Week 1 (Orlando Intern Training)

This first week was quite the whirlwind. I officially started last week, yet it was only one day of in office SF training. I started the day after my finals a little later than the rest of the office had due to the fact that I was stuck in the library finishing out my Junior year. This placed a little more stress and nerves on myself that I already had!
Upon arriving at the office, I kept reminding myself that I was not at college anymore. I was in a professional setting where I needed to remember names, not crack jokes and sit up straight! Although I came in with a rigid set of guidelines to follow it was instantly refreshing to be paired up with a buddy who broke the ice by telling me he was more nervous about this than I was, because his manager was reviewing him. This was a great reminder to always put your best self forward for there are consistent and constant opportunities for evaluation.
After my day in office, I had one day off to pack catch up on sleep and prepare myself for the big trip to Orlando. All of KPMGs summer interns were all heading to the Hilton Orlando to hopefully get some clue of what was asked of us!



Adjusting to the new business casual lifestyle was exciting this first week. I attempted to make sure that I was always dressed and acting appropriately, for even if I was simply sitting on a couch in the lobby of the hotel I was still surrounded by my peers and superiors.
The week was spent with many morale boosting speeches from our company's head leaders and inspiring lectures from appropriate dress code to how to efficiently network. Since we spent a whole week in Orlando we typically had free evenings to adventure how we so chose. I felt it appropriate to spend the evenings enjoying Downtown Orlando Studios at dinner with friends one night and the others either outlet shopping or by the pool! However, some interns did not have the same judgement. There were a few tired faces at out 7 am wake up calls in the mornings.


May main take away lessons were this:
-Networking always be aware of the connections you are making, and do something to remember the person. Do this by asking for a business card and jotting memorable notes on it. Or repeating their name in conversation to ensure retention.
-Time Management Each day in the business world is going to be jam-packed. Although we may not have been doing our typical 9-5 days in Orlando, we were still on a rigid schedule. It could be very easy to get worn down and lose track of time, however it is necessary to adhere to schedules and stick with the program!
-Organization I learned this the hard way this week. We have these specific tools called "SecurID"s that allow us to log-on on our laptops to our company's system. I forgot to pack mine when going to Florida, and had to spend an hour and a half on hold with IT to obtain a temporary ID. This is a mistake that could have been easily avoided.
-Stay Positive!! One of our trainers in Florida reminded us that yes technical skills and great education are key to your career. However, you never know how far a smile and a positive attitude can take you.