Introduction
The main purpose of the internship practice was the obtaining of professional experience and learning from communication with competent specialists. Throughout the course of the internship, the students develop professional skills by dealing with multiple challenges and fulfilling daily tasks. The internship facilitates the learning process because it allows students to apply theoretic knowledge in practice. It may be considered as a significant contribution to the individual’s professional development because the interns have the opportunity to identify their weaknesses, evaluate the working results, and make the necessary correction in knowledge when supported by experienced supervisors at the workplace.
Goals and Objectives
While working as the office manager, I had formulated the following goals that needed to be achieved throughout the internship period:
- Learning and performance of document management, including the incoming and outgoing correspondence, recording, and archiving.
- Development of business and commercial correspondence skills: the creation of draft letters, inquiries, and other documents related to organizational performance.
- The practical fulfillment of office management tasks.
- I am learning the professional communication skills.
- Evaluation of working results and the correction of errors.
During the internship, I primarily aimed at the improvement of my working performance through communication with supervisors and colleagues through their feedback on my work and observation of the working environment.
Internship Organization
The internship organization was “Life & Health Alternatives, Inc.,” located in Hialeah, FL. The company sells vitamins and dietary supplements to individual clients. The company was founded in 2009 by Joel and Anabelle Lezcano. It is a small enterprise with less than thirty staff members.
The home health care and service industry in Hialeah are well-developed, and “Life & Health Alternatives” has many competitors in the local market: PureFormulas, GNC, Miami 4 Life, Herbalife, etc. Nevertheless, in seven years of its operation, the company has developed its own client base. The organizational leaders attempt to maintain customer loyalty and increase the attendance frequency, as well as new customer attraction, through the introduction of discounts, and realization of effective pricing policies.
Daily Tasks and Activities
As an office manager, I needed to answer the phone calls, receive and transmit the major service information to the supervisors and the executive staff of the company. I was responsible for the fulfillment of the basic document management duties: correspondence, registration and recording of the documents.
One of the key tasks of any office manager is the communication with personnel and business partners. Therefore, I participated in the preparation for meetings and briefings, organized the necessary materials and provided the information, venues and reports to the directors and managers. I also was responsible for the arrangement of transportation for staff members, and I supervised the delivery of orders to the customers by couriers, and coordinated the work of drivers and cleaning staff.
Acquired Competencies
For the achievement of success in the profession of office manager, one needs to develop a broad set of qualities and skills: self-organization, diligence, promptness, tact, communication abilities, stress resistance, the ability to cope with the performance of several tasks simultaneously, etc. Moreover, I have learned that the speech and writing literacy is of significant importance because the office manager needs to communicate with the visitors of the office and employees on the everyday basis.
The major competencies I have acquired during the internship are 1) the comprehension of basic legislation principles needed for the work of an office manager; 2) obtaining the basic knowledge of organization management through observation of departments and employees’ interrelations; 3) skills of record keeping and registration of personnel documentation; 4) understanding the psychological implications of business communication and etiquette; 5) familiarity with the optimization of costs and the coordination of economic aspects of working performance; 6) improvement of computer user skills.
Reflection on Personal Strengths and Weaknesses
A person who performs the duties of an office manager usually interacts with almost all of the company’s staff. Consequently, the adaptation in the organizational working environment is of significant importance for the employee. In my opinion, the interrelations within the company and the quick adaptation to the corporate culture can be regarded as my major strengths that I could realize as an intern.
Moreover, the activities of an office manager are closely related to the procedures established according to the certain rules and traditions of interaction, i.e. business etiquette. I believe that I learned the principles of communication in a short time and performed them well.
Work in the context of multitasking didn’t go smoothly at first. As an intern, I had fewer responsibilities than an office manager in the actual working conditions may have, but I still felt pressure in terms of time. However, I consider that the ability of multiple tasks fulfillment develops by acquiring the long-term experience, and after a significant amount of time (about six months), it doesn’t provoke challenges for the employee.
Specific Challenges
The most challenging situations in the internship organization were related to the lack of structure in the performance of the procedures aimed at the fulfillment of the needs of staff members. Since “Life & Health Alternatives, Inc.” is a small enterprise, it doesn’t have well-regulated policies of personnel operation. The work of office manager is the individual work that is fulfilled according to personal ideas and preferences but in compliance with greater organizational requirements and rules of conduct. In this way, the office manager can perform in an unstructured and inconsistent way.
The problem was resolved through the improvement of communication with the supervisors and colleagues who shared their personal experiences and evaluation of working advantages and disadvantages. I wrote down the provided information and systemized it. Nevertheless, I consider that the staff instruction should be provided in the written form and the specific order of procedures, as well as their categorization according to the level of significance and value should be given in the manuals because it may help to reduce new employee’s confusion and can accelerate the learning and adaptation process.
Summary and Recommendations
The internship allowed me to get acquainted with the working conditions within a small enterprise and expand the knowledge about management. I have understood that the skills of communication are of significant importance for the office managers because their main function is in the fulfillment of office needs and coordination of subordinates and visitors. I’ve learned how to work with documentation. The documentation arrangement may be regarded as the basic skill of office manager, and the skills of document management are highly demanded in many organizations.
Therefore, the skills I developed during the internship are of great value for my professional and personal growth. I also think it is important to continue to enhance and deepen the knowledge in the field of management because the theoretic knowledge is the basis for the practical achievements. Moreover, it is important to continue to improve the skills of communication and literacy because they will facilitate the establishment of sound business relations that are vital in any working environment. The consideration of all the mentioned aspects in the future will help me to grow as a professional and will contribute to the development of my competence.