Work Creeper

I must admit, I've never encountered a creeper in the workplace until now. I've known them to exist, but luckily never had to deal with one. You know, the person that makes you feel extremely awkward, that's undressing you with their eyes, making random conversation with you, being overly friendly to you opposed to other employees... Yea, that person!

Well, at my job we have a big finance team that consists of several small department, like payroll, accounts receivable, billing, etc. The departments obviously sit together, and the company has recently gone through some changes- merging with another company, integrating the two companies, bringing in new employees from the other location... Blah, blah, blah. Well, a lot of individuals on the finance team at the other location were offered positions within the new company and turned them down, with the exception of one person. THE CREEPER!

I got a weird vibe from him the very first time we had a finance team meeting, and he's been weird ever since. Let's start with the first encounter... "The waist side hello"- you know, when someone tries to get your attention by gently touching your waist. Usually done by someone that you know, or are close with. That wasn't the case. Instance #2... "The shoe compliment"- yes, he complimented me on my shoes and instantly my brain tracked back to that moment in Legally Blonde when Elle tapped her foot at the gay witness at the water fountain. Same thing went off in my head, until I overheard him talking about his children. Instance #3... "The i-don't-have-anything-else-to-say conversation" so he'll always make a point to ask me about my weekend. On top of that he pulled the race card on more than one occassion...

In so many words, he tells me that we're almost matching one day (when clearly, we weren't even remotely matching). Then he starts up this weird convo about how he's wearing the colors of his "homeland" (New Orleans clearly is a hometown, not a homeland!). He goes on to say that he shuld have been black; black men have it easier when it comes to going bald. If you didn't know by now, GAB is black, African American. Why would you make a comment like that?

Icing on the cake, this douche lord puts his arm up next to mine, starts talking about how he was upset that it rained this past weekend cause he couldn't lay in the sun... Followed by "I have some competition. I'm almost there", in reference to my complexion! OMG!

So now I'm to the point when I want to report him, at least to my manager. I'm sure she'll direct me to HR, but how- being the only black person on the finance team- can you "anonymously" file a complaint? Of course their going to use whatever I tell them in their case against him, and it will no longer be "anonymous"...

GAB needs major help! Anyone ever had to deal with this? How did you handle it?
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Can We Get a Manicurist Over Here???

I don't know what it is about some men and their lack of awareness concerning their appearance. Allow me to elaborate... nice slacks, dusty folded up tennis shoes, and a wrinkled polo shirt. Were you going for a casual look or just an "I don't give 2 shits" look???

But my absolute pet peeve is a man in the office with dirty nails. Key words: in the office! We don't work at a construction site, or as carpenters or landscapers. We use calculators, pencils, paper and computers all day. The dirtiest one can get in an office setting is accidentally pooping their pants, or not washing their hands after a finger-looking-good lunch! So I don't understand how a guy can have such filthy nails!

Are you collecting ear wax? Digging for gold in your nose? A chronic butt scratcher? Really, what is the cause of such evil in the workplace? Another peeve of mine is people who run out of the bathroom after only RINSING their hands.

We have got to be more mindful of the things that we do regarding our personal hygiene. It's takes a lot to get a rise out of me, and those two things definitely put me on edge.

There's Nothing Like a Challenge

It's hard being at the bottom of the totem pole... bottom of the barrel... bottom of the food chain... being the intern, that is. Being the ONLY intern. But I guess I'm better off than the temps since I'm actually on the company's payroll.

Speaking of temps, there's one in our department who has been there since January. He's kinda like the permanent temporary employee, so to speak. Bad thing is, well bad for him... good for me- I'm taking all of his work, which means that sooner than later he'll be getting the boot. On top of that, there were 5 positions open in our department; 4 of which have been filled by newcomers. The 5th by me... so, where does that leave permanent temp??? Hitchhiking on the side of Corporate Dr. It's definitely an awkward feeling knowing that everything that you are learning once belonged to someone else, and that person is slowing watching their responsibilities and duties being taken away from them. Soon, they'll be taking his laptop and stapler away from him. Poor permanent temp :-(

Well, I get an invite to a meeting about 3 days ago informing me that I'd be taking over some account reconciliations, and will be responsible for them this month forward. There are 6 accounts to be exact; I guess they believe in my capabilities enough to give me such a significant amount of work to do. So I get into the meeting today, and it played out just as I thought it would. Everything was basically laid out for me.. the basic format, what to look for, the file paths, etc. I won't lie, I was excited. This is the first real accounting duty that I've had. The past 4 weeks that I've been at MC, it's basically been file maintenance, scanning, disposing of and transferring fixed assets. But now, I have a true responsibility each month- my 6 reconciliations are kinda like my babies. I have to look over them and maintain what happens to them, nurture them... feed them with journal entries, and clean up after their mistakes.

It wasn't until about 1.5 hrs into the 2 hour meeting that my adrenaline rush was stabbed in the neck with a sharp, unidentifiable object. Remember being a kid and after misbehaving, you have your game taken from you or you're told that you can't go play outside. Yea, that's how I felt when I was told that 4 of my babies were cake walks... simply plug and chug recon's, copy and pasting formulas. No real investigative work going on there. So I'm sitting there with 4 super easy recon's and 2 that will kick my ass come Monday.

It almost felt like they were taking my job back from me. Weird, I know... one cool thing though is that one of my accounts is an accrued litigation account ~aka~ a pending lawsuit that I'll be monitoring!

Hmmm... I'm definitely looking forward to that, and the return of my boss who I'm sure will have plenty for me to do since she's been out of the office for the past 4 days!

It's 70 Degrees, and It's Snowing

Don't you hate it when a supervisor comes down on you for nonsense? I know I do, so let me tell you what has been bothering me....

This term, our supervisor hired a new intern (Intern A) that seemed a little incompetent when he first started. Remember the know it all that didn't know too much of anything? Yea, him. Anywho, Intern B left our office to work for the back office in January, leaving me with Intern A and a pile of work. It was so much easier when Intern B worked with me; we helped each other out and were both very fast learners. We knew this office inside-and-out within a week and a half of being here. Needless to say, I miss her dearly. We keep in touch through weekly lunch dates and frequent emailing, but it just isn't the same without her (insert tear drop).

Since I've had little to no help these past 5 weeks from Intern A, I've been busting my ass around here. Doing hundreds of manual adjustments, helping at the window, answering phone calls, the list goes on and on. Running from one end of the office to the other to help people. Not to mention we have a new full-time lady, who's taking someone elses job here and that someone else is actually training her! How is it that 2 weeks ago, there was no funding to accomodate a new full-time employee but all of a sudden there is? From my knowledge, budgets don't work that way (insert thumbs down)! To sum up that mess, there's a lot of drama going on around here and too much whispering for my liking. I work in an office full of women who aren't satisfied with their job or their weight, and wants everyone else to feel the pain. I'm sorry, but DO NOT RAIN ON MY PARADE... EVERYDAY! It's so pathetic to be subjected to moaning and groaning every single day that you come to work. And you wonder why I'm on the first thing smoking when my shift is over. Please don't ask me to stay late, because chances are I won't! Period.

I may sound like a bitchy GAB right now, but trust me- my complaints are VERY valid.

Well, yesterday at 6:15p (office closed at 6:30p) I was attempting to close out my browser when my supervisor walked behind my desk. Now this is the same supervisor that told me it was OK to get online during our downtime. Everyone else does it, so I saw no harm. It's not like I'm some crazed internet-junky that can't help but to be online all day. Most of the time I'm reading my textbooks online, or just listening to music. Helloooooooooooo! I am an intern, which means I am in school. Sometimes I need to see what the hell is going on in my classes, since most of my day is eaten up in this POS office! She suggests to my coworker (who doesn't do anything herself, since I do all of her work. No joke) that I might need some work to do. My response, "No, I don't". Plain and simple. Some people don't know how to appreciate anyone or anything. If I wasn't here, this office would be in complete shambles. But I continue to get the short end of the stick. Not on my time sweetie! I'm going to continue to do what I do, until my very last day here. If they want a different response from me, then I should be getting a different response from them.

For any other interns out there, don't let employers give you their ass to kiss. It's not fair to you, and it's not fair to the organization in which they 'manage'... better term, micro-manage! Also, if your job description consists of them pawning off their work onto you, then the job probably isn't worth it. So I wouldn't suggest asking for a full-time stint after the internship is over. Granted they pay me well, I'd rather be somewhere where my work is appreciated and my boss isn't a flaky as a box of Kellogg's Cornflakes.

Who else is going through this? Let's have a bitch-fest!

Back Down Memory Lane...

Remember my post about giving my job the boot? Well, if not let me recap for you! Last June I accepted an internship with AH, and in July I interviewed for an internship through my college at CC. I got the internship, accepted it and have been there since August 30, 2009. Before my departure from AH, my supervisor told me that if I ever needed a job or recommendation for a job or anything else that would land me a great position postgrad, to give him a call. Well, it's about that time as my 8-month stint at CC is coming to a close at the end of April.

So I emailed my supervisor at AH, and was informed (to my surprise) that they are in the process of developing a new position and that I would be the *ideal candidate* for this position. I took that comment wholeheartedly, and told him to keep me in line with the happenings. That was almost 2 weeks ago, and although I have yet to hear anything back from him I'm sure that he has me in mind and is lining up interviews and such cause he's the man!

Am I excited to go into property management accounting? Not exactly, but it's a start. That's how we find out what it is that we truly love to do in life. I don't believe that anyone walks into a job and falls completely in love with every aspect of their job description. It takes time, it takes growth, and perseverance. There are some things that I absolutely couldn't stand about AH, and there are some things that I hate about CC, but those dislikes I've learned to deal with and found a way to get around it.

On the flipside, I am fortunate enough to be one of the few college students who can actually graduate on Sunday and start working a salaried job on Monday. It may not be the best start, to work backwards, but in my opinion this place can open a lot of doors for me. It's all about networking people, so yes- I will carry around a planner and business cards with me EVERYWHERE that I go :-)

Getting Wild on Friday

Let me tell you- when my work day is dragging, like today unfortunately, I turn on Pandora and jam out... literally :-)

If you don't know about Pandora, and weren't interested I'm going to tell you anyway. It's a customizable music site. You create an account, find your favorite artists, create a station or get down to a QuickMix of all of your stations. It's like iTunes on crack, and very addicting. My only issue with this site is that you can only listen to 40 hours of music for free per month. Once I hit that mark, I head over to CBS Radio and listen to live streaming radio stations.

I work in a fish bowl. You know, the office that's encased in glass so that every moron that walks pass has a bird's eye view of your desk. I hate it, ABSOLUTELY HATE IT. Why??? Because those morons that I just mentioned, both male and female, will gawk, point, smile, wink, signal me to exchange numbers and the like... enough said. So when I crank on my music, I'm in an entirely different environment. Also as if I'm in an office by myself, with the door locked and closed. You may catch me snapping my fingers to Taylor Swift or bobbing my head side-to-side to Alicia Keys or Trey Songs. That's just what I do... and I love it :-)

P.S. If you own a Blackberry, you can download Pandora and enjoy it with no stipulations- unlimited access!

If you have a hard time getting through your workday and music is allowed in your office, try out this site. It'll make you smile, and before you know it the day will be gone. What are some things that you do to get through a rough workday or week?

Busy Week in Review

It's been a few weeks since my last post, but I'm sure you'll understand why from my week in review. Boy have I been a busy bee!

Monday: During the early morning I was barely able to sleep, maybe 1.5 hrs at most; therefore, I didn't make it to the lovely first day of school (well, work for me)... I spent the day wallowing in the bed :-(

Tuesday: Still not much sleep, but it was a full force day anyway. Everything moved so fast. Work from 8-11a. Left work at EXACTLY 11a to make it next door to Biology 240 by 11:30a. Class over at 12:45p. Back at my desk by 1p. Left work again for Equity Accounting starting at 6:10p. Somewhere inbetween chatted it up with my bff and had a quick snack (which constituted breakfast, lunch and dinner). Crashed as soon as I made it home.

Wednesday: Caught up on some much-needed rest. Work 10-6:30p. Home for reading and more sleep. At least that's what I thought. My boyfriend surprised me with flowers, and they add so much color to my dull room!

Thursday: Back to work at 8a. Same routine as Tuesday, except for the fact that my Biology Lab starts at 5:10p. Between 4:30p and 5:10p, boyfriend stopped by to bring me "bruncher", my new term for a combination of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bio lab is scheduled to last 3 hours and 50 minutes. Good thing we were only examining cell structures, membranes, cytoplasm and bacteria until 6:45p. Left class, printed out homework and other course material, headed to Walmart for a digital camera (which I failed to purchase... being frivolous!) and home for bed.

My prettiful mug that I finally used from my friend's trip to Viva Las Vegas in '09

Friday: Just like every Friday of my life, wake at 6am. Drive grandma to work by 7:20a. Make it to my job by 8a. Inbetween, touch 4 cities (Detroit, Redford, Southfield, Dearborn) during my commute. Waste a few minutes before the windows open browsing the news online. Processed student account adjustments and removed some folks from collections... currently awaiting lunch :-)

Enough about my crazy life though! I spent about 30 minutes of my workday last week reconstructing a budget worksheet that I use myself. The concept behind this spreadsheet is that we must learn to allocate our money efficiently in order to budget correctly, something I learned from Manisha Thakor's book, On My Own Two Feet. The most interesting thing is that this system of budgeting is easily adaptable. To accurately use the spreadsheet, all it takes is you typing in the amount of your paycheck and/or miscellaneous cash received from things like babysitting, monetary gifts, etc.

Example: Last week you earned $545.00 from XYZ Bank. You would like to know how much of your check you should save, apply to bills, and use for having dinner with your friends. Based off of your income, the following amounts will be displayed on the chart.

• Foundation 45% = $245.25
• Future 25% = $136.25
• Fun 15% = $81.75
• Miscellaneous 15% = $81.75

Using this fool-proof system will keep you from carrying unnecessary cash with you, and will allow you to save a reasonable amount every time you receive money. Your bank account will thank me later...

Enjoy your 3-day weekend! Happy MLK Day- Volunteer in your community!

I Was Asked, "How did you end up here?"

Blogging, that is...

Well, it's a very interesting story if you ask me. But you didn't, and I'm going to tell it anyway. Ha!

As a 3rd grader at a local DPS, I was sitting in our portable class when our substitute with nothing else to talk about mentioned how journalism was a very good field to go into. At that time, the news and media industry were booming. The internet was just surfacing, and the job market looked great for someone who was just graduating high school or college at that time. But for me, I had to make sure that I'd have possibilities when I became older. I dreamt that day that I would be the next Carmen Harlan, or something like that.

Two summers later, I had a terrible bike accident which left me with a 2 inch scar on my chin, right below my lip. Oh how I wept on my dad's shoulder that year. There was no way in my mind that anyone would want to see my scarred face on television. I gave up my broadcast journalism dream about a year later. I was still very interested in writing though.

It wasn't until I got accepted to one of the top 3 high schools in Detroit that I began to realize my dream of writing. I signed up for the Communications curriculum which would gear me toward more english, communications, literature and art classes. Boy was I excited! Only to learn during my first semester as a 9th grader that there wasn't enough space for everyone who signed up, and I was placed into the Business curriculum. Ugh, memos and typing. Whatever!

I spent my first year learning to type and write business letters and memos. My 10th grade year, I had my first accounting course and I fell in love with the class and my teacher. She was so driven about her profession, and I desperately wanted to be like her. So I joined BPA (Business Professionals of America), competed in Banking, Finance and Accounting divisions, won at Regionals and came close to winning at the State level. Junior year, I took the ACT and SAT tests, scored well enough to get into all of the universities that I had in mind, applied to these schools, got accepted and headed into the business world.

At some point between high school and college, I realized that I still had a very strong passion for reading and writing. I spent many of my high school summers locked in my room reading heated romance novels, mysteries and books for young adults. I also wrote poetry and attempted a short story, but failed miserably.

My freshman year in college, I inquired about the school paper but realized that college was nothing like high school and opted out of burning myself out during my first year. All of a sudden, I spent less and less time reading and writing and more time studying that I forgot that I truly loved to write. Anywho, now that I'm into accounting and loving every aspect of it, I found a way to link my love for writing and accounting/business together. I inquired with the school paper again, as I'm already a senior and have a little more time on my hands. I wrote a few random columns about saving and holiday spending, and next thing you know I was offered a position as Student Perspectives Editor. This position requires me to work a full 8 hours on Mondays this semester, therefore I had to turn it down due to my internship. Oh, how I would have loved to work there!

Long story short, my idea of a financial advice column was widely accepted by the current editors and it should be rolling in the next few weeks! Excited! My blog is my creative outlet :-)

Junk Food Eviction

When shopping for desk food, I normally don't realize where I'm spending my money. Just recently I noticed a few pounds being added onto my waistline, along with daily headaches. Let me explain...

Not my desk, but close enough :-)

There is usually some form of junk food in my desk drawer. This drawer houses Oreo cookies, apple sauce, miniature Snicker bars, sunflower seeds, Pringles and candy canes. My coworker who sits right next to me has boxes of cereal at her desk. The other intern in our office keeps bringing Starbucks to work, on top of the occasional cupcakes/cakes that are brought in.

My daily routine at work includes periodically checking my Blackberry, adjusting student accounts and stuffing my face with this junk food. Not only this, but I rarely take my lunch to work and watched my debit card rack up over $250 in fast food charges in a little over a month! When I first started this internship, I was onto a good start... bringing my lunch everyday, using my break time to study or read and just learning everything there is to know about our office. Now that I'm used to things and can understand/interpret things a lot better, I have fallen into a slump. I guess this is what happens when there isn't much empowerment on the job. Not enough room to make changes or implement new ideas since everything is done by the book. Therefore, I need this 'excitement' in my day. My work day has been minimized to reading mindless news articles, magazines, eating junk food and shopping on my lunch break.

2010 has got to be a much better year for me! I've already decided to try new healthy snacks like apples sprinkled with cinnamon, bananas and peanut butter, 'desk-made lemonade' consisting of a few squirts of lemon and ice water. Not only will this save me money, but it'll also help me feel better. I'm also enrolling in a hip-hop dance class with my new intern friend.

I guess being able to train the new intern who starts in January will add a little excitement to my day and help with my binging activities.

What's the Dress Policy?

A few weeks before I began working at my internship, I received a letter stating all of the company policies... my pay rate, the dress code policy, my work hours, etc. Seeing as to how I've never worked in a highly professional area, my "work clothes" were minimal. So with my last check from AH, I went and splurged on a few nice pieces to dress up what I already owned. A few pair of dress slacks, a couple pairs of shoes, and a few neutral colored tops. I was really dying for blazers though. I didn't, and still don't own any blazers.

To our surprise (mine and the other intern), the dress code we were given was a bit skewed. On the first day, we were both over-dressed. She had on high heels and a business suit, and I was dressed in a similar manner. It took us about a week to realize that that policy was simply a hoax.

Since I've been here, people have worn leggings, layered tank tops under jackets and blazers. I even noticed my SUPERVISOR wearing flip flops on a warm fall day. So much for a dress code policy. What sparked this buzz in my brain was the fact that one of my coworkers is absolutely outraged at the fact that we can't wear jeans to work. It's really confusing because our policy is already a bit relaxed, so what more should she be asking for? In my opinion, not a lot. I've also realized that I like to dress up a lot more than I like to wear jeans. They've become a little uncomfortable for me, but hey... to each it's own! It just gets frustrating hearing her complaints all the time about our inability to wear jeans. Come on now, as much as she makes, she should consider wearing suits everyday! Your work is minimal, you're making more than the value of your work, so what's the complaining all about??? Attention-seeker maybe! Let's keep some level of professionalism in our offices. That's all!
                                   
                              VS

Motivation from All Angles

Something that many of you may not know about me is that I'm very self-motivated. The key to remaining driven and at your best is to stay motivated at all times. A lot of individuals wait for the moment of inspiration to become motivated. Instead, try creating that moment as a dream and always strive toward that dream.

You can gain motivation in various ways. Reading, writing, singing, dancing, working out, going to school, working, knitting... Whatever it is, abuse that outlet to get where you want/need to be. I'm highly motivated by reading, writing and going to school. These 3 things drive me daily. I read about what's going on around me and in the world, whether it's about economics, finance, or poverty. I try to read for pleasure as well. I'm currently reading The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and recently finished Precious by Sapphire.

There's also a very useful site for women, and I subscribe to their daily newsletter. It's called Little Pink Book. The newsletter has very useful and practical information. Just today I received a newsletter titled 'The 2010 Financial Checklist'. The newsletter contained a checklist of where you should strive to be financially, grouped by age. According to Little Pink Book, I should be setting goals, learning to budget, calculating my monthly income, subtracting my expenditures and contributing to my savings. All of which I have been doing. So I'm right on track!

Come the winter time (which has snuck up on us Michiganders), I'll be volunteering as a tax preparer for low-income families through the Accounting Aid Society. I'm very excited about this, as well as my 40-hr work week, 2 night classes and my internship course. Along with finding a job after my internship is over, and preparing for my last 4 classes as an undergraduate!

Basically, motivation is what keeps me going. It's what wakes me up in the morning, after which I've had a long night. It makes me appreciate life and actually gives me something to live for. Because I know that all of the things that I am doing right now are bettering me as an individual and will allow me to be an asset to society, and to teach these things to my offspring.

What are things/ways that you stay motivated? Inquiring minds want to know!

Gaining a Bad Case of Anxiety!

I emailed the internship director at my school to tell her about my interview this past Wednesday, and was informed that I should hear something back by the end of this week or early next week.

Talk about anxiety building up! I really want this internship, however, on the flip side- I wouldn't mind staying where I am. That's definitely the power of being a great intern/employee... you'll always have somewhere to go! If I decide not to stay here either, I always have first dibs on the hours at my old job. Obviously that wouldn't be my first preference, but I'd take it because I love(d) my old supervisor!

Barking on new territory is very different though. It definitely takes you out of your comfort zone. But doing this internship has taught me plenty of things that should be done in the office, and things that should not. I've also gained knowledge about property management. So, if I do decide to leave, at least I can take that with me. This summer has definitely padded my resume :-)

Any of you doing internships that you enjoyed? Didn't enjoy? Turned into a full-time position? Tell me about it!

Finally... A Little Time to Relax

Lately, I've been one busy young lady! Running errands, picking things up, dropping things off, working, going to class, spending time with my boyfriend, interviewing, studying, tutoring, piloting a new website for our sorority, traveling, planning events, wrapping up old ones... YAWN!!! Just thinking about that list makes me tired. I find myself curling up in my boyfriends bed every Sunday, napping for hours.

Sunday is supposed to be the beginning of the week. For me though, it's the end of the week. That's how my body functions. All of the missed sleep from the week... I make up for that on Sunday. I barely have time for myself. But this is the life that I signed up for. Of course I could drop out of school, quit both of my jobs, and leave the sorority behind... but that's the life of a loser in my opinion.

I'm excited for the morning... why, you ask? Well, I don't work on Monday's and Wednesday's. Instead I go to class from 11:30-2:20p. But I can't remember the last time that I had absolutely nothing to do or somewhere to go before class on these days. Tomorrow will be the first morning that I can sleep in, snuggle with the boyfriend, catch up on some reading, eat breakfast... etc.

The rest of the week = I'm not too sure about. But I'll definitely bask in the ambiance of a beautiful morning tomorrow.

Last week (Thursday), I sat in another 3 hours of training for work, about how to run 8 different reports! What does this mean? Well, I'm closer to having to travel to different sites for work now. I'm not sure if I should be excited or not. I'm also not sure whether or not they'll be compensating me for my gas expenses. Oh well, that's the joy of work I guess. BTW, this is for that "Special Project" I'll be working on... hopefully it's really special!

Anywho, the remainder of that story will come with time.

Happy Reading!

About That Interview...

I realized that I never updated my readers on my recent interview, so here goes...

It took place at a local community college in their Financial Services department (cashier's office for some).

Let's start the night before though. So I'm preparing for the interview with my boyfriend. We're browsing racks at Marshalls and TJ Maxx for black blazers, since I'm in no position to purchase a really nice suit for myself. Obviously it isn't blazer season or something, because I saw none! Instead I found a really cute pink & white vertical striped shirt and a black sweatervest. I'm not a fan of trying on shirts while shopping because I can pretty much pinpoint what I can and can't fit. So I didn't bother to try on either, when I admit that I should have.

When we got home, I tried on the sweatervest. OMG!!! It was like a black garbage bag on me! It was poofy in the back, and I looked like a public bus driver in that get-up! It was hideous. That's where the power of networking and having resourceful friends came in. I simply called one of my sorority sisters and asked if her mom could take the vest in a few inches to make it a small, because there was no way that I was making a fool of myself in that mess! Her mom is so sweet; she did it at no charge 40 minutes before my interview. I made this decision after my boyfriend tried to convince me that nothing was wrong with the size, it looked just fine, blah! It wasn't until I had to convince HIM that it was hideous that he actually gave me his honest opinion...

Anywho... I get to the school about 20 minutes early, so I sat around until 10 minutes before my scheduled interview time. There were so many students; I couldn't believe it because our university is usually dead in the summer. I guess that isn't the case for CCs... I walk into the financial aid office and was told that the person I was looking for didn't work in that office. GREAT! I was directed to pick up a phone on the wall and call his extension, and sure enough no one picked up. A lady walks up behind me and asks who I'm looking for, and proceeds to tell me that my interviewor is out of town at a conference! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I went through all of that hassle to reschedule... Not yet. Instead, I sat in a computer room waiting for another qualified person to interview me.

About 3 minutes later, a woman approaches me with golden curly hair and a very nice skirt & blouse on. We walked around the office, and finally started the interview. IT WENT GREAT! She ended up being the mother of one of my high school classmates. How ironic?! She seemed really impressed with my work ethic, experience, and skills. Nothing but compliments and smiles the entire time! I wish all interviews were like that... that would be a treat, instead of a headache!

All-in-all, I think I landed the position. Not to mention, I scheduled the interview on the last day so that I would be fresh in the interviewors mind. Come on now, isn't that wishful thinking???

Got any interesting/not-so-great interview stories? Please do share, please!

Also, check out these cute fits for the office:

Too Hot to Trot...

Casual, yet Classy, although I suggest this one with a nice camisole. I'm sure the cleavage isn't a good idea...

I find this interesting, minus the belt... to dress up a plain white button up with black slacks. I think tan slacks would be pushing it...

I love these, in every single color. I'd buy them all if I wasn't a poor college student...

Intern Do's & Don'ts

Ok- so my AH internship isn't my first one, and over the years through both regular jobs and other internships, I've learned the do's and don'ts of any employee, but especially interns... Internships aren't just jobs; they're your first footsteps into a company. Therefore, you always want to put your best foot forward, and exude the utmost respect for the company for which you are working for. After all, we ultimately want to receive a full-time offer from the company.

So, here are some of the things I noticed other interns doing while on the job (this is mostly current):

1. If you're scheduled to be at work at 9:00a, please don't show up 9:27a expecting a pat on the back.
2. If your lunch break is supposed to be 30 minutes, please don't take an hour and a half to eat a taco!
3. If the office seems rather busy and you finish your work early, ALWAYS ask if there is more work to be done.
4. When the company gives you gifts i.e. sporting event tickets, please don't ask for more so that you can take your friend for their upcoming birthday!
5. School comes first, no matter what! So don't sit in the office bragging about how much of a slacker you are. Remember, everyone there already has an education, and they're looking for MORE people like them!
6. Remember, you are always representing the company whether you're at work or not. So act like it.
7. Never participate in office gossip... it could be the death of you, and your employment!
8. Just because the receptionist tells you to help yourself to the supply closet, don't take it upon yourself to restock your bookbag for the next two semesters!
9. Employers (most of them) have all been in your shoes, and most of them have done the same work that you are doing. If you're given a task that should ordinarily take about an hour to complete, do not turn that into a full day of work.
10. Don't ask if it's ok to leave work at 3:30p, but still put 5p on your timecard. Why would you even do that if you aren't working for that extra hour and a half??? I mean, that's soooo unethical!!!!
    

Those are just a few of my issues with interns... but I'm sure as the summer progresses, there will definitely be more.

Indisposable = The WOW Factor

Learning is something that I'm always involved in... whether it's on the job, in the classroom or in my personal time. I've had plenty of jobs, about 8 or 9 to be exact; there is one thing that I've learned from each of the positions that I held. That golden asset is how to be indisposable to a company or organization.

What do I mean by indisposable? I mean, be the asset that the company can't do without. Acquire traits that no one else has. Make yourself stand out. Go above and beyond the call of duty. Come in early and leave late. Be cordial, friendly, humourous, dependable. Go to work and actually do your work. Dress in a way that best represents the company as well as yourself. When you're not busy, offer to help someone who is falling beyond in their work. Offer your opinion when necessary. Always be truthful. Increase productivity, decrease costs. If possible, become the go-to person for something, like designing brochures or flyers, etc. In other words, offer something new to your place of employment.

When you do some of the things mentioned above, you will always stick out like a sore thumb. People will acknowledge and recommend you for bigger and better things. They know that you are more than able to get the job done. They trust your advice and insight. Make them NEED YOU, and when they need you they'll WANT to keep you around.

In all of my years of working and being in organizations, I have learned that I am valued. Hence the reason why I've never been fired, replaced, etc. And I'm always offered the opportunity to return if things don't work out for me in the future. People see the value in my work and they understand that people like that keep the ball rolling!

However, that also means that you should understand the areas in which you excel. You will never become an indisposable asset to a company if you don't even like working there or the people you work with. Why do you ask??? Because you're not putting all of YOU into your work. There are things distracting you from your work... maybe your annoying coworkers voice distracts you. Or you may not like your boss, which may cause you to slack in some areas. Trust me, people will notice!

So work on becoming indisposable, not only in the workplace, but in school, organizations, sports, etc. I know that I'll be working on perfecting the art of WOW!

The Remainder of Today

Ok- so I get to the other location today, to be greeted by 10 new faces. ALL WOMEN! Who wouda thunk??? All executive directors and assistant directors of residential properties, all with designer purses and fancy-schmancy talk tucked up their sleeves. Don't get me wrong, they were all wonderful women to talk with today, ranging from the age of 23-65! I was definitely impressed. Some had been with the company for more than 20 years! Can you say longevity???

Anyway, to the point. So we sit in on a call/live tutorial of a software program that we all will be using to updates sites and whatnot. All very interesting stuff, I must admit! However, it became a bit daunting to sit through once the wireless internet started to act up. I'd say about 70 minutes were wasted trying to connect and reconnect to the internet, which kept closing out our session. It was definitely a nightmare! On top of that, we had to go through about 170 Powerpoint slides to conclude the two tutorial classes that we passed today. WOWWWW! It's a good thing that I got a great nights rest last night.

So.... the juice comes in here. While leaving the office after 5 hours of training, heading back to my regular work site, my supervisor asked me if I wanted to stay another semester with their company?! The company is very impressed with my work ethic, and would eventually like to hire me in I'm assuming. I mean, why else would they ask me to stay longer?

I told him that I'm highly interested because I do enjoy going to work, learning new things and interacting with new people. It's all in the preparation of becoming a better woman! So, why would I pass it up?

Here's why... I received an email once returning to work extending an offer for an interview with a local community college in their accounting department. Full-time work, full-time pay, if you know what I mean! I realized that there may be other internship offers throughout the summer, and that I can't jump on the first one to arise. I have to wait, and weigh my options. This is a first!

I'll see what happens... But basically, I had a wonderful day! Stick around for more of my adventures...

Are These Not Killer?

Ok, so I've been to Twelve Oaks mall in Novi, MI quite a few times, and I am absolutely in love with these shoes.

You'll learn that I am a very versatile person, but at the same time I like a shoe that's very diverse. Just like these. I mean, seriously, what can't you wear with these delicious sandals? Even with a not-so-neat pedicure, you could get away with these shoes.

Now though, I must be a little bit more cautious about the things that I buy. Therefore, I stray away from things that aren't really suitable for work, which of course is business attire. Not so much casual. I mean, the men wear slacks, button-up shirts with ties. The women have a little bit more freedom in the professionalism department. So I could definitely do these for the office. Simply to dress up a top and short pants, or with a fitted white button up top with a flowy brown skirt.

The opportunities are endless... Could I take these to a corporate office, with 30 floors of employees? Probably not, but for what I'm doing now, these definitely work.

What do you think???

PS- you can get these from shi By Journeys.

About Me- There's More!

I didn't want to give it all away in the little 'about me' section allotted on the side of the page, so I'll dish out more of who I am and what I do... HERE! I'll also let you ponder as to my identity, just for a minute before I reveal my picture to the blogosphere.

In three words, I'm a student-intern-girlfriend! Therefore my days consist of reading, working, and hanging out with my boyfriend. So, here's some history behind all three of these fascinating facets of my life.

I am a SUPER Senior :-O, yes... I've turned a 4-year degree into a 5-year degree... maybe a 5.5-year degree. I am majoring in Accounting, and I used to question that decision quite often. Don't get me wrong, I love the field and everything it has to offer. I love learning about EVERYTHING accounting related. But I think we all go through that phase where we wonder, "do I really want to do this for the rest of my life?" Well, I went through that phase last year, and to say the least I got over it.

I currently intern at AH (I won't disclose the proper name of the company), in the accounting department. I do a bunch of data entry, posting journal entries, filing, analyzing expenses, and such! It's a desk job, I LOVE DESK JOBS believe it or not. I've been there for a little over a month, and frankly I wouldn't mind if they asked me to stay full-time after the summer. That would make my LIFE! I sit in an office with no window... just a HUGE mirror to look at myself occasionally when I'm bored. I'd love a window though, even if it only looks at the parking lot!

As far as my relationship, I won't divulge too much. I've been with my boyfriend for almost 2 years, and things are going great. End of the story! You'll get the juice down the line... if you keep reading :-)

I've spent the last year of my life thinking of ways to make more money, move out on my own, and be a well-rounded woman that will be productive in society. So, I've started small. As far as my career goes, I've been teaching myself how to use a few programs that will add a little UMPH to my resume. I have also taken on a few volunteer opportunities. I was a part of the inaugural blogging class at my University, therefore I didn't have too much time to embark on my own blog. They also asked me to come back, so KUDOS to that! I have also been given the title of Volunteer Assistant Accountant with Reach One Teach One, and I'll be giving a little of my extra time to Looking For My Sister.

So what will I really be blogging about? A combination of everything that matters to me... issues with school, finding work, relationship drama (or lack thereof), fashion, friendship, fun, beauty... just about EVERYTHING! But mostly, I'll blog about my daily journey to becoming the woman that I want to be.

Stay tuned!