Upon entering, I was greeted in a very friendly manner that helped to diffuse the tension. I was excited to see that there were other interns there to commiserate with. We were given detailed instructions on how to answer the phone, according to the needs of the caller. Additionally, understanding how to prioritize calls was important. I currently work retail and have interned at another office and am embarrassed to say that I never truly understood how to use the phone. Even more important was the greeting and the way one spoke to the caller. I admit I bungled the first call I answered, forgetting to ask for the name of the caller and the reason for the call. In any other office setting, I might have received a reprimand, however, the office manager kindly instructed me to obtain that information.

One of the managers told us that nothing we did could cause the company to collapse. That simple sentence lifted an enormous burden off of my shoulders. At retail, messing up calls could have meant lost customers or an angry store manager. Being able to make mistakes will be the greatest reward from this internship because egregious errors elsewhere might cost me a position at other jobs.

The best part of the day was that the job was not repetitive or dull. For example, one intern had to find applicants in the file cabinet; I had to create a list of e-mail addresses that another intern had to use for the purposes of social networking. Next, the three of us brainstormed different ways of advertising this employment agency. I barely had any experience in advertising, however, I benefited from learning from the other two interns. I look forward to future days when I am given more responsibilities.