Top 10 lessons I've learned so far as an Intern

Before I came to Eisbrenner, I had an idea of what public relations was like. Now that I'm here and in the mix of things, I can already sum up some of the valuable lessons that I couldn't have learned anywhere else:

10. Unorganization is bad for business..

It sounds like a no brainer. But I'm not talking blatant unorganization. I consider myself a pretty organized girl--so much that I say without shame, I should probably have stock in Office Max. I thought I had gotten the organization thing down before I got here...But one misplaced file folder can cause an avalanche of afternoon headache. Spending time working on a project is better than searching for the project. You'd think that having your own workspace would be easy, but it's definitely an adjustment. Keep up with files, and keep plenty of folders, paperclips and post-it notes on hand. I never fear looking like the crazy lady with post it notes all over the office, because at this internship, looking crazy is permissible--sometimes downright commonplace (it really is a fun internship), but not being on top of things is detrimental to success.

9. The workplace is full of personality.

This one is easy, wherever you intern, there will be plenty of people. With people come personalities, and all kinds. It is your mission, to find out how to work best with each of them. It will not be an overnight success. Most likely, it will be a process of trail and error. Don't take things too personally. Look at workplace interaction as one big lesson.

8. Know how to play phone tag.

Remember playing Dodgeball in grade school?? It didn't matter if you were the all star or the nerd who always got hit, you had to play. For me, dodgeball was about sucking it up and getting the job done. In PR, phone tag is the name of the game. Before coming to intern here, I was used to being treated like telephone royalty: If I called someone and left a message, they would call me back at their earliest convenience. What happens if someone's earliest convenience doesn't fit into your schedule? What if they *gasp* forget about your phone call? You suck it up, and get back in the game. You call back, you try again. And hopefully this time, you don't get pounded in the face with the proverbial dodgeball.

7. Hang your hang-ups at the door.

We all have bad days. The kind of bad days that make you swear that no one else's life is as bad as yours right now. This is going to sound harsh and unsympathetic, but it really is just good business sense. Life happens, and it will go on despite your six piece "woe-is-me" symphony you left your house with . I do understand that there are some occasions in which leaving things at home is just hard to do. In those cases, you do the best that you can, and make sure to find a way to de-stress when you have time.

6. You will hate Excel.

You will hate Excel or some other Microsoft Windows program at some point in your internship. For me, the green devil, also known as excel. I love media lists, but working with them in excel is painful. You may laugh now, but wait until a project is nearing completion and you can't figure out how you made column J disappear. Excel always has the last laugh.

5. Everything you learn while interning isn't always work related.

By definition, you can assume being out of your comfort zone is uncomfortable. Interning forces you to grow, as a budding pr professional and as a young adult. I'm beginning to learn just how much I can do on my own. It's pretty exciting to watch projects from beginning to end, and know that you had a part in it. It's a pretty cool feeling.

4. Be verbal.

Whatever you do, don't stay to yourself. Being an intern can put you in a pretty intimidating position, and its ok to be intimidated. However, don't let that feeling paralyze you. The only way to feel better is to keep moving: Ask questions insight. Speak up. Soon it will feel like home.

Check in on Thursday for my top three lessons!