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The upside to college internships: Part 5

Emily Wesley – Accounting

Emily is one of two accounting interns here at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®/INTERNATIONAL, Inc.  My interview with her for this blog was my first opportunity to really sit down and chat with her, but with family in the company, Emily has TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® in her blood. She is truly a representation of the company she grew up around.  I sat down with Emily to chat about herself and her experience here.

EmilyQ: Tell me a little bit about yourself and your background?

A:  I’m from Okemos, Michigan, and went to Okemos High School. I am now going into my junior year at Michigan State University studying accounting in the Eli Broad College. In my free time I enjoy running, shopping, spending time with friends, and playing golf.

Q: What made you apply for an internship with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®?

A: I got connected to TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® through my dad’s position and worked here for a few previous summers.  I was told about the internship program through those connections and decided it would be a great opportunity to get experience in the accounting field.

Q: Can you please briefly describe your usual day to day tasks at the office?

A: I have spent most of my time preparing for ause tax audit, which means going through old payables searching for any possible times where we didn’t pay taxes which we should have, so that we can get them taken care of.

Q: What has been the most valuable thing you have learned here so far?

A:  Seeing how modern companies use computer software to perform their accounting is a valuable skill I didn’t learn in school books.  Having learned how to use this software will be a major plus for my resume, in class, and on future jobs.

Q:  Who would you say has been your best teacher or mentor here and why?

A: As far as a mentor, I would say my dad has been a great influence. He knows a lot about finance and has always been a great help to me.  The most helpful teacher I have had though would probably be Dena Omer, (Quality Control Manager).  She always helps guide me through things and is great about answering any questions I have.

Q: How do you think you will be able to apply what you learn this summer to school, future interviews/jobs or life in general?

A:   I’m yet to have a tax class at Michigan State, so learning hands on about real life tax problems will be a great help to me with future tax classes, as well as future jobs I might get, and talking about what I have learned to interviewers might help me land one.

Q:  Has your internship taught you anything about Accounting that surprised you?

A:  Before my internship I didn’t realize how much of a business’s accounting is done on computers. It was surprising to see how automated a lot of it is, when in school they often teach manual accounting.

Q: What do you believe is the best aspect of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® as a large international company?

A:  I love the people. Everyone is so friendly and collaborative. It is nice how there is an atmosphere that welcomes collaboration not only between team members but between departments as well.

Q: What is one goal you hope to accomplish this summer/what do you hope to take away from your internship?

A:  One goal I have is to have some of my suggestions on ways to better the accounting systems taken into account. Often times I notice little things that could be changed and I’d like to get them altered by the time I leave. Also I just want to take away a better understanding of all the different aspects and all that goes into the accounting process.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

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The upside to college internships: Part 2

Tom Collins, “Yes, like the drink.”  –  I.T. Department

Tom is the IT department intern and has been thrown headlong into a busy time as the team works to roll out TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s new automation system, “Movers Who Care® 2”.  I met Tom during our orientation on the first day, and he has since been a very friendly face to see and chat with around the office. He is always able to laugh when people compare him to the gin cocktail. I sat down with Tom to check in on his experience so far, and this is what he had to say:

Tom CQ: Tell me a little bit about yourself and your background?

A:  Well, I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and went to Portage Central High School where I played football. I am a senior at Michigan State University studying supply chain management with a specialization in information technology. I’m in Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, and I love to play golf, slow pitch softball and participate in pretty much any outdoor activity.

Q: What made you apply for an internship with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®?

A: I worked as a mover over at the Lansing franchise last year and heard about the internship while working there. It seemed like a great opportunity so I decided to apply.

Q: Can you please briefly describe your usual day-to-day tasks at the office?

A: Usually I start with doing a quick test of the system. From there I work on retesting and fixing the issues to ensure they get working again. Then I’ll enter the fixed bugs into the test manager.

Q: What has been the most valuable thing you have learned here so far?

A: I have learned, and seen firsthand, the value of a good group community atmosphere, where everyone gets along.  Teamwork is so important and makes everyone more productive.

Q:  Who would you say has been your best teacher or mentor here and why?

A: Megan Blaha, (Application Software Tester) , and James Hartley, (Application Tester),  have been a huge help to me. They are both very patient and understanding and will always take time out of what they’re doing to help me if I’m having an issue.

Q: How do you think you will be able to apply what you learn this summer to school, future interviews/jobs or life in general?

A:  I will be able to apply the newfound technical skills I have gained here to give me an edge over my peers and other applicants when interviewing for a job. I already have a skill with technology but my internship has made me more proficient in certain areas.

Q:  Has your internship taught you anything about IT that surprised you?

A: I am studying application of systems at MSU, not so much development like the team here is doing with Movers Who Care® 2, so I’ve learned a lot about how much it really takes to develop and implement a system. The huge scale of how much really goes into it was surprising.

Q: What do you believe is the best aspect of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® as a large, international company?

A:  I like the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® franchisee opportunities. Hard workers can open up a franchise and create a very successful business with it. It opens opportunities for success to a lot of people where they may not have had one before.

Q: What is one goal you hope to accomplish this summer/what do you hope to take away from your internship?

A: I hope to become proficient with many of the difficult software systems and better my technical skills so I can apply them wherever I end up working.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

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My experiences in America

Written by Fatima Kacapor

“I’m from Bosnia, take me to America …” – lyrics from Bosnian band Dubioza Kolektiv 

DSC_0933I’m Fatima Kacapor, and I’m from Bosnia and Herzegovina, country in southeastern Europe. Even though my home is across the globe, I am very familiar with many aspects of the United States, such as the country’s success and history, American movies, and American music. I’m fortunate to be part of the Jericho Foundation, an international non-profit organization dedicated to restoring HOPE in BiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina). HOPE represents four pieces: healthcare, opportunity, personal relations and education. I was so excited when I received the email from the Jericho Foundation asking me to visit America. It was a dream come true!

My journey to America

The plane is landed. I am now in Chicago and going through the airport, so close to breathing fresh air – America! I feel a little uncomfortable because it’s my first time here, and I’m so far away from my home, country, family, and friends.

***

So far, everything has been good and I am on the road to the next destination,Kalamazoo, Michigan. Two days after that, I’ll be in Lansing, Michigan.

Way of life

The way of life in America is very different than typical life in BiH. Here, everybody has their own car, and wherever they go, the car is a main mode of transportation. The temperatures in cars, houses, businesses, restaurants, and shops are even five degrees lower than the temperature outside because of air conditioners. That’s great, but my body isn’t used to that.

Each person you meet is friendly and tries their best to make you feel comfortable and welcome. What I like most in the American culture is when you do something good, people praise you, which is really uplifting!

My positive internship experience

The first company where I had the opportunity to do an internship was with the moving company, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®. I like the way they treat their employees, just like their core value, THE GRANDMA RULE®, which says: Treat everyone the way you would want your Grandma to be treated.

Each employee in the company has their own office. There are also facilities for training new employees, conferences, presentations, and so on. During the six days I spent time in the office, I had the opportunity to attend an office-wide lunch for all employees, which is held every month. It was great! The president of the company handed awards to employees who are successful in their work and introduced a plan for the new look of the company building expansion and remodel.

Being from another country and watching the work of this company and its employees, I can safely say when looking at the faces of the employees, you can see their pleasure. People are happy; they love their job and genuinely enjoy it. It’s like one big family where everyone is doing their own job in the best way they can. I really enjoyed the six days of my internship and I want to thank everyone at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® for the experience. It was truly awesome!