Training Day

About 24 hours ago, I made the 30 minute journey from Athens to Carl House for my first day of intern training. Despite the fact that I wore my red high heels to class all day, I was beyond excited to go back to Carl House and receive a hands-on look at what I will be doing this summer.

As soon as I arrived, I was greeted by the newest member of the Sales team, Valeria de Benedictis. She brought me over to the office area of the house, where I was able to officially introduce myself as the summer intern to the Director of Sales, Faye Pressley. I could tell just from my first encounter with these two women that I was going to thoroughly enjoy working with them.

We wasted no time in getting started with the training, so Jessica (the spring semester intern) gave me a more detailed tour of the house than I received during my interview. She described how the interns were responsible for creating the aura of the house each day by turning on the lights and music properly. I felt like a VIP as I learned where all the "secret" closets were and walked through the extensive kitchen. Sad to admit, this internship does involve the "c" word. Yes, coffee. But the way I see it, learning a little hospitality never hurt anyone. And look where Anne Hathaway's job in The Devil Wears Prada landed her in the end. Case closed.

After Jessica's tour, we went back to the office area where Tracey, the other spring semester intern, showed me the office side of the internship and what my specific duties were on the phone and the computer. The interns share a desk, but at least we get a desk. The last thing I did before I left was help Tracey put together 5 sales packets for Faye, a taste of something I will be doing often this summer I presume!

I will be going back on Friday for a more hands-on training experience, since the way to actually learn is to do the tasks, make my mistakes, and learn how to do it differently the next time. This is something that I greatly admire about Carl House's internship program, the fact that they want to see you succeed and don't just throw you in on your first day and expect you to be perfect.

The overall idea about the internship I received from today's training session is that the interns carry the great responsibility of being the client's first impression of Carl House. We must always look professional and polished, be hospitable and knowledgeable, and be ready for whatever may come our way. I say bring it on.