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)?
Melissa Giang says
During my internship, I have realized how important communication is. I was always told communication was an important skill to have but I didn’t realize how it crucial it is especially when working remote. Working remote has taught me to communicate effectively to my colleagues and manager whether it is through Teams or Outlook. When I need clarity on a task, I contact my manager or whoever i am working with so I make sure what I am supposed to do and prevent any misunderstandings. Also, I often work with another colleague on a project so having good communication skills allows me to collaborate effectively and work well in a team. I was good at communicating but i believe I have improved this skill a lot just by working out of the office setting and relying on technology to connect with my colleagues.
Randy Le says
The most important skills I have discovered in my internship are communication and time management skills. Whether it be working in a remote environment or writing an short email, being concise and clear with your communication is critical to making progress in a business setting. In addition, I tend to work with people in other time zones which means I must schedule the appropriate amount of time spent on meetings or completing a specific task. Besides my boss, I have a mentor who I work with on a weekly basis to complete/assign my tasks and track progress. My mentor is definitely a person I went by my side since the people who you work with can advocate for you in the future. One of the reasons I was able to return to Cencora in the fall semester was because I received praise from my mentor and other people I worked with during the summer. Overall, communication skills and having a mentor by your side are definitely two of the most important aspects of working in any role at a business or company.
Carly Krieger says
The most important skills I have learned from my internship would be communication and work ethic. Communication is key when learning new technical skills and growing as a professional. I’ve learned to not be afraid to ask questions and always communicate with your team when working on a project. Communication is also a great skill to have when networking. I tried to connect with everyone I could in the office. Small conversations about life outside of work has led to some great relationships that I will have well into my career. Work ethic is also extremely important. As an intern, I was not as knowledgeable as the other professionals on my team. So, taking the time to read, research, and practice skills in your spare time will go a long way when you are showing what you know.
Rhea Kumar says
I have learned that precise language and setting clear expectations is very importent in the work environment. In general, people appreciate transparency and making sure you have accurate and complete information before proceeding with a task is essential to produce a working and complete result. Personally, have team members on cross functional teams on my side has proved beneficial when producing my end project in order to gain tactical alignment and buy in from management and other groups.
Ishika Kumari says
It has been important to balance internship and academic responsibilities. Effective time management, task prioritization, and meeting deadlines are skills that are beneficial in any field of work. Juggling a busy academic schedule with 18 credits, I’ve had the opportunity to develop and refine my time management skills. My internship has also provided a platform to hone my analytical abilities. I’ve learned how to gather, analyze, and interpret data to make informed business decisions with tools like Power BI, Tableau and Excel which I hadn’t had used much before other than for my coursework. Besides my boss, I think I would like to have my colleague, who is also a Temple student, by my side as someone to work with and also keep a friendship with.
Mario Chegini says
I would argue that people skills and other soft skills are equally as important skills as hard skills. The ability to convey issues, ideas, and solutions in the workplace are absolutely crucial to your success. One skill that I discovered during my time here has been my presentation skills. I was never really confident in my presentation or public speaking abilities, but my boss has encouraged me to ‘take the floor’ when presenting to my team, and I have even had the opportunity to present to outside consultants about an issue that we were facing. Switching gears, one person that I’ve found to eb a great asset has been our director of facilities. While she doesn’t work in the front office, she knows ‘who’s who’ at the company and whenever I need something or have a random question, I know that I can go to her.