Noblis Intern Program

I know, I know.....it's been FOREVER since I posted a blog! So sorry. So, to my fans out there.....Erica......Here is a new one for your reading enjoyment (or boredom, depends I guess)

Noblis (for those of you who don't know, that's where I work) started a pretty extensive internship program last summer. Apparently we've always had interns working here but last year was the first really organized program. To give some background on our company, visit our website. I have been working here for almost 10 years and it appears I will be a lifer. It truly is a wonderful place to work (overall). But I digress.......This year I received an email that was sent to a lot of the younger professionals here at Noblis asking for volunteers to mentor the interns this summer. I jumped at the opportunity because I knew it could be a lot of fun.

I was selected to be a mentor and am SO happy I did! I am getting so much out of this program. I know it's really meant for the interns, but I can't imagine any of the other mentors would say they aren't getting anything from it. There are 18 interns participating in the program this year. 3 of them are high school students and the rest are in various stages of their college degrees. I was assigned to Genny. She just finished her junior year at William and Mary studying International Business, Process Management and Consulting. She is interning in our Contracts department. I work in Procurement which is in the same division as Contracts, but it's very different work. So, I can't really help her with the work she is doing, but my job as a mentor is to ensure she is engaged in the work all summer long. The program started on the 9th and I fear she may already be losing interest. (Don't tell anyone, but you couldn't pay me enough to work in Contracts....well, maybe you can, but that's not the point)

At any rate, for the first few weeks of the program there are 2 intern lunch functions a week which I get to attend (free food!). These sessions are very interesting. This is where I am really getting a lot out of the program. So far we have talked about finding our strengths and dealing with our weaknesses and strategic thinking, planning and implementation. These are all things I am very interested in learning about, so this is working for me!

A few things I am learning as the program moves along:
1) The interns are so young
2) I feel very old
3) The interns are all SO polite
4) The interns like to call people Mr. and Mrs.
5) The interns are VERY eager to learn
6) A lot of the interns are not shy
7) A lot of the interns are shy
8) A lot of the interns have NEVER worked in an office before and don't know how to use fax machines
9) A lot of the interns have NEVER worked with people, only computers, so they have no communication skills (one thing I've already seen improvements in)

All in all, this has been a wonderful experience and it is only week 2! Next Tuesday we get to go to a Nationals game. We are taking a bus to the stadium, sitting in great seats, eating free food, and watching the game! What a great time!!!
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