Name: Kayla Priddy
School: Arkansas State University
Major: Strategic Communications with an emphasis in Social Media and Advertising, minor in Sales Leadership
Department at Optus: Sales
What were your responsibilities during your internship?
My responsibilities progressed as I went along in the internship process, but everything I did then I continue to do today as I finish up my time here at Optus. In the beginning, my duties were to research accounts and create sales pitches, along with job shadow other account managers. Now today I’ve been tasked with making outbound calls to target and existing customers. I’ve also had the responsibility of providing quotes and processing orders for customers, this is something existing account managers do daily.
What did you learn during the internship?
There is so much experience and knowledge I’ve gained through this internship that putting it all on paper would be challenging, but there are some things that I remind myself of daily in order to do the best that I can.
Throughout this experience, I learned new and improved skills and how to apply them. I’m grateful for the Sales Leadership Center at Arkansas State for giving me the tools before starting this internship because I was able to apply all that I’d learned from classes and expand on that knowledge here at my internship by giving me hands-on experience.
The thing I would say is the most important and something that will only lead to success here at Optus was to keep relationships first, business second. This creates trust between the account manager and the customer giving the account more room to grow.
Lastly, I gained leadership, confidence, and responsibility while I was an intern; I was given responsibility for accounts that I called and cared for myself. I had guidance and mentors, but I did have to make decisions on my own. Through these experiences, I developed a sense of leadership and confidence through the decisions I would make and their outcomes. These traits are invaluable when it comes to a career.
Which aspects of your internship did you get the most out of?
I got the most out of the times when I was given the task to call and build rapport with the customer and ultimately leading the conversation to Optus Plus. The process of the call was to introduce myself and Optus and then asses their current phone system, and then lead us into telling them what Optus has been doing for other businesses like them in their industry. Through this, I was able to showcase my knowledge of Optus and Optus Plus and get a real-life response from customers.
What specific professional benefit has this internship provided?
A few benefits I gained through my internship with Optus have been professional networking and gaining knowledge of the field. I’ve made many new professional contacts that will help me in the future, whether it is as a reference on my resume or them referring me to other known job positions in other industries. I have also gained more confidence in my career direction and the knowledge of the field. Before completing my internship I was unsure of what career path I would take after graduation, but with this experience, I was able to test out this industry and learn the knowledge needed to be successful in telecom. By the end of this, I had a clear idea of the career field I wanted to pursue.
Would you recommend our internship to others? Why/Why not?
Absolutely, I highly recommend considering an internship with Optus if you are unclear on what’s next for you after graduation. Optus has ultimately given me clarity of my future career path. Whether or not this industry is something you’re interested in, Optus will further develop your skills and give you tools you can take with you into any job. An internship at Optus will give you purpose and countless opportunities. However; you will without a doubt find success and time well spent with Optus.