James White Internship Reflection, Term Paper Example

Internship Expectations

The following are some of the duties; I expected to undertake as part of my logistics internship program: receiving or dispatching various goods to the warehouse, overseeing the proper and secure packaging of the received products, cross-checking the numbers on the transmitted or received packages, learning on how to handle the various tasks from the senior technicians, applying the theoretical knowledge obtained in the classroom into the field, bidding for various logistic assignments, assigning the drivers their multiple consignments according to the documentation and destinations, preparing logistic reports in the firm, maintaining the transportation management software, cross-checking other workers’ stories, coordinating with the other workers and drivers on the receipt and dispatchment of the consignments, coordinating with colleagues in other departments of the firm, and carrying out different tasks.

I had a limited span of control over various aspects of the firm’s activities, given that I was in the learning process on its operations. My main area of service involves using the transport management software to bid and assign the driver their various consignments. In essence, I have considerable control over the drivers. However, I have not been able to carry out all the identified activities. My supervisor has so far, assigned me the following duties: filling out the firm’s driver accident report, assisting the transport manager in distributing checks to the truck drivers, helping the team in assigning the drivers various consignments, practicing on how to use the transportation management software, and learning on the proper way to answer the telephone for the company orders. Other activities I undertook involved scheduling the truck maintenance programs for all the trucks and practicing on building loads and billing information exercise.

We continue to work in a team consisting of various specialists with our manager, Kyle acting as the team leader and the supervisor. Mr Kyle assigns every member of the team their various duties. He ensures that as an intern, I carry out all the activities within my area of operation. The events in a logistic firm are interrelated as one event leads to another. The supervisor makes working in a team setting more enjoyable because every member of the team understands their respective roles. My supervisor is also a respectful and charismatic leader, and it is commensurate with the kind of respect he commands from his junior staff members. Mr Kyle operates in an open-door principle, whereby every person can approach him any issue. I have visited him in the office on several occasions, and we discussed a lot of questions, including my challenges as an intern. During one of these visits, the supervisor told me that he always aims to reduce the stress level among his team members to the minimum level. Mr Kyle wishes to see his team members enjoying working for the organization. However, he was quick to point out that other factors beyond his control may make the real challenging to achieve.

Throughout the internship, I have felt the need to make consultations and inquiries on challenging and unfamiliar issues. Logistics involves various activities, thus requires different personnel with varied skills and expertise to handle. For instance, multiple experts are undertaking the roles to ensure the firm meets its obligations to various customers. For example, there are accountants, clerks, drivers and plant operators whose functions depend on one another. Whenever I face a dilemma when executing various activities, I tend to consult with my colleagues in the same department before seeking the supervisor’s opinion. The colleagues usually provide solutions to most of my queries. However, when I felt unconvinced with the team member’s response, I sought for the supervisor’s position on the activity. I always make these inquiries using either telephone calls or physical meetings. As a team member, I usually carry out my assignments diligently and on time to complement the input of other team members. And, together, we continue to meet our daily targets.

My expectations before I joined this organization for the internship program included receiving or dispatching various goods to the warehouse, overseeing the proper and secure packaging of the received products, and cross-checking the numbers on the sent or received packages. Other activities involve learning on how to handle the various tasks from the senior technicians, applying the theoretical knowledge obtained in the classroom into the field, bidding for various logistic assignments. However, I have since realized that I need to improve my skills in transport management software use and bidding process for transport tenders. These two skills will lead to the success of this internship program.

Chronology of Experience

In the first week of the internship program, I experienced culture shock because of the new environment I found myself. Everything was different from the system to the people that made the system run. For the first time in my life, I interact with people from different cultural backgrounds. Again, I had to use different technological devices to carry out various assignments. Despite the unfamiliarity, I adjusted to the environment as first as I could and carried out the following activities: filled out a driver accident report, helped my manager with the distribution of checks to the truck drivers, provided assistance to the team members in assigning loads for drivers, learned the basics of the transportation management software, and determined the proper way to answer the telephone for the company.

In the second week, I had partially adjusted to the workplace requirements. My body slowly but steadily adapted to the work conditions while mentality had positively aligned to the situation. The effective leadership by the manager, Mr Kyle facilitated the smooth transmission from the learning into a working environment. As opposed to the first week when I had to seek clarification from colleagues and supervisor from time to time when executing various activities, in the second week, I worked independently. I familiarized myself more with the transportation management software, conducted a conference call with my manager where we discussed weekly stats, goals and opportunities for the terminal, and learned how to talk on the telephone to the firm’s customers comfortably. I also assisted the other team members in preparing the following week’s driver schedule and assigned the loads the designed drivers.

During the third week of the internship program, I fully adjusted to the work environment, and my performance improved exponentially. However, it was also one of the weeks that proved challenging to me as a newcomer because of the firm received business from one of its biggest customers, Ford. The event led to a slight change in my roles. But I managed to execute the following tasks. I scheduled all the available trucks for maintenance using the transport management software. I also helped with the driver scheduling and load assignment for the next week. Again, I made and received several telephone calls with the customers and the drivers thus becoming more comfortable on calls.

The fourth week was a little bit challenging because my supervisor assigned me more duties. Most of the firm’s customers began allocating more consignments for transportation. The increased volume of goods also facilitated my learning curve as I could complete as many assignments as possible. My work rate also increased as I handled more loads that the previous three weeks combined. Apart from having a better understanding of the transport management system operations, I also began to learn the firm’s new accounts and their modes of services.

By the fifth week of the internship, I had mastered some of the repetitive activities in the workplace. I found myself carry out my assignments with much ease as opposed to the previous weeks. When helping my team members with their various duties, I learned the tactics and rules for placing bids and booking loads. I also practiced more in billing for the loads.

During the sixth week of the internship program, I felt like any other member of the team. I even forgot that I was an intern and undertook my duties as a firm’s employee. The rest of the team members treated me as one of their own and accorded. However, I could still make a few mistakes when executing various assignments. I practiced more on bidding loads and billing information, and I also discovered the dos and don’ts of the load board while becoming more confident in my role as an intern.

Seven weeks into the internship program, I continued with the same routine as the previous week. I continued to place bids on loads and recorded the billing information while observing the dos and don’ts of the load board. My workmates and the supervisor began to appreciate my input as they allocated more duties. I became more confident, thus avoiding much of the errors commuted in the previous weeks.

During the eighth week of the internship, I offered bids and books several loads with ease. I developed a good rapport with the firm’s drivers thus gaining their trusts. Other activities carried out during the week included doing all the customs paperwork involved in the various logistic exercises undertaken during the week.

The ninth week of the internship was shorter compared to the previous weeks due to a holiday. However, I placed more bids and booked for the loading as some shippers placed last minute orders. I also updated my activities in the transport management software system.

During this eleventh week, my learning curve seems somehow stagnated. Every assignment, I undertake, seems repetitive. However, I am not experiencing boredom because every booking and bidding process is unique. And, most of the consignments are different expectations for a few repeat bookings by the regular customers. I continue to sharpen my skills in operating the transport management system and applying some of the relevant theoretical knowledge gathered in the classroom environment.

Relevant Skills Gathered

Throughout the internship program, I received and allocated various goods to the warehouse, oversaw the proper and secure packaging of the received products, cross-checked the numbers on the dispatched or received packages, and handled the various tasks from the senior technicians. I also placed bids for various logistic assignments, assigning the drivers their different consignments according to the documentation and destinations, prepared logistic reports in the firm, maintained the transportation management software and cross-checked other workers’ reports. Other roles included the coordination with the other workers and drivers on the receipt and dispatchment of the consignments and colleagues in other departments of the firm. These experiences also taught me various skills that are not only useful to my future career in the field of finance but also any work environment involving teamwork.

I have developed the following soft skills during the internship program; negotiation skills, oral presentation skills, work ethic, team player attitude, active listening, emotional intelligence, adaptability and growth mindset. Some of the technical skills, I continue to gather from this internship program include software proficiency and technical writing. Besides, I have also developed operational capabilities such as efficient execution of activities, effective communication and analytical thinking.

During the first few weeks into the internship program, I filled out the driver accident report, helped my manager with the distribution of checks to the truck drivers, provided assistance to the team members in assigning loads for drivers. These activities improved my technical writing skills, oral presentation skills, work ethic, team player attitude, and active listening skills. By learning the tactics and rules for placing bids and booking for loads, I sharpened my negotiation skills. I also more in billing for the loads in the subsequent weeks following the first experience in the second week. The activity improved my operational capabilities in the execution of events. I also developed my technical writing skill by preparing logistic reports in the firm. My soft skills also improved as I assigned the drivers their various consignments according to the documentation and destinations.

Throughout the project, I have dedicated considerable time in understanding the operations of the firm’s transport management software. The exercise has significantly improved my software proficiency skills. The world is quickly changing, and various sectors, including logistics, continue to embrace the use of technology. A worker in the logistic work environment without a good command on the transport management software operations is slowly becoming obsolete. The activities such as cross-checking other workers’ reports, coordinating with the other workers and drivers on the receipt and dispatchment of the consignments, and coordinating with colleagues in other departments of the firm have improved both my operational and soft skills. For instance, I have developed negotiation skills, oral presentation skills, work ethic, team player attitude, active listening, emotional intelligence, adaptability and growth mindset by coordinating with the other workers and drivers on the receipt and dispatchment of the consignments and coordinating with colleagues in other departments of the firm. These activities also equipped me with operational skills such as efficient execution of operations, effective communication and analytical thinking.

However, I believe I can improve on my innovative skills. Throughout this internship period, I have not devised any means that can increase the efficiency of the firm’s operations. For instance, the firm can introduce the use of software applications to facilitate its transactions. I believe I can research to determine the most appropriate software application and suggest it to the manager. Again, I have realized that the firm can save both time and money by adopting the use of social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Twitter to communicate among the employees other than the expensive telephone.

I admire my manager, Mr Kyle, so much that I would want to assume the management position in my career. His management style of open-door policy makes it easier to understand the issues affecting the employees and address them as quickly as possible, thus minimizing the stress levels among the workers. I also think that career development is a process that requires patience. My desire to learn everything taking place in the firm is a step towards developing into a capable manager and a leader in the future.

Influence of Internship Program in Career Path, Goals and Expectations

So far, I can attest that I am on the verge of achieving all the goals and objectives I had set for this internship program. Every day is a learning opportunity which I am willing to embrace throughout my stay in this organization. As time progresses, I continue to practice the skills I have acquired along the way. It is interesting to the observer that there are some members of my team in the organization who have spent at least 20 years working here and are still learning new things about the business. Especially in the ever-changing tech-savvy world of today. I also continue to receive words of encouragement from my supervisor to maintain my excellent work ethics while remaining open-minded about new ideas and change.

The experience has encouraged me to advance my career path in logistic management as it presents growth and development opportunities. I expected to deal with most of the firm’s financial issues, but I ended up carrying out various activities. The internship program presented me with the opportunity to achieve most of my workplace experience goals such as developing teamwork mentality and application of the theoretical knowledge in logistics and finance in a real situation.

I would, therefore, like to continue with the program until it is complete. After that, I would like to secure an employment opportunity in the organization at the entry-level to exercise some of these skills. It will present a fulfilling experience, as I will be able to earn a living doing something that I love. In case I secure the employment opportunity, I will further my education in the field of finance and seek promotion in the finance department.

In the next five to ten years, I would have risen to the top management position of the firm. The job would allow me to propose and execute operations changes that do not only improve the firm’s efficiency but reduce its operation cost. The changes will also aim at eliminating delay in delivery of consignments from one location to another. Some of these changes will include proficient and competent use of technology in the transport management sector. I would like to practice the same leadership style as Mr Kyle and remain open-minded to the dynamic changes.