Observations:
During the first few week I had quickly learned that the company culture at Lava Protocols is more of team work, a family and a passionately hard working one at that. I had learned also about how Lava Protocols came about which has led me to admire the founders who are also directors of the company, Mr. Gopi and Mr, Andrew. Everyone calls each other just by first names which is more of a welcoming to me since it was my first time working in an office. The culture at the office its flexible as that people help each other when there are projects, they form groups from different departments just to complete projects which I find very fun and motivating to have such variety of work to do and not limited to one's job scope. Furthermore, the management is also flexible in such a way that there is no gap between high level and low level management communication. Everyone has a right to voice their opinions for the benefit of the company. Every Friday we have employee engagement sessions where one week its Me, my and I and another week its a session called light bulb. Me, myself and I is for mostly self introduction when new employees join the team or current employees updating their life progress in personal and career so as to be more familiar with one another. Light bulb sessions are for employees who wish to share their ideas on ways to improve or move forward Lava Protocols which involves mobile application ideas and etc.
I also noticed how people at the office make the extra effort to celebrate their colleagues' birthdays which I found very warm and homely like to have such nice gestures from colleagues. The setting of the office is also simple cubicles no matter the level of hierarchy one is in, they all stay in cubicles next to each other apart from the managing director Mr. Andrew who has his own room and the inside sales team as well so as to allow them to make calls in a more silent environment. Mr. Gopi, also a founder of Lava Protocols got elected as one of the board of directors of MDec so it was quite sad to know he won;t be around much due to his new job since he was always making jokes during lunch breaks in the office making me laugh despite the stress I got from my telemarketing task. Lava Protocols was such a wonderful place to intern for someone who has never done an office job, I was so pleased to be a part of such a dynamic team with such diverse ethnics from Syrians, Srilankans, Indonesian, Chinese, Indian to Malay.
Key Learnings:
I learned quite a number of things during my intern- ship. I learned how to properly send work emails. I thought I had a better idea of being professional, but the emails I was guided to send were less rigid and cold from the way I would usually write mine. Also, I learned a new skill which is telemarketing, something I was so terrible at in the first two weeks and got better to a point where I could answer and call almost at default professionalism. It got easier and more familiar. I also learned how to be professional in an office setting something I was not quite familiar with due to my lack of experience. I also learned more about cloud computing and it benefits when used in businesses.I believe cloud computing is the future of business information running and storage. The video below will explain further what I learned on how cloud computing can enhance the performance of business operations of any industry.
Development & Growth:
I've developed networking skills and how to better use LinkedIN for networking and even land on a job. I've realized that opportunities are endless, with the right exposure and networking skills. It all matters in how one handles situations. I've been advised to be more willing to take charge in tasks instead of always referring to my supervisor, I think I behaved that way because It was my first time and I was avoiding making any unnecessary mistakes due to lack of experience. I do plan on taking the lead in tasks for future job positions. Apart from what I've been advised, I feel like I've become more responsible and more independent after having a taste of the real world. Making it in life is not just about hard work and determination, Its about making smart choices as well, because if you work hard on poor choices it will not make a difference. I need to thrive to be better, smarter and innovative as well as bringing out my leadership qualities out without fears of being rejected by others. The future is scary, but I choose to look at the bright side and work hard at my dreams and goals in life. Nothing in this world comes by easy, especially if it is a game changing idea. Success stories always have parts of hardship to a point of almost giving up and that is what I need to prepare for in order not to be one of those who give up. My supervisor and bosses have inspired me to always thrive for better, and accept change as a norm because life is all about changes and growth.
Key Achievements:
My first achievement would be that I managed to complete my intern-ship without any problems unlike other fellow students who had intern-ship that went through alot in the past three months. Another achievement is I managed to survive working in the office, I always thought I would never do well in the office place with all my dreams of becoming a fashion designer. I also managed to develop telemarketing and networking skills which are very beneficial for a business student. I managed to get one deal with a large group of companies after my initiative to contact them and also the field sales team who went to have a meeting with them.
Challenges Faced:
The challenges I faced were learning how to communicate while taking on a telemarketing task, It's not just a skill that is easily acquired, it need some heart to do such a task. Convincing someone you've never met not spoken to before that they need your product/services is not an easy task, it was rather stressful when we couldn't get through to the contacts intended. Asking to talk to someone of the high management like vice president, managing directors and CEOs. These are valuable and busy people of the company that cannot be very easily accessed, you need to play around with words and also adjust the tone of voice to be able to capture the gate keepers's(secretary, assistant, etc.) attention for them to even consider to transfer your call to the person intended. that was the only challenge I faced in my tasks, reaching the contacts intended without being diverted or even disconnected.
Future Career Plans:
For someone who is in her last semester of an International Business degree, I'd say the next step for my career would definitely be to gain more experience whether as an intern or full time employee of any company in any country. The more variety in the countries I'll work in the better it will be for my CV since I am an International Business student after all. I'll work for a few companies or just one company for a 4-5 years to gain experience and increase my network before I venture out on my own. I don't plan on working for someone for the rest of my life so I'll work really hard on my job so I can earn enough to have a good reputation which will allow me to start out on my own in the future. I would like to try a different industry and the more variety the better because different industry has different benefits and experience.
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