Intern Feature: Rebecca Mann

I am working for Advertising Specialty Institute this summer which is a company that links distributors and suppliers of promotional products. This company is located in Trevose, PA and I am their Human Resources intern. 

Most of my responsibilities revolve around their training program. Some examples of my work include formatting presentations to be more efficient and professional, analyzing training survey results with excel, (using a lot of the functions I learned in Isenberg!) updating the HR social media accounts, and researching various training outlets like independent contractors, LMS platforms, compatible authoring programs, and more!

HOW DID YOU FIND THIS OPPORTUNITY?

I was looking through indeed one day, found this job, and applied online. Of course I applied to dozens of jobs (the internship market is competitive) but it wasn't too difficult. Isenberg set me up with the necessary resume, cover letter, and interviewing skills to get the job! I'm out-of-state so finding jobs in Philadelphia when most of the jobs on the career center are targeted towards students living in Boston, could be discouraging, but I've gotten a job every summer since my freshman year so I'm not too worried.

WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERINCE BEEN LIKE AND WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED?

It's been a great experience here at ASI! I've learned a ton about HR and most importantly I learned that I do not want to go into HR. I am much more interested in business data analytics and I loved the OIM 301 course so this internship prompted me to change my major from Management to OIM. I am extremely thankful I took this internship and came to this realization early on.

The company culture is phenomenal and the people are unique. Pennsylvania has quite the variety of views on the current political state of our country. I'm really happy that's the case because it reinforces how people may not have the same perspective as you do, but that doesn't make their view invalid and you still have to work for them meaning professionalism is key. Coming from Amherst, which is emotionally charged in regards to politics with a defined liberal majority, it's refreshing how there's more than one view. Personally, I am liberal so it was a bit of a culture shock, but it's necessary to realize that the liberal college bubble will burst and you'll be faced with the political climate of America that may or may not agree with you. 

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STDUENTS?

It's never too early to apply for internships! Even if you don't think you'll be interested in the opportunity, apply anyways because you may love it. You might also apply to an internship you think you'll love and you might end up hating it. Whatever the case may be, every internship is a learning experience that will help you choose what you want to do in the future. Remember coming to the conclusion that you don't like a certain field is just as productive as coming to the conclusion that you do like a certain field.