Internship Necessities

Source: Google

1. Ballet Flats

Whether you're working in an office where you wear a pant-suit every day or in a setting where you can get away with wearing workout clothes (bless), you're going to want to invest in a comfortable, neutral pair of ballet flats!  Luckily, I work in the latter environment.  I usually opt for a casual dress or skirt, and what better to pair my outfit with than a pair of ballet flats? My favorite ones are the Anya Suede Ballet Flats from J. Crew Factory in Vintage Sandstone.  I can wear them all year round because of then neutral color, and the rubber sole makes them so easy to walk in!

2. Blazer

Another wardrobe staple for your internship (no matter the dress code) is a blazer.  You can easily throw it over the back of your chair in case you get chilly (which, undoubtedly, you will)!  Blazers can make even the most casual outfit dressier.  Try pairing them with anything from skirts and sandals to suits and stockings, and you'll be glad you have one.

Source: Google

3. Bag

When I had my first internship two summers ago, I shopped around for a week looking for the perfect bag to carry around.  Eventually, I just settled on a large, tan purse from Target.  Looking back, I wish that I had just invested in a Longchamp! To my excitement, last Christmas, my grandparents gifted me my own Black Longchamp Le Pliage tote bag.  They purchased it in the most neutral of colors - black.  This bag is probably the most versatile bag I own; I use it for class, going out to lunch, and at my internship.  The simple design and water resistant lining makes it appropriate for almost any occasion.  

4. Padfolio
When my parents first told me that I needed to invest in a padfolio, I thought that a huge book like that would be too intense for my job.  Surprisingly, I blew through the entire notepad in the first three weeks of my internship! I didn't realize how essential this was.  While you may think a notebook would suffice, with all the printed out information packets I was getting, I was glad to have a sturdy folder built right in.

5. Earbuds
Especially in my open office setting, earbuds are a necessity.  With people all around you talking on the phone or to each other, you'll need these to help you concentrate (and maybe even discover some new music).

Source: Amazon

6. Pens/highlighters
I am 100% certain that at some point during your internship you will need to write something down!  My current favorite pens are from a brand called Le Pen.  There are so many colors, and, personally, I always stay more organized when I color code notes! Highlighters (maybe just one) are an added bonus.  While you may not need a highlighter on a daily basis, it's always nice to have one so you can keep track of your most important tasks/notes.

Source: Google

7. Agenda
This isn't necessarily an internship necessity but more of a lifestyle necessity.  My Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda is a lifesaver -- it always keeps me on task and helps me balance my work/school life with my social life!

Source: Chobani.com

8. Snacks
Find a delicious and healthy (and quiet) snack that you can eat mid-morning or mid-afternoon when you start to get tired or hungry! My current favorite is the Chocolate Almond Brownie Lean Protein & Fiber Bar by ThinkThin.  Although maybe not the quietest snack, they're a nutritious option that tastes like dessert! A quieter option that also tastes like dessert -- anyone notice a theme here? -- is the Raspberry & Dark Chocolate Chobani Indulgent Greek Yogurt.  Figure out what kinds of snacks you like, and keep them at your desk for when you get the mid-day munchies!

9. Mints/gum
In the event that you have a meeting right after lunch/a snack, it's always a good idea to keep some mints or gum with you.  I prefer mints because you can just pop one in your mouth and no one has to know!

10. Travel mug/tumbler
Finally, I think that it is crucial to have either a travel mug or a tumbler cup with you at your desk.  Most offices provide coffee at the workplace, so why not bring your own mug instead of taking a paper cup each morning? Tumblers are great so you don't have to bring a recyclable water bottle to work each day.  Bonus tip: if you bring your own travel mug/tumbler to Starbucks, you get 10 cents off your order!

Interview with Elizabeth

Source: Google

Name: Elizabeth

Company: Structured Finance Industry Group (SFIG)

Position: Intern (with an emphasis on media presence)

Paid or Unpaid: Paid

Living arrangements: The internship is in downtown Washington D.C., and I live about 30 minutes away (with traffic) in northern D.C., so I live at home and commute.

Favorite at the desk snack: Blueberries

Coffee or tea?: I’m not a fan of either, but there is a Starbucks on the same block as my office so I’ve gotten more than enough espresso drinks.

Summary of the company (in your own words): SFIG is a member organization consisting of banks, law firms, other companies such as Ford, and some individual members.  Structured finance is a very complicated topic, especially for a communications major, but from my understanding, SFIG communicates with these companies who trade debt between one another and work with the government to solidify regulation standards so the companies and the government are satisfied. SFIG was founded on the premise to make sure another financial crisis like 2008 doesn’t happen again.

Summary of your department (in real language): SFIG is a very small company (nine employees and me), so there are no real separate departments, which I enjoy.  Everyone works together to complete our daily tasks, whether it be finding finance articles for our weekly newsletter, or helping to organize one of our annual conferences in Las Vegas.  Because of this I do not belong to a department, but help wherever I can.

Give a summary about what your job entails: I do basic intern things, such as setting up a label maker and filling in our extensive data base (I had to look up information on about 10,000 people).  However, I was hired for the most part to improve SFIG’s online presence.  I have proposed several changes to the company’s website which will soon be implemented, as well as created a Twitter page.  I am also working with a section of SFIG, Women in Securitization (WiS), to help organize their first annual WiS week. WiS week is going to be in mid-August and will feature a daily newsletter with profiles of successful women in the industry as well as conferences in six different cities where women will meet to discuss gender in the industry.

Busy rating (out of 5, can give explanation): Since SFIG has never had an intern before, the first couple weeks were fairly slow, and some days are still low-key.  However, other days I feel as if I don’t have a spare moment to check Snapchat! But since I’m writing this all at 11 AM on a Monday, let’s go with a 2.8.

Interview difficulty rating: 1. Both SFIG and I were late to the intern game, so when I came into the interview they asked me a couple questions and ended with asking when I could start and what my salary should be.  It also helped that I had experience last summer doing the same type of thing with media development.

Involvement with the other interns: No other interns, but my coworkers are all incredibly nice, and we get coffee together in the morning, talk about the news, and I update them on what the Jonas Brothers are up to nowadays.

Office environment:  My office is set up so there are six desks in a clump and there are four offices layered around the desk clump.  However, the people in the offices always keep their doors open unless they are on a call and there is a large amount of communication throughout the office as a whole.  We always talk about our weekends and difference places to get lunch, as well as gossiping about boys.  One of the men in the office just had a baby two months ago (named Elizabeth btw) and we love getting updates and pictures. Sometimes it can get a little quiet when people are absorbed in their tasks, but someone is always quick to say “let me send you all this video, it’s HILARIOUS” (usually it involves a puppy).

Type of workspace (Cube, table, office, etc): I have one of the desks in the clump of six, but it is a huge desk.  I have two monitors, my own phone (although no one ever calls), and enough space for a drink and a Chop't salad with lots of room to spare.

What has been the most enjoyable part of your job thus far?: I really enjoy working on WiS, because although my major relates to media development, through and through, I care deeply about woman’s issues and anything I can do to improve any aspect of women in finance is rewarding for me.

What has been the most challenging part?: The most challenging part by far was filling in the database. For over 10,000 people I had to find their full name (for gender ambiguous names this was incredibly difficult), their company, email, and phone number. Thankfully I finally finished that task last week.

What did you do that had the most impact on the company?: The changes I suggested for the website are going to be implemented (hopefully soon) and that is basically the face of the company, so I would say website improvement.

What did you do to prepare for the job?: My mom is a tax lawyer so she knows a fair amount about securitization and structured finance, so I had her give me a basic explanation about the topics and what SFIG actually does. I also explored their website and thought of initial changes I could suggest.

What do you expect to learn?: What securitization really is.

What did you learn?: What business casual really means.

Source: Google

Hello, my name is: Intern

Source:  Google

Congrats!  You got an internship, a chance to get a glimpse of the “real” world.  The first day was scary, but now you’re settled into your cubicle and daily routine of working on Excel and PowerPoint, and hopefully not just getting coffee.  But do you wonder what other interns do all day?  

We were curious too.  I had been comparing internship experiences with friends from school, laughing about trying to find appropriate work clothes, and then feeling ridiculous in them.  We gawked at how, just one year ago, we were graduating from high school, where we had to ask to go to the bathroom and would get our phones taken away for checking the time, and now, no one even checks to see if we’re doing our work.  By sharing our daily experiences and struggles, we gained real insight about each other’s internships. 

Source: Google
Look familiar?

As a true planner, I had also been planning out my summer next year, this year.  It was so time consuming going from newspaper to newspaper, company to company, trying to find information about summer internship programs.  After all of my searching, I knew a lot about the application process, but didn’t really know what the interns at each company did.  Would I learn a lot about the industry from this company or would I just get coffee and crunch numbers?  As college students, we only have three summers to make professional connections and gain the most experience possible before being sent into the real world, hopefully with a diploma AND a job offer in hand.  

We wanted to expand our knowledge of different internships, so when next summer rolls around, we have an internship where we know what to expect and what we’ll actually be doing all day.  It would make the internship process a lot more intentional, allowing interns to apply for positions because they know that they want to do what that internship entails.  Having committed interns would also benefit the companies employing the interns, because now they would have a group of prepared, eager, summer employees. 

Source: Google

So we started “Inside the Internship” with the goal of providing an inside look at various internships.  No business jargon, just honest experiences.  You’ll find interviews with interns from all different fields, outfit advice, office coffee and book reviews, and posts about life walking around with “Hello, my name is:  Intern” stuck on your blazer. 

Feel free to share your own internship experiences by emailing:  Jennifer.insidetheinternship@gmail.com

You might just get posted!