My Internship and New Job

You’ve heard me talk about my job history, and if you were paying attention, you know I’m currently working for a marketing agency. Actually, if you were paying real close attention, you knew I was an intern. All of that to say it’s my new, real job.

My uncle, or my dad’s brother’s wife’s brother, works for this company and got me the gig despite my lack of experience. I had two impressive internships and a great job throughout college, but my choice to work as a nanny for over a year after school didn’t exactly say “serious career woman.”

They had me in the sales department, and I had a pitch to memorize that first week in sales.

For some reason, I’m not capable of memorizing things unless I say them out loud. One thing I have learned from my professional history is that it’s not very professional to talk to yourself in your office. So I would whisper to myself.

One afternoon I got so fired up about my “client” that I didn’t notice my coworker, a guy who seemed about my age, walk by my door. We hardly spoke at this point, so to make the situation a little less embarrassing I tried to be funny. “Just giving a whisper pitch to my invisible client.” Smile. Silence.

I could have said anything about the pitch, but instead I decided to make a stupid joke to a guy that I barely knew. I would say that’s not usually my style, but I’m afraid it might be.

I eventually memorized the pitch, but I stumbled my way through dozens of presentations before I was any good.

One afternoon I went to a prospect’s office with my supervisor. We were there to sell our services, but first we build rapport. The prospect wanted to show us their garden, so we went outside. Business attire and all, we walked onto a deck and began looking at this man’s work of art. There I was, young and acting as professional as possible so that this prospect would take me seriously (and write me a big check).

I’ve gotten the heel of my shoe stuck before, but the timing has never been so textbook.

I fell behind the group only to discover it was basically hammered into this deck-crack from hell. I quickly removed my foot from the shoe and bent over to pull it out. I frantically yanked at the shoe until it was freed. After I placed it back on my foot and caught up to the group, I anticipated some kind of scowl from my supervisor for the less-than-elegant situation. Praise the heavens it went unseen. The prospect became a client about an hour later, and my job was done.

Although I never pictured myself in the corporate world, I love the growth that I’m experiencing. There’s something about a new job and living in adult world that makes you feel grown.