Introduction
Internship experience is an important landmark in the career every person because he/she has an opportunity to test and develop various skills that are directly related to the professional activities as well as leadership. In this paper, I would like to speak about my internship experience at the company which is engaged in the import and export of automotive spare parts. Overall, I had a chance to work on numerous tasks related to financial activities of the company. In particular, I was able to practices some of the main techniques that were covered during the courses. This is one of the main benefits that I can identify. Furthermore, this experience prompted me to display my leadership qualities that are vital for any professional. Moreover, I was able to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses. Finally, I was able to improve my communication skills because I was able to interact with people with different professional and cultural backgrounds. This is why this internship proved to be of great benefit to me. I will certainly rely on the experience in the course of my future career. This experience can be viewed as a springboard for my professional development and career growth. These are the main issues that should be discussed more closely.
The role of the orientation program
At the beginning of my internship, I thought that it would be very difficult for me to work in this company because I did not know much about its internal operations or workplace policies. Overall, I believed that it would be difficult for me to adjust to the new environment. This is why I had to struggle with anxiety when my internship began. Nevertheless, my expectations did not come true. To a great extent, this result can be attributed to the work of my mentor. I was trained by the experienced financial analyst who was working in the company for nearly four years. He clearly explained my future responsibilities, as well as the requirements that I had to meet. He made many valuable recommendations to me. For instance, he described informational resources and software that I could use in order to speed up my work.
Furthermore, he monitored my performance without being too intrusive. Moreover, he identified the improvements that I had to make. In my view, it is important to every employee to feel the trust of managers. Overall, I great appreciate his assistance. Without his support, it would have been very difficult for me to develop my professional and leadership skills. So, it is possible for me to tell that the experiences of an internee depend on the HR policies adopted in a company and the attitudes of managers toward new hires or internees. This is one of the main aspects that I can identify.
The tasks that had to be done during the internship
In the course of my internship, I had to do the tasks that were related to my major. For example, I helped the manager with cash flow statements. In the past, I worked on such assignments, but they cannot be compared to real-life preparation of a cash flow statement. This is one of the most common tasks that finance managers should do. Secondly, I needed to work on the analysis of ROE (Return on Equity). Additionally, I had to work on various reports which contained an assessment of the enterprise solvency and its profitability. These activities required me to use the knowledge that I acquired in the course of my studies.
To a great extent, I was able to better appreciate the challenges that should be overcome by people who major in finance. Admittedly, I expected to cope with more challenging tasks that could prompt me to use more complex techniques. However, even despite these limitations, this work experience has been of great value for me because I could get a better idea about my future profession as well as the pitfalls that should be avoided. This is one of the main points that can be made since it is vital for professional improvement.
While working on various cash-flow statements or reports, I needed to better understand the functioning of this company. In particular, I had to learn more about the documentation practices adopted in this organization. However, I experienced difficulties only at the beginning of my internship. During the orientation program, the mentor clearly identified the main aspects that I should pay attention to. Overall, this experience has demonstrated to me that a financial analyst should be able to learn more about the structural peculiarities of the company and its operations. If this professional lacks this knowledge, it may be difficult for him/her to analyze information accurately. This is one of the main lessons that I can derive from this internship.
The defining moments
There are several defining moments that shaped the course of my internment. To a great extent, they affected the attitude to this company and my duties. For example, I should first speak about the moment when I first submitted my financial report and it was accepted by my mentor. He said that this memorandum was quite accurate and concise. This moment was important for me, because I felt that I was competent enough to work in this company. Additionally, I felt that my knowledge of finance and accounting was sufficient for real-life tasks that finance managers should be able to complete. Overall, I can say that this recognition was very re-assuring. Secondly, I should mention the beginning of my internship. At the outset of the orientation program, my mentor said that there was no need for me to be too nervous. He noted that my educational background would be sufficient enough for the work in the finance department. On the whole, this encouragement was of great importance for me because I could feel more confident. I began to view my internship as a valuable professional experience. I no longer perceived it as an arduous trial. This is why the start of my internship was of great importance to me.
Thirdly, I can remember the situation when I disagreed with one of the financial analysts and said that it was possible use a different financial indicate in order to assess the performance of a company. I was able to show that I had been right. This incident also strengthened my confidence in my professional skills. Apart from that, I could see that employees should know about the dangers of groupthink. In other words, an employee should not be afraid of expressing one’s opinions even if they contradict the opinions held by the majority. A person, who majors in finance, should be able to uphold one’s views and identify better ways of analyzing financial information. Provided that a financial manager lacks this quality, he/she is more likely to make various errors. This is why moment was critical for me.
Finally, I would like to speak about the end of my internment. In particular, the head of the financial department said that he would be glad to see me working in the company. This incident was also vital for me because this recognition was a powerful motivational factor for me.
Certainly, there were other moments that were of great importance for me. For instance, I can mention the situation when I first had to work on a very time-consuming task that had to be completed very urgently. I have never had to work under such challenging circumstances. So, it was an excellent opportunity for me to test my skills. Nevertheless, the moments which have been described in the previous section appear to be more significant to me because they influenced my attitudes toward my career and my professional qualities. I was able to see that the work related to finance could be both challenging and rewarding.
Evaluation of the company
Overall, I can recommend this company to other people, especially if their major can be related to automotive industry. I think that in this organization, they can become better professionals. Moreover, they can achieve career growth. In turn, if a person majors in finance, he/she will not have many opportunities for promotion because financial operations do not play a major role in this organization. This is the only limitation that I can single out. Nevertheless, I can argue that this organization has a very good business culture. First of all, the managers of this organization prefer a democratic style of leadership. They enable employees to take independent initiatives. Moreover, workers are able to make recommendations to senior officers. This is one of the details that greatly appeals to me. This policy is vital for the effective performance of this company. Additionally, this organization has a performance appraisal system that takes into account the individual contribution of every employee. So, a person is more likely to be motivated while working in this organization. Therefore, I can recommend this company to others because it implements some of the best managerial models that have been developed by business administrators and scholars.
Lessons that can be learned from this experience
There are several things that I expect to learn from this experience. First of all, I would like to focus on the ability to interact with other professionals who may not be closely familiar to me. In the course of my studies, I had to work on various group assignments, but these projects cannot be compared to real-life experience. This is one of the issues that were of great concern to me at the beginning of my internship because I am a reticent person who cannot easily adjust to a new group. On the whole, I wanted to change this character trait or at least become less introverted. To a great extent, I was able to achieve this goal. This is why internship was valuable to me. Moreover, I wanted to learn more about the techniques used by modern financial analysts and accountants. I understand that students can learn about the most up-to-date trends in the finance or accounting. Nevertheless, there is always a gap between theoretical models that are described in academic settings and the practices used in companies. So, I intended to bridge this gap. Apart from that, a competent professional should be able to work under pressure. This is one of the skills that are compulsory for a person who majors in finance. Certainly, various assignments that students do in the course of their studies can give them a better idea about real-life work of financial managers. Nevertheless, the work in a real company can be more enriching. This is why this internship has been of great value to me. In my view, this work can assist a person in becoming a better employee. Therefore, this internship has been very beneficial.
Admittedly, in the future, I may work in organizations that are in no way related to automotive industry. Furthermore, I will have to cope with more challenging tasks. However, the time that I have spent in this company has been of great use to me because I could better understand the roles that a financial manager should play. So, this work experience has produced a strong impression on me.
The development of leadership skills
There are several leadership skills that I expect to develop from this internship. First of all, I would like to focus on the ability to focus on to uphold one’s opinion. I think that this attribute is critical for a leader and any competent professional. As it has been said before, I had to take to show that a certain financial indicator was more important for evaluating the performance of a company. In the future, I will also adhere to this principle since it is essential for career growth of a person. Furthermore, I think that the internship demonstrated to me that it was important to take initiatives in order to succeed. An individual should not only expect the instructions provided by the senior management. This passivity is not acceptable for a would-be leader. Instead, he/she should be able to take independent decisions in order to make any achievements in ones professional area. As it has been said before, the management of the company attached importance to the development of leadership skills. This is one of the aspects that distinguish this organization among other companies. Therefore, this internship has helped me better appreciate the role of a leader. This is one of the main arguments that can be put forward.
Conclusion
Overall, this discussion suggests that internship can be of great value to a student. This experience is closely related to such areas as professional expertise, communication skills, and leadership qualities. These aspects are critical for the career of an individual. Furthermore, internship can help a person avoid a great number of errors in his/her future career. For instance, one can speak about the dangers of group think. Finally, in this way, a person can better identify his limitations. Apart from that, I became more aware about the functions that finance professionals have to perform. These are the main issues I can single out. They will definitely influence my future studies and professional activities.