The ABCs of Attending a Meeting

Hey everyone! Sorry for the delay in this post - it's the last week of the semester here in Prague and I'm slammed with papers, presentations and finals. Here's a post that I hope you enjoy!


Prior to my internship last summer, my only real employment experience, besides the occasional babysitting, was working as a camp counselor at a local day camp. The days were long, hot and stressful as I chased kindergardeners on the playground and rescued fifth graders from potential white water rafting disasters (but that's a story for another time). After two summers I called it quits; I wanted a job that would give me practical experience for post-graduation life. The transition from summer camp to cubicle life was way harder than I could have anticipated. There were deadlines, e-mails to clients and long meetings. While my internship challenged me in many ways, team meetings were initially far out of my comfort zone. 


Every week the marketing team met to regroup, discuss every member's current projects, suggest potential promotions or materials, and just maintain a current dialogue between everyone involved. I walked into my first meeting rather unprepared; I thought my role as an intern would be a passive observer, but my bosses expected that I contribute, too. The first meeting was intimidating - I had trouble translating the terminology fast enough and I didn't think it was my place to stop the entire meeting to fill me in. After the meeting, I walked with my boss back to our cubicles and explained how lost I felt for the past hour. Her response? "Well, why didn't you pause us to help clarify some of the issues that went over your head? You need to be just as in-the-loop as everyone else, even as an intern." I never thought that it would be acceptable for me to put the focus on myself in the meeting when everyone is always rushed for time and slammed with work. It took me a few more meetings to realize that the more informed I could be in the meetings, the more independent I could be with my work. One or two minutes in a meeting would actually save my bosses time later in the week when the information had to be applied in a project. It took practice, but over the course of the summer I spoke up more often and even offered up my ideas in our weekly meetings. I truly think that it was a huge factor in the efficacy of my work and it was an easy way to establish myself as an 'active intern' (i.e., not one that passes by on doing the bare minimum of work). 


Here are my ABCs of attending a meeting as an intern:
A: Ask questions! It is so important to be active in meetings, especially when you are exposed to a larger group of your bosses that don't deal with you on a daily basis and this is their main exposure to your level of participation. One minor caveat - if you think that the question will be difficult to explain in a reasonable amount of time, make a note of it and ask your supervisor when you have some one-on-one time. 


B: Bring a pen/iPad/laptop/etc. The first thing I noticed that everyone was carrying into the meeting was a notepad and pen. I sprinted back to my desk to grab one to fit in and it was a great decision. It made me feel a lot more professional and my notes were helpful to refer to later in the week. My bosses also tended to assign me projects during these meetings, so it was a great tool to be organized and not forget anything.


C: Contribute. It can be as simple as your progress on an assignment or, and this took me about two weeks to feel comfortable doing, offer your opinion. There were a few times when potential projects were relevant to my age group or interests and I felt confident in expressing my support or offering minor changes to the pitch. This can be hard to gauge, so I worked up by contributing a little bit more each week. 


Trust me, I could add D, E, F and G, but I'll keep it simple with what I feel are the three most helpful tips. 


How do you contribute in meetings? Do you ask questions, offer your opinions, or prefer to stay quiet?


Rebecca

First Day Nerves

I don't know about you, but when I get nervous about an upcoming event I start focusing on all of the potential catastrophes that could occur. If "What if I get to the first day of college and somehow everyone already knows everyone else? I'll never make any friends and I'll have to transfer after the first semester!" went through your head the summer before entering college, then you can relate. At this time last year I was done with finals and had a few weeks at home before moving to New York City for my internship. As usual, boredom quickly ensued and I began to visualize my life as intern, a life filled with malfunctioning copy machines, bosses like Professor Umbridge and daily coffee runs. The worst question that repeated itself in my head was, "What if I'm not cut out for this job?" I dreaded the day that I would have to take the elevator to the nineteenth floor and begin the three months of doom.


Needless to say, all of these concerns were only in my head. I knew after spending time in the office during my interviews that my bosses were fantastic, they did not want me to waste time on coffee runs when I was there to produce actual work and the copy machines, in fact, did work (most of the time). It took a few reassuring emails from my family and friends to realize the most important thing: there was a competitive pool of applicants and - guess what? - the company chose me to be the intern for the summer. After spending time looking at my cover letter, resume, multiple email exchanges, phone interviews and an in-person interview, they decided that I would be the best fit for their internship. My mantra had to change from "I can't do this" to "I know that I am right for this position and I can do it." It was weird to accept that a group of people I didn't know believed in my abilities, particularly those that I didn't know I had yet. 


This doesn't mean I walked into the office on my first day and:
A) Began to order my bosses around because of my newly found confidence 
or
B) Didn't feel a little nervous, despite my new mantra


I definitely was still nervous, yet there was always a little part of me that reminded myself that I could do it. It might not be groundbreaking advice to say the following, but they still serve as daily reminders for me as a returning intern.
1. It's okay to be nervous! It helped me to research the company a lot prior to my first day to feel more comfortable with the lingo. Also, as nerdy as it might sound, I did in fact repeat the mantra to myself the entire subway ride to work.
2. Look toward your co-workers for support. I was so lucky to have a friendly and helpful group of co-workers in my office. They were happy to help me in any way they could, from assisting me in my embarrassingly bad attempts with working the copier to giving me advice on presentation decks. 
3. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I initially thought that I would be thrown into assignments without any direction and be expected to run the magazine singlehandedly. For the first few times that I was a little confused about an assignment, I felt stupid asking my boss for more detailed instructions. The more times that I had to ask, the less I felt stupid; she actually appreciated that I wanted clarifications. 
4. If necessary, fake confidence.  There always are the days when confidence just isn't going to happen. In those cases, it is best to fake it. Whether it is pretending to know where the Mail Room is when you go to drop off a package or slow your steps so you can watch the person in front of you work that complicated coffee machine, confidence is key in navigating the corporate world. 


Do you have any advice for first day nerves? What do you tell yourself on the first day of something new?


Rebecca

Welcome to NYC Intern!

Hello everyone and welcome to NYC intern!


My name is Rebecca and I am a rising senior (!!) at a college in Upstate New York. This summer I will be a second year intern at a magazine in New York City assisting in their marketing department. After an amazing experience last summer I couldn't wait to get back to my internship and the city! 


At this time last year I was constantly filling my older sister's inbox with questions and concerns about my upcoming internship. I was lucky because she works at the same company that publishes the magazine where my internship would be. However, most interns don't have the luxury of a family member or friend who works on the same floor and can give them the inside scoop. It was frustrating to see that past interns' blogs either revolved around complaining about their work or were a little too preachy ("Life Lessons from My Internship!") for my taste. I wanted someone to express the realities of an internship - yes, I read all the advice on how to succeed as an intern, but it was also important for me to know what other interns felt about Gmail over the lunch hour, how to ask for more assignments without annoying a supervisor and if it was okay to ask to leave a little early to make the train to the Hamptons. 


While I might not be an expert on all internships, I want to make my experiences available to the people that were in my shoes last year. Some of the topics I address or answers I give might not be applicable to all interns, so I want to turn to friends and other interns to provide a wider range of perspectives. For now, this is my life as a NYC intern and I hope you enjoy it!


Thanks for dropping by and be sure to check in regularly for updates!
Rebecca