Our interns are three weeks into their internship and are doing a fantastic job in their departments.
Although we would love to have these 19 talented interns in the office, they have adapted really well to working from home. Our interns still have the opportunity to connect with company’s leaders, participate in professional development, learn about our culture and engage in community service. Click here to read more on what they will be doing during their internship.
We wanted to get their thoughts on working from home, how they set up their workspace and advice for others who might be in the same situation looking for tips. Here is what they had to say:
What is it like to do your internship from home?
“Working from home has its own challenges, but it has been really fruitful so far. Video chatting helps me to experience what office culture would be like and everyone on the Pilot team has made my integration into the company very smooth.” -Rachel W., Construction & Design
“Doing my internship from home has been better than I expected! I was afraid I would feel out of touch from other interns, leaders, and supervisors. But, I have felt connected and included since day one. Doing my internship from has allowed me to really focus on my responsibilities and projects for the internship. It has allowed me make sure I am being intentional with my work and reaching out to others. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed it so far and am grateful to still have the opportunity even though it is online.” -Leabeth F., Merchandising
“Working from home is definitely a different experience than working from an office, but Pilot has done a fantastic job at getting the interns as involved as possible! While we aren’t able to attend workshops and meetings in person, we still get to see one-another virtually. Using all of the communication tools we have is definitely necessary, and now that we’re 3 weeks into the internship program, I know my teammates on a personal level even though I haven’t met most of them in person!” -Tucker M., Enterprise Applications
“Doing an internship from home has been a learning experience for me in more ways than one. Not only am I gaining so much knowledge every day about my department and the job, but I am also learning how to stay focused while working 8 hours from my bedroom in my college apartment. This internship has taught me so much already that will be incredibly useful to me in accounting. However, what I wasn’t expecting, is to form a new discipline for myself on staying engaged in my work while being presented with distractions that I would not normally see in an office environment. Also, I was very nervous about how I would know what to do or how to ask questions about my projects given to me. I quickly realized that there wasn’t a need to be concerned about this because I feel everyone has taken the time to work with me and offer their help through the technology we have. I am sure all the interns, including myself, are learning to adapt to a work from home environment the best way we can, with the help of the awesome leaders we have!” -Shelby K., Internal Audit
How have you set up your work space at home to fit your needs?
“I try to keep my home office as organized and neat as possible! With the addition of my new work computer and Pilot merch, it’s been a perfect set up to accomplish the work I need to get done.” -Ashley B., Corporate Accounting
“I have set up my work space with the pilot equipment in a station separate from my school work station so I can keep everything separated in my time and mind. I have a blanket for when the room is cold and my new Pilot water bottle with me at all times and pictures of my family. Also my sign, “Be bold brave and brilliant” is one I put up when I started on this path to a career change and I think it’s perfect for while I’m working in my first experience in this new field of data analytics.” -Julie P., Business Intelligence
“I have all my work and school items set up on my desk so that I have easy access to anything I might need during the day. The only real difference between this setup and my normal setup is where my laptop stays during the day. I always keep my planner and plenty of pens, notebooks, and sticky notes at my desk!” -Kayla A., Operations Support
What tips do you have for fellow interns working from home that might be useful to them?
“Stay positive during these crazy times!” -Ashley B., Supply & Distribution
“Always take advantage of the good in every situation. That’s why we always have to look for the positive things, even in situations that are less than ideal. In our specific case I can list a few benefits from working from home: the extra time we gained to me more productive; spending more time with family and loved ones, healthier meals at home, etc.” -Bruno G., Operations Support
“Some tips I would say is to keep yourself organized as much as possible, that way you have everything you need in front of you ready to go. Another tip I would say is to focus on communication. Communication is key! Since there is a lack of face to face contact, it is even more crucial now than ever to clarify and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to build relationships with your peers as well!” -Ashley B., Corporate Accounting
“Two of the biggest tips I would give would be to realize the power of a phone call and to ask for feedback! Sometime, hours of back and forth messaging on Teams could have been replaced with a quick 15 minute phone call. Plus, you get to speak with somebody and have a nice conversation! Lastly, we’re here to grow and learn, so feedback is crucial. One of the biggest benefits we can get from this experience is the real-life workplace experience, and good feedback is necessary to enable us to grow!” -Tucker M., Enterprise Applications
“I would just encourage everyone to make the most of the experience! I know it isn’t what you anticipated it to look like or wanted it to look like, but it is still an awesome experience to get to know Pilot and some others in the same season of life you’re in. Speak up on WebEx calls even if no one else is. Ask questions, even if you think they might be silly. Seek more opportunities to learn by asking your supervisor for more work or different opportunities. Just because you aren’t working together in the office every day doesn’t mean you can’t get the same experience. I am the biggest people person and crave social interaction, but I will be the first to tell you I don’t feel as though any bit of this experience is drastically different than what it would be like in the office.” -Sarah W., Talent Acquisition
“I would say that a big fear for me when I found out that the internship was going to be online was that I was afraid my supervisors and the teams/people I was going to be working with wouldn’t be able to see my personality or how hard I work. But, it has been shown to me that through this internship being online, it shows employers and a company how well we can adapt to work at home and working with all this technology that we are to make sure that we still stay connected as a team. This pushes me to be more vocal and expressive about things and to make sure that I communicate my feelings and thoughts to others. I think this also pushes me to have more communication with people.” -Erin C., Merchandising
Best of luck to our interns as they continue to work from home during their internship for the next few weeks!
