After reading Gestión de la Identidad Empresarial (Management of the Enterprise Identity), I had a better understanding of how businesses are run and where I see myself in the long run. It is a book that requires thought, encourages further investigation and analyzes the business structure of clients and how they are ultimately the ones who matter. If the customers are not happy, then the company is doing something wrong and needs to change.
One of the most valuable things that I got from this book is the reality to do something that I love! People often get so wrapped up in how much they can make at a dead-beat, no-desire-to-be-there type of job. That is not the purpose of getting out in the real world and working. I learned that it is possible to figure out what we enjoy the most and find out what kind of jobs are out there to be sought after.
I see myself working in the financial industry hopefully doing asset management. This book discussed the necessary techniques in acquiring your “ideal” job and now I am going to take these principals and practice them in the real world. First impressions make all the difference in the world and this book gave me the edge on how to use them to my advantage. I plan on keeping this book and using it as often as possible. It has not only helped me in my current internship but has opened my eyes to other doors that have been sitting in front of my eyes for quite some time.
Section II.
These past four months here at the American Embassy (General Consulate in Barcelona) have been quite a helpful building block for my future. Within the American Embassies, there are numerous departments such as Economics, Public Affairs, International Trade, etc, and I worked in the Foreign Commercial Service Department. The function of this department is to promote U.S. business interests in Spain. Within the American Embassy, there are many ranks of power. Of course, the U.S. Ambassador is the top with the Deputy Ambassador being second in command. At the Consulate, we have what is called a Consulate General. Her name is Carol Perez and she reports to the Ambassador in Madrid, Spain. Underneath her, there are heads of each department such as the Senior Commercial Officer who I directly reported to.
My daily activities had a lot of variety and fluctuation. When I first arrived at the Embassy, I was given many responsibilities due to the initiative that I took in asking my boss to give me challenging projects that I could work on. They enjoyed my attitude and decided to treat me like a full time employee by dividing the work between the 5 FCS employees (I was the fifth). I counseled U.S. firms on market opportunities, relations and methods of doing business in Spain. Case in point, an American Company, DVR Designs came to Spain to find a Spanish partner to either buy her product ideas or distribute your line of clothing. I set up meetings, contacted several Spanish design companies and got them interested in meeting with the owner of DVR Designs. I served as the interpreter for these meetings along with helping them identify their target market and how they could successfully promote DVR Designs products towards each segment.
One of the major projects that I was involved with was the “Florida Trade Mission to Spain.” This was a weeklong event where six Florida based companies from came to Spain (both Madrid and Barcelona) and met with numerous Spanish companies that had equal interests. The companies that participated were Interactive Learning System, RRB Systems, Sparty Systems, Tamps Chamber of Commerce, the University of Tampa and the World Trade Center. I was able to assist the Trade Specialists here at the Embassy in contacting major Spanish businesses that might be interested in meeting with these companies. A few other activities that I was involved with were providing assistance in finding agents, distributors and licensees in Spain along with negotiating with the Spanish government on market access issues and barriers to trade and investment.
One of the more exciting aspects of this mission was the fact that the Governor of Florida, Jeb Bush was planning on coming to Spain with these companies. He had a political agenda of his own. He was going to meet with both the King of Spain along with the U.S. Ambassador. Unfortunately, due to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, the risk was too high for him to come over to Spain so he cancelled his trip.
Working at the Embassy is a lot of hard work and I will admit that it was not all glamorous. Some days I spent hours in front of a fax machine along with handling phone calls. I did however have the opportunity to meet a lot of talented people and get their advice on many global economical issues that will impact my future. This internship has been challenging and my eyes have been opened. It was a lot of hard work but in the end, it paid off!
Section III.
Without any prior background of International Business, it would make it rather
difficult to intern at any Embassy. There were two things that I had to have before I was
offered this position:
1. Fluent in the Spanish language
2. Extensive knowledge on economic principals and how businesses work as a whole.
Would I say that I was prepared for this internship? Yes. From other internships and jobs that I have had, I gained the ability and experience to adapt to all situations (I should not say all). My International Business classes gave me a good base to work from but until I actually got out here into the real world and get my feet wet, I learned that the university world and the business world are two separate entities.
Fellow co-workers treated with a lot of respect because I came into this job with the intention to do everything to my best ability. I am not saying that I never made any mistakes, because I did. I came in here confidant that I could do the job, confident that my Spanish was more than adequate and confident that I would make a difference. With these goals in mind, I learned a lot and was given more responsibilities.
Section IV.
If you are reading this paper, I will assume that you either have the interest in either working for an American Embassy or having the desire get into the governmental work. I would say that the ideal person for this job is someone that is not afraid to make mistakes. I cannot express the fact of how many times in my past I did not do something because I did not want to look like a fool. Here at the Embassy, I pushed myself to do everything that was given to me even if I thought it was too difficult. When I was first asked to translate for a group of businessmen that were coming into the Embassy for a meeting, my initial reaction was to say, “no thanks, I would not do a perfect job at interpreting.” Instead, I gladly accepted the challenge and went for it.
I would say that if you want to do this, you have to be willing to work hard from 9:00 to 2:00 p.m., three to four days a week or any schedule that you are given. Sometimes there is not much going on in the office so you have to take the initiative to ask people if there is anything you can do to help out. It might be running mindless errands but at least you show people that you are not afraid to work hard. You can be a person who is either an extrovert or an introvert but my recommendation is that you bring business cards and be willing to meet anyone and everyone you come in contact with. I know that when it was recommended to me to bring business cards, I was not too keen on the idea. It seemed a little over the top for an intern like myself. Just have some made up at your local Kinko’s and then if you ever need them while you are on the job, you will be in luck. You cannot be afraid to go the extra step to get to know someone.
You have to remember to take the initiative to talk with people. It is a win-win situation if you are in a meeting with someone who might be able to give you their “pearls of wisdom” on what they do and how they got to where they are. Go up and talk to them after the meeting and introduce yourself. People are normally very willing to talk about themselves and give advice. Plus, you will make yourself a great contact for the future. To work at an Embassy, computer skills are extremely necessary along with a good solid background on people skills. Knowledge on economic policies is helpful along with a good understanding of how businesses work as a whole.
Along with using my Spanish skills, I was asked to write many documents, letters and invitations in English. These were in return sent to executives, managers and directors without being reviewed by someone else. Last summer I was lucky enough to work at the Department of Commerce and there I acquired the necessary writing skills. It is so important that students learn how to write correctly and fluent in the English language. What you write shows how intelligent you are. If I were to compose a document to the CEO of BBVA and invite him to a dinner with the U.S. Ambassador, I highly doubt that he would be too impressed if the letter was full of grammatical mistakes. It is important to take the time to work on your writing skills because it will definitely pay off in the future.
Section V.
This internship has been a great building block for my future as it has equipped me with necessary tools to work in any business related industry. There are many long-term career possibilities with the Embassies. Next semester I will be studying abroad down in Buenos Aires, Argentina and I have already been asked to do another internship with the Economics Department at the American Embassy. However, I do not have any desire to do another internship at an Embassy mainly because I want to get experience with a financial company such as Goldman Sachs. If I did have the desire to work full time for an Embassy when I graduate, then taking another internship at an Embassy would be vital.
There are two types of employees at the American Embassies. There are career employees (native to each country) who have been working at the Embassy for many years and then there are political employees who are appointed and selected every four years (along with the Ambassadors). The President of the United States appoints all Ambassadors while Secretary of State, Colin Power selects the Consulate Generals.
If you are interested in getting an internship at an American Embassy, you are going to have to do some background work to figure out the best approach. One possibility is to call the American Embassy (in the city where you want to work) and tell them you would like an internship. They might be in need of an intern and they will ask you to send them your résumé. The second option is to call the State Department back in Washington D.C. and ask to talk to someone that is in charge of the Embassy internships. This will enable you get you in touch with the right person and then you can go from there.
CONCLUSION
Before doing my internship at the Department of Commerce and here at the American Embassy, I did a lot of reading about the organizations to gain information on what they do and what their role is in our economy. It shows people that you care about your job and that you take the initiative to learn new information.
I also hope that this paper has given you some insight on the American Embassies and how they function. In my opinion, I think that a governmental internship, regardless of what you eventually want to do, is the way to go. You will meet people every field and institution while gaining invaluable experience.
As a side point and a nice way to conclude this paper, I would like to give advice and explain a little bit what I learned about internships as a whole, the process of finding the perfect internship and how to be effective in how your performance. When you first start looking for an internship, do not stop as soon as you find one. I think that it is better to choose an internship rather than being chosen. What do I mean by this? If you go out and find two internships or jobs that you might be interested in but they are not the best, do not take them (unless time is a problem and you desperately need one). Spend a little time and look into internships with several companies. Go in and talk to the internship director to get a better idea of what you might be doing while you are there. If you do this, then you will be able to cross off those internships that might not have been the best experience. Talk to everyone you know who might be able to give you some direction on how to select the “perfect” internship. People you already know in the business world can serve as a great contact for information and advice. When I was looking for my first internship, I contacted Salomon Smith Barney in Rancho Santa Fe because they are a respectable company and I would eventually like to do something in the financial industry. It turned out that they were interested in having an intern but they had never had time to look for one. This proved to me that it pays off to just go the extra mile and put some effort in finding an internship because it is one of the most important bases to your future career. The people you meet and the skills you acquire will take you a long ways in this world.
Finally, set your goals high and on something that you might not be able to achieve. Like I have already said, do not settle for something purely because you did not try hard enough. Put your heart into and set your eyes on something that is going to have to take some work. If you do succeed and achieve that goal, do not take it for granted. When you first walk into that company or agency on the first day, show people that you are serious and that you want to be taken seriously. Work like you have never worked before. Here is my number one piece of advice to give: attempt everything that is presented to you and be sure that you are the first one that offers to help out. Be assertive, take the initiative to do things to your best ability and in the end, you will have made a great impression on your boss and fellow co-workers (often times, fellow interns). Internships can be a lot of fun (not always), so enjoy it, have a good attitude and take advantage of the great opportunity that you have to work for a company without having the expectation to achieve and accomplish great things (this way you can knock their socks off when you do)!
Works Cited
Arranz, Juan Carlos. Gestión de la Identidad Empresarial. Ediciones Gestión,
Barcelona, 2000.