Four key takeaways from my internship at Purolator

Four months ago, I grabbed the opportunity of joining Purolator's strategy department as a strategy and market intelligence intern. Purolator is Canada's leading integrated freight, parcel and logistics solutions provider. I was extremely excited and thrilled with the kind of work I will be doing with the corporation. As any student, I read articles, books and case studies on how to "excel in your internship". Little did I know that my internship would be a roller coaster ride with the whole lots of ups, twists and surprises.

My preliminary duties involved conducting competitive analysis, analyzing the current economy of Canada, reading academic journals pertaining to the logistics industry and reporting any breakthrough research to the stakeholders of the company. Armed with a laptop, pen and a book, I promised myself to learn and absorb as much as I can. Internships can be extremely valuable as they give us a glimpse of how the "real world" operates and whether we can apply the theoretical knowledge that we gained from textbooks and lectures. Everyday was  new challenge for me as I was constantly learning, asking, attending conference calls and meetings. At the beginning of my internship, I was afraid to ask any questions because I thought I was supposed to 'figure out' everything out on my own. Little did I know that people love to help - all you got to do is ask! Maybe as humans we are always told to strive for perfection and perhaps that comes with trying to figure out everything on our own.

Over the course of  my internship, here are some of the important lessons I learnt: 

Before you learn the hard skills, try to understand the corporate culture: This is THE most important lesson I learnt as I began my internship. See whether a company has an open door policy or are you supposed to always schedule a meeting to ask something. Some companies would prefer having meetings if an employee has multiple questions. One thing I learnt in my internship is that always try to find the answers yourself and then ask your managers and mentors for help. This showcases your ability to be an independent learner. 

Be accountable for your mistakes: In large corporations, It is extremely easy to play the blame game but harder to own up to your mistakes because there is a lot at stake especially if you are at the probation period. But if you don't fail then how are you supposed to learn? The important point is to learn from your mistakes and improve. Some of the ways you learn from mistakes is by asking for constructive feedback from your manager, be an active listener, request for project status meetings,proofread your work with fresh eyes and apologize where you are wrong. The bravest thing one can do is apologize for their actions. 

Find your mentor: This is not easy especially in  bureaucratic corporations where one has to communicate through different levels of hierarchy. One way to do is through finding a senior who may have similar interests in a particular topic or issue. My mentor was the director of strategy because we both were pursing our higher education in sustainability and corporate social responsibility and shared the same values for encouraging businesses to operate with a social purpose. My mentor also encouraged me to job shadow her for an entire day - which was an amazing experience! 

Don't be afraid to raise your opinion on sustainable issues: Time and again we were taught that resilience is the key when raising your opinion on sustainability issues. But it also about being courageous and proposing an alternative. Don't shy away while bringing up an issue that could negatively impact the business in the long run. But do your research and prepare a framework to justify why it is not recommended to stick to 'business as usual' strategy.  In addition, also back up your research by reading academic publications, regulatory policies and business cases. 

I would love to hear from my linkedin connections on their most memorable internship. What were some of the key takeaways from your internship? Who inspired you the most? What was your most challenging project? 

Anureet Kaur is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Sustainability Management from University of Toronto. She has a keen interest in strategy, communications and research. She is also intrigued with how larger corporations communicate sustainable issues with their core stakeholders. Her current ongoing research is on Emissions Trading System in Canada.  You can also connect with her through the linkedin account: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/anureet.