We’ve asked some of our interns to share their experiences with you. The following post is from Abbey M., who interned with our Recruiting department last summer.

The business world can be overwhelming for an intern, but working at Reynolds and Reynolds certainly helped me learn a tip or two on how to succeed. Now, it’s my turn to share what I learned with you so you can be successful, too.

Coming into my role as an intern at Reynolds, I was concerned about how to cultivate a professional image and what work assignments I’d have. I’m sure I wasn’t the only intern to feel that way. Though we each had different experiences that led us to interning at Reynolds, we all shared being chosen for a potentially amazing experience and wanted to be as successful as we could be.

There were a few things I learned right away.

First, your attitude is something you have complete control over, and it’s beneficial to bring a good one to every situation. You will make mistakes. There will be problems; that’s a given in the workplace. But, what people will remember about you is less about the specific mistakes and more about how you handle yourself when faced with a challenge.

Second, your actions and appearance should convey your professionalism, no matter who’s around. You never know who you’ll meet in the office or who might receive a forward of one of your emails. Making a good impression on as many people as possible during your internship could have significant long-term benefits for your career.

Third, you also can control your tone. Sarcasm can come off as negative and be misinterpreted, especially in email. Speak honestly, but also make sure what you say is constructive and beneficial.

The benefits of an internship don’t stop with what I learned on my own. I received a lot of advice and gained a lot of knowledge from my co-workers at Reynolds. They really helped me grow professionally, so I’d like to share some of my favorite pieces of wisdom with you:

1. “Be a star where you are.” – Dave Bates, vice president of Software Support.
2. “Take credit when credit is due, but humility can take you to the next level.” Kasi Edwards, vice president of Marketing.
3. Speak up and ask questions.
4. Prepare to take notes wherever you go.
5. Be respectful at all times, you never know who might be around or listening.
6. When you think you’ve done enough, do even more.

Through my boss, my co-workers, and great speakers at internship events, I was able to better understand the corporate world and learn how to work in a professional environment. By sharing what I’ve learned from my internship, I hope you can have the foundation for success at yours. If you’d like to experience a Reynolds internship for yourself, I highly recommend checking out the Reynolds careers page.