SCIP Interns visit Ernst & Young in Secaucus
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By Sharon Villar
July 19-23, 2010
Pulling off the 320 bus from a quick twenty minute bus ride into New Jersey, the SCIP interns had arrived at the Ernst and Young headquarters. Little did the SCIP interns know that ahead of them laid a week of workshops, intense training and lessons on business etiquette and professionalism. Throughout the whole week at Ernst & Young the modern New Jersey office was for the intern’s use, from dry erase boards to glass elevators. Monday through Friday, the interns were provided with breakfast, lunch, snacks, and access to the cafes.
On the first day at Ernst & Young, the interns had presented a slideshow presenting the values of SCIP, and work that lay ahead of them in their Manhattan offices. Throughout the day, the interns utilized the space provided to them to work on their projects to bring the journal and website to life and come up with ideas to fundraise and give back to the community. Although the week had started quite slow and easy, the rest of the week was sure to be busy.
On the second day, the interns worked with Co-founder and Partner of Covenant Business Concepts, Mrs. Willie Mae Veasy on problem solving skills and how to approach situations. The interns were broken up into groups, and given various steps to decipher and analyze. The groups then presented what they believed were important about the step they were assigned and gave examples of how they could incorporate these skills in normal situations. Later on in the day, successful business owners had come in to speak to the interns on their stories on the road to success. They had given the interns words of wisdom, which had not only enlightened the young adults but had also given them insight to the business world. These business owners showed that with hard work and passion, success is at the reach of your finger tips.
The following day, interns worked on perfecting their presentation skills. Broken up into groups, the interns had to learn a new topic ranging from boating services to mentors. Later in the day, all the groups presented their topic to everyone else and tried to make them believe in the services that they were selling. Mrs. and Mrs.Veasy had given all the groups feedback on their performance, and had also made suggestions on how they could improve their presentation and their personal image. From nervous ticks to bad posture, the interns were told how to perfect everything they do in the office.
On Thursday, with a variety of business owners and Mrs.Veasy, the interns had focused on selling skills. After taking a quiz which depicted their selling styles, interns were able to see which would be the best ways to approach different clients, and what to avoid doing with various clients and consumers. Later in the afternoon, the interns had many of their questions regarding resumes and interviews answered. The interns were not only able to gain the insight of someone responsible for constantly hiring employees of Ernst & Young but they were also able to get an edge over a large majority of teenagers who haven’t had a head start at in the professional world.
On their last day at the New Jersey offices, the interns had a lesson on business etiquette and professionalism. The interns listened to Mrs.Veasy discuss examples of improper etiquette and how to avoid portraying a bad personal image alongside Amy Hubert. “The true colors of individual are shown in their worst moments.” The interns were taught the importance of remaining composed through difficult situations. Later in the day, after learning about table settings and etiquette, the students were dressed up in crowns, wigs, fancy vests and jewelry to role play various situations depicting bad table manners which had to be identified.
The week at Ernst and Young was not only fun and engaging but also inspiring for the interns. It was amazing opportunity for them to polish and perfect their image. They had a chance to meet professionals, engage with knowledgeable adults, and also ask questions pertaining to their career goals and needs. The week at Ernst & Young was a milestone in the services that SCIP could provide to young adults for training in the professional world.