ePortfolio 5 "Review"

I have learned practical skills throughout my internship at the Fastenal company. I learned how to be more self-reliant and work minded. Taking responsibility of one’s self is a crucial part to any employee’s development. My problems solving skills have grown in general. However, the Fastenal internship provided me with the opportunity to learn about the manufacturing industry. I have garnered so much knowledge about bolts, screws, and an endless amount of other equipment. While I ended up not taking the job or pursue another one in the industry, the pragmatic skills learned on the job make the experience well worth it.

The self-confidence I developed should not go without mention. Not only did I grow in my ability to articulate with co-workers and employers but with customers as well. It’s difficult to sell bulk industrial supplies, especially if Fastenal is not the cheapest vendor. Consequently, Fastenal focuses on building relationships with businesses and customers to stay relevant in the industry. It takes a lot of confidence to sell thousands of dollars’ worth of materials. Not to even mention, construction workers tend not to be the most cordial people by any means.

If I were to redo my internship there are a few things I would have done differently to prepare. One of many things would have been to do better research. The learning curve when stepping into a new industry will be vast. The best thing I could have done to better prepare is to study basic terminology in the field. None the less, understanding is not enough in the workforce. Workers must perform. Therefore, to perform at the level the company required I should have made at least a hundred flash cards and committed them to memory.

In order, for me to do my internship effectively, it also would have been immensely helpful to also visit a store near me and maybe shadow for a day. That way I could have had a better understanding of the products and to foresee whether the job was a right fit. In the end of the day. Every internship has growth potential. But a Fastenal internship. It’s guaranteed.

On top of all the construction supplies and equipment I had to learn and test out of, I grew in my ability to critically analyze customers and make larger sales. I learned these techniques from my supervisor which lead to generating or closing more quote for companies. One of the most interesting skills I got to grow in was price setting. Fastenal employees have the privilege of determining what merges our made on a sale.

I believe I have grown my professional presence in several ways after completing this course. Firstly, the practical skills and experience learned on the job will serve my resume as a great asset. In addition, the Professional ePortfolio Project was a nice modern touch. We are ever evolving into the digital age were paper is becoming less ubiquitous and digital copies are expected. An ePortfolio has the capability to be interactive as well as providing control over the length. Juxtaposed to a paper resumes that are only about a page long. This project gave us the ability to demonstrate our media savvy to potential employers.

Finally, this course along with my internship at Fastenal has helped me to experience new work climates. Lastly, the modules in this course like the one about interviewing had terrific insight on how to conduct ourselves professionally. I believe that my ability to deal with high stress situations has improved enormously. I now feel more prepared for future work prospects.