This summer, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work at InteleCONNECT, Inc. as a Marketing Support Specialist. This position gave me the chance to learn about and strengthen my knowledge of social media marketing, navigating a hybrid model of working, the importance and influence of networking, and, most valuable, identify the aspects of a company I will be looking for in my post-graduate transition into job searching and my career.
I started my position at InteleCONNECT through a chance opportunity and decided to move forward with pursuing the summer position after talking about the job with my future employer, Brenda Eisenschenk. Having been my mother’s employer for the last fourteen years, Brenda has come to know me quite well. I was grateful she thought of me when it came time to fill a position for summer work. I was even more grateful to have the opportunity to work for Brenda this summer after receiving such empathy, flexibility, and understanding from her and everyone at InteleCONNECT so soon into my employment. A week after starting, I had an unforeseen family emergency that required my and my mother’s absence from the office, to which Brenda responded with grace and care. I was touched to have a boss who knew the importance of family and was willing to work with me to ease the difficulty in this unexpected event. This experience was just the beginning of how my summer employment would go: learning about the business and the skills and experiences that go with that, but also learning about what I value in a company and will look for in a future employer.
In addition to the great experiences I had just by working with industry experts at InteleCONNECT, I enjoyed the time I was able to spend meeting people in the community as well. Whether it was over coffee at St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce events, at the charity golf tournaments we sponsored, or during customer calls or online webinars, I made meaningful connections with others in the Central Minnesota community. As I enter my senior year of college, I understand the importance of creating and fostering great relationships with the people you want to know and learn from in both your personal and professional life. After this summer working at InteleCONNECT, I can definitely say that I have been able to meet some fantastic people who I look forward to connecting with again as I transition out of college and into my career.
Last, but certainly not least, I enjoyed the variety of projects I was involved in at InteleCONNECT. Whether it was stepping out of my comfort zone and calling in my first trouble ticket, creating visual and written marketing content, or learning from the company and its clients at webinars and customer appreciation events, I wrap up my summer at InteleCONNECT with a wealth of new knowledge. This summer has granted me the opportunity to learn and grow in a professional context as well as learning more about myself and the kind of company I want to work for that will help push me to grow and succeed every day.
