the day, the person who can communicate thoroughly and effectively makes the strongest and most positive impression.
A skill that you absolutely need is to be able to organize. With lots of projects, meetings, and day to day operations going in, it is easy to lose sight of your tasks. I learned very quickly that with masses of information coming in, an accordion style folder helps me organize my tasks, and different channels of my project.
I think that having a department administrator or secretary on my side would be very beneficial. It seems as if they have all the answers, know the little nuances that go into the foundation of the organization. They are also great for networking and building a relationship with them could potentially connect you to someone higher in the corporate ladder.
I found out that one of the most important skills that you need is communication. If you can not communicate efficiently with your team members/co-workers, tasks will not get done efficiently and effectively. The most important people that i discovered in my internship are the people you work with (Team). In order for you to get jobs done, everyone else needs to do what there supposed to do, in order to reach the overall goal. The one skill I did not have was being proficient in Excel. Excel is used A Lot in the line of work I’m doing,, and I was fortunate enough to pick up all the tools within it, to use it to the full potential. And I like all the people I work with, mostly because they are on my side when it comes to work.