Essay Sample on Internship: Problem/Opportunity Discovery

Looking for an internship is significant to an individual because it results in gaining of the valuable work experience and this is important when it comes to the job since one will not be frustrated as he or she executes the assignments in the workplace. However, an internship can become extremely frustrating especially when one is undertaking the internship without being paid. During the internship, one can face a myriad of challenges or can see opportunities which are important and that might add value to the company and the person undertaking the internship. During the internship period at the Web Traffic Partners group there were some challenges faced and some opportunities identified which if implemented, they might add value to the company.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The first problem which was identified was the lack of information management technique. The problem was relating to the information management, planning, and control in a business environment. At the Web Traffic Partners group, the information management and planning employs sophisticated technology for recording and managing such information. Webb Traffic believes that well-coordinated and proper managed data provides significant avenues for serving the customers in a proper manner. The required knowledge for managing such information is advanced, and one is required to possess them for ensuring that quality data has been recorded and kept for future use (Eyler, 1993). It was difficult to manage this data because there was nobody who was willing to assist. It is, therefore, important for the company to come up with easy ways to use information management and planning technique. Providing assistance to the interns is of great importance because they will gain valuable information regarding the administration of the information within the company. When the interns have such valuable knowledge, then they can be in a position to assist the business to manage the information well during the internship period.

Another problem that was identified during the internship was not enough work problem. Even though the Web Traffic Partners group had many tasks to be undertaken, the intern was not provided with enough work that could keep them busy throughout the internship period. The problem related to the organization processes and processes. The Web Traffic Partners group had an operational plan where the interns are not allowed to undertake much work during the internship period in the company. Thus, it was difficult to gain valuable work experience. The aim of the course was to gain valuable information which is important for future work. However, during the internship, much of the time was wasted because there was not enough work to be undertaken. The company gave priority to its staff as they were experienced enough and were believed to provide services, unlike the interns who were not provided much work on the ground that they were less experience and might not be in the position to provide quality services. Being idle during the internship is not good and might make one lose focus during the internship as he or she might not be able to gain the required knowledge (Eyler, 1993). It is, therefore, important for the management to allocate enough work to those in the internship program.

Furthermore, the other problem that was identified during the internship period was the inadequate direction from the management. At the Web Traffic Partners group, every staff was busy with his or her work that there was no direction to the interns. The supervisor from the company could just give out assignments during the morning and was expected to undertake it using own direction (Viswanathan et.al, 2004). Therefore, it was easy to make mistakes. The procedure for executing particular task was not provided at the beginning of the assignment. The supervisor and the entire management forgot that an individual in his or her internship is new in the industry and requires the supervisor to provide him or her with the steps that are required for executing the particular assignment. Sometimes, the supervisor could provide directions which were entirely unclear and at the end of the assignment, the products could not rhyme with what the goals and expectation of the company. Furthermore, because of the lack of direction from the relevant supervisor and the relevant authorities, the internship at times could be frustrating and stressful to compete it. Even though sometimes, there were some hints on how to perform a particular assignment, the steps were not clear and could result in poor services. When undertaking an internship, it is important to reach for help especially when executing a new assignment that has not been assigned in the past (Collier, 1999). As an expert, the supervisor should understand the person on internship lack relevant knowledge for successful undertaking a particular assignment and thus should be in guided by the supervisor. The supervisor should always be there to answer the questions from the person undertaking the internship. However, it is not good for the intern to ask questions every now and but should be in the position to come up with ways of ensuring the assignment is successfully executed.

The other problem that was identified regarded the management, the structure and the leadership roles in the organization were the lack of feedback. During the internship at the Web Traffic Partners group, it was difficult to receive feedback from the management. At times, a question could be posted to the management through formal writing, but it could take a long time before receiving the feedback. In some instances, when a question is a posted to the management, the management could ignore it, and this made the internship to be more stressful in one way or another (Trevisan, 2004). The supervisor was also reluctant to provide feedback to the questions which were posted. For example, there was a time when the customers wanted to see the manager, and thus, the protocols followed before an outsider to see the manager was mandatory. When the question was posted to the regarding the protocol, the supervisor could not provide feedback regarding such question even after waiting for a long time. Thus, the problem negatively affected the customer relationship, and this eventually affected the companys reputation (Kaslow & Rice, 2005). Asking for feedback is important for ensuring smooth undertaking of the assignment during the internship program. Feedback is significant because it allows the individual undertaking the internship to improve during and after the internship. Meeting with the supervisor allows for consultations to be conducted between the supervisor and the person engaging in the internship. Many of the negative scenarios that might be encountered during the internship can be avoided if the feedback from the supervisor and management is provided to the person in the internship (Kaslow & Rice, 2005). It is, therefore, of great importance for the Web Traffic Partners group to ensure that prompt feedback is provided to those who are undertaking the internship and this will allow them to improve and execute their tasks smoothly. Proper communication channels need to be set in place by the Web Traffic Partners group, and this will, in turn, facilitate the feedbacks among the employees.

Even though the period of internship had challenges, there were also opportunities that were identified that could be valuable to the company and could enable it to improve its products and services. The most important opportunity that was identified regards the customer relations. The majority of the customers who visited the company were eager to be served within the shortest time possible. However, the majority of the employees in the Web Traffic Partners group followed outdated protocols which delayed the services to the customers. It is of great importance for the company to provide the necessary services to the customers within the shortest time possible because it improves the relationship between the company and the customers (Collier, 1999). The growth of the organization is determined by the relationship between the customers and the company. When it has a proper relationship with the customers, customer loyalty is improved and in turn, increase the organization's market share.

Another opportunity that was identified during the internship was regarded the partnership issues. It was found out that the Web Traffic has not partnered with other firms and thus the expansion of the company was skewed. Partnering with other organizations is important because it ensures the provision of quality products and services to the customers. Partnering with other organizations is also of great significance to the Web Traffic Partners group because it improves the company's synergy (Robertss et.al, 2001). The products will be developed in such a way that they provide the best to the customers. Sharing of ideas between the Web Traffic Partners group and the partnering organization will benefit the clients and drive the companys economic progress. The internship was very valuable as the opportunities identified could improve the Web Traffic Partners groups process and operations and thus improve the quality of the services offered to the customers.

References

Collier, S. T. (1999). Characteristics of reflective thought during the student teaching experience. Journal of Teacher Education, 50(3), 173-173.

Eyler, J. (1993). Comparing the Impact of Two Internship Experiences on Student Learning. Journal of Cooperative Education, 29(1), 41-52.

Kaslow, N. J., & Rice, D. G. (2005). Developmental stresses of psychology internship training: What training staff can do to help? Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 16(2), 253.

Roberts, W. B., Morotti, A. A., Herrick, C., & Tilbury, R. (2001). Site supervisors of professional school counseling interns: Suggested guidelines. Professional School Counseling, 4(3), 208.

Trevisan, M. S. (2004). Practical training in evaluation: A review of the literature. American Journal of Evaluation, 25(2), 255-272.

Viswanathan, M., Ammerman, A., Eng, E., Garlehner, G., Lohr, K. N., Griffith, D., & Webb, L. (2004). Communitybased participatory research: Assessing the evidence: Summary.