So here I was, finally having an internship! I can now positively say that my first week was the hardest of all, as it not only it was the week when I had to learn everything, but also the week that I had to cover a desk for two of our busiest managers.
My supervisor got sick 3 days after I started working, and although I was theoretically trained to pick up the phone, conference lines and roll calls, I think every time the phone rang my heart stopped for a little. I always had a great relationship with phones…maybe because they were usually ringing for me!! Anyway, I don’t think I had ever been more scared of a phone in my life. As you can understand, that was my first time really covering a desk. There were quite a few issues in the beginning (people talking too fast, me and my accent, our stupid phone system etc.) but I managed to survive. And so did my bosses. And they actually thought I did a good job! Go figure..
My point, I guess, is that you have to try your best in any situation. I knew I wasn’t gonna be perfect as I was doing it for the first time, but I tried my best and I am grateful that my bosses acknowledged that. To this day, they won’t forget that I rose to the occasion and covered their desk for two days and many times after that. And I’m happy that they won’t. But I’m even more happy that this happened, because I got an experience that I would have never gotten otherwise. I am now ready to face all phones that will come my way!