Courtni Berghoefer Fall 2011 Internship Dr.

Shuman December 6, 2011

Corban OneSource
In the fall of 2011, I became part of the technical/professional writing internship program at the University of South Florida. The director, Dr. Shuman, placed me at a company called Corban OneSource. Corban OneSource is a growing HR outsourcing firm that assists its clients with any or all HR services. The man I was reporting to, Mark Klein, VP of operations, was unaware of my skillset when he agreed to allow me at his company. When he found out about my technical writing major, he was thrilled and put me to work. My technical writing career at USF helped me immensely with the tasks I faced. These tasks were mostly related to reformatting, restructuring, and proofreading documents Corban OneSource had created for its clients. I also filed, labeled, stuffed envelopes, organized, and made calls to take exit surveys. My largest task by far was reformatting standard operating procedure (SOP) documents for a company called Edwards Vacuums. There were multiple documents that needed to be reworked to improve clarity and conciseness for ease of readability for the client. Without my coursework in the USF technical/professional writing program, specifically in the realm of visual rhetoric, I would not have been nearly as savvy to just what needed to be changed with the SOP documents. I was easily able to recognize and correct problems with typeface, font size, and other stylistic issues. Thanks to courses focused on writing and editing, I was able to notice grammatical errors that had been overlooked or put there by someone who was not aware that any such grammar rule existed.

Courtni Berghoefer Fall 2011 Internship Dr. Shuman December 6, 2011

One specific course, Business and Technical Editing, prepared me surprisingly well for what the instructor, Dr. Roberts, calls prickly personalities. There was a person at Corban OneSource who did not take too kindly to me for whatever sort of reason. We had not met before so it was nothing based on past history or even work performance. Because of the advice I received from Dr. Roberts via his lectures, I was able to get my work done and not get into any conflict with this person. I understood that not everyone at every place I work is going to like me. I managed to do work for this person and keep my mouth shut while I was doing that work. I felt very confident in the aforementioned tasks because of my USF technical/professional writing courses. However, there was something in my internship that my work in those courses could not prepare me for. That something was an inkling of knowledge about HR. At Corban OneSource, I was faced with many tasks in which I had no idea what anything meant because I was not familiar with the terminology. Things were expected of me even when I had no clue what I was actually doing. Fortunately, I was able to learn as I went. I picked up on things because I had to. I enjoy the sort of learning with which you are thrown into a pool and have to learn how to swim or you will drown, metaphorically speaking of course. This type of learning helps me because it makes things stick. Things stick because I teach myself. That was one of the great experiences about my time at Corban OneSource. I was thrown into the human resources pool. I made it out alive and I would not be afraid to go for a dip at another time.

Courtni Berghoefer Fall 2011 Internship Dr. Shuman December 6, 2011

What I get out of he situation in which I was placed in an unfamiliar environment that I was not adequately prepared for by my technical/professional writing courses is that that inadequacy was actually beneficial to me. Of course I was not expecting to get know a lot when I found out I was going to be interning at an HR company, but I was still nervous. Luckily, it gave me an experience that I am certain I will be glad to have had because I am certain I will be put in that same situation more than once in the future. Now that I know I can overcome a situation in which I know nothing about what I am doing by learning whatever I can and not being afraid to ask questions, I will not be afraid in the future. I will be confident and have my time at USF and Corban OneSource to thank for it. It was not hard for me to settle in at Corban OneSource and start asking questions because the overall workplace culture of the company was so relaxed. When I did a Skype interview with Mark Klein, he told me that Corban OneSource strived to not be corporate. I did not fully understand that until I started working at the company. It was run in a way that made everyone comfortable, yet extremely efficient. Because it was a relatively small office, everyone talked to each other and joked around and had fun. However, when it came down to it, everyone did whatever he or she could to ensure the clients needs were fulfilled to the highest standards. That culture at Corban OneSource made me feel comfortable to reach out and talk to my coworkers, but also made me strive to work hard, do my best, and help out wherever I possibly could. The cohesion and intermingling between all the different teams working in different areas of HR allowed me to see various sides of

Courtni Berghoefer Fall 2011 Internship Dr. Shuman December 6, 2011

what HR entails. I worked with people from the call center, I worked with people focused on benefits, and I worked with people who did every part of HR. I am overjoyed that I got to experience a workplace with such a vibrant culture. Everyones door was always open and my help was always greatly appreciated. It is almost difficult to find the exact words for the culture of Corban OneSource because it is something that is in itself an experience. I have a feeling it is an experience that most people do not get to have. It probably has something to do with the size of the company and with the fact that it is human resources. The people at Corban OneSource are all about helping people. That makes for a wonderful mixture of ease, comfort, hard work, and dedication. I did my best to contribute to the culture and the actual work of Corban OneSource. I was somehow lucky enough to be placed in a large office with a door and a window and I had it all to myself. This had its pros and cons. The cons were that people often did not know I was there and I did not have too many passing conversations with people because I was not out in the middle of the office where everyone could see me. The pros were that it forced me to get out of my office and talk to and assist people. It also made me grateful when someone would walk into my office to say hello and see how things were going. I grew more and more comfortable with the people I worked with and I felt that that alone helped me to contribute to the culture. I was one more person thrown into the mix and I was a seamless fit. I could walk up to Carol and ask for help and also ask about her grandson. I could chat with Fernando about current events while we organized a mass mailing for his clients. I could get labels from

Courtni Berghoefer Fall 2011 Internship Dr. Shuman December 6, 2011

Marissa and talk about how she likes the downtown St. Pete area. As opposed to different settings in which socialization hinders performance, the socialization at Corban OneSource made it easier to work. My added socialization and personal contact with the people who work there in addition to the relationships that were already established made it seem like the company grew even bigger and better than it already was. It was alive and I was a part of it. It is with my presence, my interactions, my work, and my attitude that I feel I contributed to the culture of Corban OneSource. As I have stated, I am lucky to have been an intern at Corban OneSource. I gained an untold amount of knowledge and experience from this internship. I learned how to deal with people who do not like me for reasons that are still unclear and that I am sure I will never understand. That is something that I consider to be very valuable because I have always had a hard time with people not liking me. It always got to me. This experience allowed me to just deal with it and move on. I also learned how to ask questions. HR was very confusing to me at first. I was not sure what I was supposed to be looking at or doing. I was forced to ask questions of my coworkers and from them I acquired a base of knowledge on which I could continue to build. I always liked to do things myself, but having no choice but to ask questions made me realize just how important teamwork really is. It made me realize that it is okay to not know everything and I should not be ashamed about it. As I think about it more and more, I would consider the most important thing I got from my time at Corban OneSource to be experiencing the culture of a workplace. I have never been in the business world before. I dressed professionally.

Courtni Berghoefer Fall 2011 Internship Dr. Shuman December 6, 2011

I had an office. I had a work email address. I was a gear in a well-oiled machine. People counted on me to help and create and just do. These things may not seem like they are a big deal to the average working person. However, they are for someone who is just getting her first taste of what it is like in the business world. I quickly learned about office politics. I am proud to say that I actually have an experience-based understanding of what that means. I have learned in school that it is important to be an autodidact. I have to teach myself. As a technical/professional writing major I will come across many different fields of expertise that need my help. It is helpful to pick things up wherever I can. The HR experience is one I am glad to have had. That knowledge base is something I am fortunate to have, even if it is just the tip of the iceberg. I would like to thank Dr. Shuman, Mark Klein, Corban OneSource, and the USF technical/professional writing major and internship program for allowing me to grow in this way. Without those people, companies, programs, and few months as an intern, I would not be nearly as good of a person, student, or potential employee. I will always look back on my time at Corban OneSource as a great experience and will hold onto that knowledge for as long as I can.