Social Interaction At Work

Prior to this internship, I thought I had social interaction down pat. When I worked as a reporter and government relations intern, I carried on many conversations with relative ease so I thought this internship would be no different. Wow, was I wrong.

Here at Eisbrenner PR, you are in the office most of the day doing your work. This was a huge change for me, considering my previous jobs involved me being outside of the office more than inside. But I'm glad this internship is forcing me to stay put, for I am learning some valuable interaction skills that I wouldn't have learned otherwise.

What am I learning here that I didn't learn with my other internships? For one, I am learning to be part of an office environment. Even though Eisbrenner PR is a small company, there's a lot of different personalities that work within this office. While some people are easier to work with than others, I still believe it's important to interact with everyone in a positive and respectful manner. My goal from the beginning of this internship has been to try and learn something from everyone here, for it will help me become a better employee as a result.

I'm also learning the art of compromise here, which I think is sort-of cool. What one boss wants another one doesn't, so I've had to create documents that satisfy all parties involved. While this is challenging at times, it is a rewarding experience overall.

And the last biggie here: Pay attention to detail. Smile, be polite and have enthusiasm for all that you do. Some tasks aren't as fun as I would like them to be, but I'm still willing to do them. And re-do them. And do them over and over again until I get them just right. If you can do that, then you're guaranteed social success.