I was an intern under Human Resources – Compensation and Benefits Department at Okada Manila. On my first day of internship, I was extremely excited yet nervous because it’s my first time working on a new environment. At the very beginning of work, I promised myself that I will strive to do my best so that I can leave a good and long lasting impression. All I did was to motivate myself everyday during work. It wasn’t difficult to adjust. I got the hang of it eventually. Aside from the fact that the people I met were welcoming and friendly.

We, interns, had an orientation on my first week. They discussed how and when the company Okada Manila started. They also discussed each department and how employees can benefit through it. It’s nice that Okada offers a lot of benefits with their employees. It’s quite rare that companies have plenty of incentives. We also experienced TEA session. First one was about hygiene and grooming. The second one was about phone etiquette. We also had our company tour. We had the opportunity to look around at their amazing property. We explored the place from back of the house to front office.

I was assigned mainly on clerical duties. I was the one who updated the employees’ information. I sorted bundle and bundles of papers. I photocopied and printed. Other than that, I was exposed to assisting the employees with their Health Certificate, Police Clearance, Social Hygiene Certificate and GEL  (Gaming Employment License). I did a lot of work while I was there. I also had the experience being the receptionist.

It can get pretty busy everyday with the loaded work given but despite all that, the experience is all that matters. You cannot please everyone. There are people in this world that are simply difficult. I had an encounter with a few employees who are inconsiderate and unprofessional. They were arrogant and very rude to us. You can’t avoid happenings like that because it will happen just one glimpse.

There were times I was nervous to ask too many questions because I didn’t want to admit that I didn’t understand or that I needed extra help with something. Luckily, I got over that fear quickly because asking questions is the only way to learn what you are really supposed to be doing. Taking down notes was the best way to follow when I was being instructed. I can easily adapt to what I was doing.

We were given ample time to prepare for our Culminating Activity and yet some interns weren’t cooperating. We divided the tasks so that it would be easier for us to make some progress. I was assigned with the venue and decorations together with my team. So we had to buy supplies that will be used for the activity. We had a fun and exciting trip going to Binondo, Manila. We may had our ups and downs while preparing for the Culminating, but everything turned out perfect and some of our leads even complemented the outcome of the designs we came up with. I also won two awards: a Moral Compass Award and an Excellence Award. All of my hard work and stressful days really paid off.

Good thing the subjects I took before interning prepared me even though it was just a brief knowledge. My internship experience at Okada was beyond what I expected. I developed skills such as multitasking, communicating, learning to deal with diversity, and dealing with deadlines.  Internships are also a great way to network with people in the industry. It can also help you build relationship within the workplace. I also learned that time is precious while working. It is important that you need to value and manage your time well because some days you need to hustle in order for your work to be done by the end of the day. There were stressful days that I had to deal with.

I had the best supervisor who mentored me really well. I learned a lot from her advices to her tips on how to survive on a working environment. I wasn’t hesitant to ask questions because she was so approachable and nice. She taught me certain techniques on how to do work faster and convenient on Excel. Aside from my supervisor, the people from my department were just as approachable as her.

As I dive into the “real world” having this internship experience was good for me to start out as a professional. I also learned the responsibility of being on time and having that professional character. I am scared that I will be soon managing our family business. I know handling a business can be a bit stressful at times. Not to mention one person needs a good experience for it to operate successfully. I look forward to learning and expanding my horizon on things just like any other ordinary person would do. Having an internship only gives me more of a competitive edge but also a good amount of experience and knowledge working on a big industry.

Although my course wasn’t related with the position I had as an Intern, I still managed to gain knowledge all throughout the internship. Being able to utilize all the skills that I was taught at Okada in a real-life situation is the best learning experience in the world.

Over the past few months I feel like I have gained so much experience and real world wisdom.  I feel that I now have a good idea what it is like to run my own business and what it is like to work closely with the public on a day-to-day basis. I will miss working at Okada. Particularly the non-stop food trips during break time to busiest days at work. The people on the workplace makes the internship experience very special because I got to meet different kind of personalities. I will cherish the remaining few days I have working in the company. I must say that my whole experience was surprisingly fun and great. In fact, I had a good time working with my fellow interns and workmates. I am beyond grateful for this experience in a somewhat sheltered environment. And I am now ready to conquer the business world.

Allow yourself to be a beginner, no one starts off being excellent. — Wendy Flynn