18 May How to Crush It as a Work-From-Home Intern and Get an Offer – Absolute Alumni
A bit more about myself…
My name is Beste Engin and I’m originally from Geneva, Switzerland and Istanbul, Turkey. I grew up in Paris, France and Switzerland, before travelling to the United States for high school and college. I have been moving between Europe and the U.S. every year, spending most of my time in Miami, FL for my family business and Massachusetts for academics. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree at Boston College in Psychology and Communications, with a Pre-Legal concentration.
My education background consists of international and culturally diverse programs throughout my academic years. The first school I attended was back in Geneva, Switzerland, which was called Institut Florimont. Through my preliminary years at this institution, I was exposed to a French academic system, before going to the International School of Geneva for middle school. This particular school adapted an American and Bilingual system for their students, offering students both English and French courses.
With this diverse development, I felt prepared to start fresh and go to boarding school in Rhode Island, for high school, at St. George’s School. This was my first time going to a new place on my own. I was incredibly nervous, but the excitement pushed me to learn, adapt, and succeed. This has then brought me to my college years, with my attending Boston College for my undergraduate program.
What I’ve been up to for the last couple of months
I participated in the Remote Internship Program as a third-year undergraduate student. I chose to enroll in this program because it was offered through Boston College, the school I am currently attending, as a credit-based internship experience. This was also provided for the students with response to the cancellation of abroad programs for juniors.
I interned for a company called LawBite, which is an online legal platform, available for online users who are seeking for commercial and corporate legal advice. This digital network connects lawyers with clients who are in need of legal advice, specifically for those who are in small and medium sized companies. Their convenient, accessible, and affordable legal firm provides professional support through an online setting.
As a Legal Administrative Assistant and Intern at LawBite, my main tasks consisted of both administrative and client-based work. I was assigned with editing documents, organizing case files, and acting as a liaison between clients and lawyers, especially with corporations based in the United States. I was also assigned work within paralegal and legal fields, through cases involving financial, media, and employment law. These tasks have consisted of communication, compliance checks, contracts, and invoices.
My biggest challenge while studying and interning
My biggest challenge so far has been time management. I have found that, during the academic year, I always follow a busy schedule. With daily classes, weekly club meetings, teaching assistant office hours, and internship shifts, I fill up my days with productive projects throughout. What has come with this, however, is the difficult task of managing my time efficiently and realistically.
As I have been interning the few months at a company abroad, I was able to see the importance of creating a balance.
While managing hybrid classes at my college and attending too early hours for my internship to accommodate for the time difference. I was able to commit to a healthy amount of hours per week, while also managing my bachelor’s degree duties. This certainly pushed me to dedicate long hours of work and accept a busy schedule.
However, I was able to accept this challenge and adapt by making sure I used my planner daily, assigned specific hours for certain tasks, either work- or school-related, and be communicative with my professors and supervisors when in need of support or advice.
Getting an extension offer at your host company
After I finished my Absolute Internship, I was left with an invaluable experience and established goals for the future. Additionally, I was also given an offer to continue with my remote internship with LawBite through Absolute Internship, extending my time with this company to August 2021. As an intern at LawBite, I learned an incredible amount of information and skills in paralegal and legal work. It has exposed to me to different career paths and legal fields, which has influenced me greatly in my consideration for law. I have gained a deeper intrigue and desire to pursue a legal career, starting with my preparation for the LSAT and, hopefully, law school in the United States.
My overall experience has given me a rich variety of skills in communication, writing, customer service, time management, multicultural adaptation, and professionalism.
My internship helped me achieve my goals through the support of my supervisors. They have welcomed me and aided in my transition into my internship program and legal path. With any task or project I was working on, my manager and fellow employees were always willing to offer advice, suggestions and answers to my questions. Through their professional support, I have been able to develop my skills and formulate future goals within the legal field. This was especially true when my manager wrote a personalized letter of recommendation.
What’s next?
For the next few months, after having completed my sixth semester at Boston College (Junior Year), I plan to transition into the summer season by preparing for my extended internship with LawBite. This experience will allow me to pursue my legal interest further. In addition to that, I am seeking to expand my network and reach out to lawyers regarding the legal world. In doing so, I will also be researching and practicing for law school and the LSAT exam, planning for my upcoming academic and professional years in the United States.
My humble advice to YOU
1. Be open-minded
Pursuing an international internship has been one of the most rewarding experience I have ever had thus far. To have been able to intern remotely for a company based in a different country has been challenging, yet incredibly beneficial. However, every company and country is different. From my own journey, I have found that being open-minded is one of the most important tools you can have. By being ready to learn in a different environment, being present at every meeting or project, and adapting to our international and cultural surroundings, you will be exposed to a new and exciting world. Be flexible and thrive!
2. Be organized
Something I found to be useful during my internship is to be organized. What this means for me is having both digital and physical tools to help me stay on track. For instance, by dedicating a single document or folder to this internship specifically, I have been able to have every project I am working on or training advice I have received be in one place. This has allowed me to find things more efficiently and proactively.
3. Be communicative
During an internship, especially in an international and remote setting, being communicative has proven to be one of the most important and beneficial skills to have. Whether it be for specific tasks, new assignments, or discussions with peers and mentors, voicing your concerns and questions is a key skill to have and maintain.
I highly recommend to get to know people at your company, learn from them, and ask questions when needed!
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