I ride my bike over three miles from Brigham Young University to my internship here at InsideSales.com. Day after day, rain or shine, the long ride has helped me learn the value of hard work. I’ve learned to be open to anything and willing to contribute no matter how difficult or undesirable the task. As I’ve been consistently diligent in doing my best work, I have felt a sense of accomplishment within myself. As an intern, it’s often difficult to see the end results. It often feels like I’m not making a difference, but the approval of my own work I feel from within is enough to keep me coming back everyday.
One of the best benefits of being an intern here is simply being a part of the business environment. Even though I’m not high up in the company hierarchy, I learn so much from just hearing the business-level conversations that go on around me. There are constantly little discussions about where to go next and what needs to happen by when. It has taught me the importance of effective communication and the wide assortment of small decisions that must fit perfectly together to make a successful whole.
My internship is an unpaid, but what I lack in physical pay is made up for in real world experience. The working environment here is incredible. There’s not a single person I’ve noticed that gives anything less than their very best. When the CEO needs something done, the employees are willing to follow no matter how much extra work it means for them. There is no “I’m too cool to do that” attitude here, but instead everyone works in their separate role for the overall success of the company.
The major highlight of my experience here so far was the AA-ISP meeting held on October 12th right here at the Novell Campus by the InsideSales.com office. In the meeting, both Dave Elkington (CEO) and Ken Krogue (President) shared some groundbreaking research and strategies relating to the realm of inside sales. The tips were very simple, yet seemed to yield amazing results. One such was their suggestion to use a feature called “Local Presence” which allows callers to always appear as a local caller on the caller ID.
My advice to anyone would be to get an internship. It’s an amazing opportunity to get real world business experience while receiving course credit. There are things you learn in a business atmosphere that just don’t come in the classroom. I encourage any and all students to talk to their counselor or major advisor and see where they can fit in an internship. I can assure you that you won’t regret it!
