This is posted as part of our Summer Intern Blog Series. Be sure to come back each week as interns from around the country share their summer experiences with us!
By: Kelly Cartner, @kellyfavre4
This week’s blog ties in well with my last entry on the importance getting out of your comfort zone. In order to get out of that comfort zone, you have to be willing to just say yes. When you’re an intern or in an entry-level position, the power of saying yes can carry you to great lengths.
A few years ago, I was one intern among 15 others for a minor league baseball team and the last thing I wanted to do was blend in with the rest of them. My plan was to stand out. I did this by saying yes to everything, especially the tasks that no one was willing to do. I was the mascot on some of the hottest days, I came in early and stayed late when asked and learned to never say no. Later on in the season, I was offered a full-time job with the team’s ownership group.
“I am not only saying yes to a job or an assignment, I am saying yes to working hard, new experiences and showing those around me that I am willing to do whatever it takes to get my foot in the door.”
— Kelly Cartner
After seeing the benefits, I never stopped saying yes. By saying yes, you are showing that you are willing to work hard, be adaptable and are up for anything. This summer, I have been busy with brand new tasks because I have learned to say yes, regardless of how tedious or mundane the task is. I don’t look at is as being asked to things no one else wants to do, I look at is at an opportunity to show that I am willing to do whatever is asked of me and that I can make anything a learning experience.
For one of my internships this summer, my supervisor gave me a long list of items to accomplish before the academic school year begins, such as organizing student athlete meal plans, drafting a brand new tennis membership agreement and even redesigning job descriptions for the new federal labor laws. Instead of picking and choosing what I wanted to do, I said yes to everything and I am currently working on the entire list with, “enthusiasm unknown to mankind.”
The same went for when I said yes while volunteering at Copa America and they asked me to stand at the front of the stadium in the blistering sun. The same went for when I was offered the media relations position with the USTA this summer. I am not only saying yes to a job or an assignment, I am saying yes to working hard, new experiences and showing those around me that I am willing to do whatever it takes to get my foot in the door.
As I mentioned in last week’s post, getting out of your comfort zone is a major key and saying yes to projects and assignments is a great way to help get you out of your comfort zone. You learn new skills, network and can truly prove yourself to those around you that you were born to work in this industry by just saying yes.
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