Showing posts with label internship one. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internship one. Show all posts
I always get really reflective on the last day of something--whether thats work, school, vacation, etc. I generally like to look where I'm going and not where I've come from, but every so often, you have to collect your thoughts and let it all make sense in your head. I didn't do this with Internship #3 because I was, and still am, pissed off. I thought only briefly about Internship #2 because I did this same job last year for a different artist. So that left me with extra time to think about Internship #1, which is precisely what I did on my train ride home to CT after my last day.
Had I helped to make the publishing department run smoother than it had my first day there? I like to think so. I helped Vin get organized, I recreated their myspace page, I cleaned up the awful producer/songwriter binder mess, and most importantly, I made Vin feel comfortable trusting me with work he didn't have time for.
Did I leave a lasting impression? Honestly, for a long time, I didn't think so. As you all know, this was not my favorite internship, and thats okay, it happens sometimes. But as a result, I didn't apply myself as much as I could have, and although I was extremely conscious of it, I just couldn't get myself to do anything about it. I started to have a lot of regrets in early December but by that time, there was even less work to be done than before.
Vin started interviewing new interns around this time. It wasn't until then that I found out there was another intern that came in on Mondays and Fridays (it happened like this: one day Vin said I didn't have to do an errand and he'd just ask Albert to do it and before I could even think about what I was saying, the words "Who the f*ck is Albert?" jumped out of my mouth, and he answered with a chuckle and said, "the other intern"). I couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, was he a better intern than me? Then Vin said he didn't want to bring him back next semester and he started interviewing potential interns. I realized then that I did leave a lasting impression. Every time Vin would come out of an interview, I would say, "How did it go?" and he would always shrug his shoulders and say, "I don't know, I didn't really like them." He would make up weird excuses as to why they weren't qualified, things like--she doesn't like music enough, he is too much into gossip, he's a songwriter, she's too shy.
The more we talked about it the more evident he made it that he couldn't find a new intern because he didn't think anyone would do as good as I did. Eventually he outright said it, and then added that his other intern, Albert, wasn't "a good intern" like me (his words, not mine). So I guess I did leave a lasting impression, and one that I'm proud of. When I left Internship #1, he had yet to find an intern to replace me.
When I got in the cab after my last day at that internship, I sent him a text message and said, "I'm leaving now, just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to work here, have a happy holiday." He wrote back and said, "Thanks Internchick! I really appreciate everything you've done for us. Let me know if there's anything you need in the future."
So I accomplished what I came to do. And that was to leave my mark on my bosses and have them wondering how they ever got along without me. Most importantly, to have them appreciate what I brought to the table.
Case (and internship) closed.
Labels: intern, internship, internship one, last day, reflection
Obviously, because of the (way too short) break between the end of my internship and the start of classes, I'm behind on my posts. So I'm backtracking here. My last day at Internship #3 was December 22nd (the day they gave me the bad evaluation) and December 23rd at Internship #1.
Originally I told Vin my last day would be the 18th and I stuck to my guns until he told me he was in a tight spot and that no one would be around to cover the phones on the Monday and Tuesday before Christmas Eve. If he couldn't find anyone, he was going to have to cancel his flight home and stay in New York. I felt bad and said I could work Tuesday, but had already told Internship #3 I would work that Monday. He really seemed to appreciate it and in my book, the whole point of being an intern is to make your boss' life easier. So if that means shortening your break so they can enjoy theirs, than so be it. Don't think I didn't complain to my friends about having to work though.
Your "last day" is always nice and you don't even have to do anything except tell everyone its your last day. Mine was particularly weird though because I was the only one in my department that was there...no Vin, no Big Boss, just me, the phones, and a new book. It was really slow at the office, not much was really going to happen the day before Christmas Eve, but Big Boss insisted someone be there anyway. I did save the day for one of our producers though, when a royalty check came for him and I went and deposited it into his bank account. It felt good to be able to handle the whole thing on my own and knowing that my bosses I'd be able to get it done. The phones probably rang three times the whole day. The third call was the Big Boss. She was calling to check in and ask if anyone had called. No one had really called with anything important so I said no, and she said...do yourself a favor, lock up in an hour and have yourself a merry Christmas. I said thank you and said it was nice working for her, you know, all the usual courtesies and hung up. I looked at the clock and realized it was 5:30. That meant I could leave at 6:30, a whole half an hour early.
Wow, Big Boss, you shouldn't have!
At 6:30 exactly, I collected my final stipend, closed my computer and cleared off my desk for the last time and walked out the door. It took me about 20 minutes to hail a cab for Grand Central and I settled in for a long ride home of reflecting and reminiscing.
Labels: big boss, intern, internship, internship one, internship three, last day
Getting a bad evaluation from Internship #3 would have hurt a lot more if Internship #1 didn't write that I "exceed standards" on every category. Vin wrote that I was a diligent worker, very bright, and dependable. It's nice to know other people think you're dependable. Just to think about how often I depend on people who can't pull through and then to be told my bosses feel they can rely on me is great!
Like everything, I learned a big lesson when Vin handed me my evaluation. I quickly glanced at it and thought he had given me the lowest marks on the four point scale. I was kind of shocked he would do that and looked again. I then realized I was reading the scale backwards. Afterwards he asked me if he had filled out the evaluation and I told him he did and added that I thought he gave me all 1's until I looked at it again. He laughed and said, "I should have done that, that would have been funny." I chuckled and told him that no, that would not have been funny. Then it was quiet for a moment and he asked me, "What would you have done though? If I had given you all 1's, would you have even said anything?" I thought for a minute and said, "I don't know, I guess I would but I mean, if that was how you really felt what am I supposed to say? Try and talk you out of it?"
He turned around in his chair to face me and told me that I should always stick up for my work. He said that if I knew I didn't do a horrible job but got poor markings, that I should speak up for myself and work the problem out. I laughed it off but then his tone changed and he said, "No, seriously...you should always, always, stick up for yourself."
And it was just that conversation that gave me the courage to e-mail my bosses at Internship #3 and ask, "Wtf?"
Labels: evaluation, intern, internship one, work, work ethic
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