TAMPA INTERNSHIP
And Travels: Summer 2013
And then there were 600!
Today was a big day where I work.
A big day that the HR team, and many others, had been working towards swiftly but silently for many weeks.
And a day that I am so glad to have experienced.
Today, we acquired a company! The deal was actually signed yesterday, but it was announced to both the new team members & the the current ones today during a round of meetings, emails and phone calls.
For the aquirees, I can imagine today was a little shocking. They showed up for what they thought was their annual company meeting only to find out SURPRISE - your company is now part of another. Careful steps have been taken so that things important to employee happiness and productivity, ie. office setting and benefits, don’t change instantaneously. It will honestly be business as usual for around the first 90 days. Steps have also been taken to merge them into the culture, including a planned happy hour.
Our director told us two weeks ago, after a vague email came out from the CEO about moving forward with strategy, that on July 1st the deal would be signed to add a company that works in the ‘human capital sphere,’ for whom we are currently a client, to the business units. For our company, this means an expansion of offerings and a stronger positioning when it comes to ‘why choose us.’
My fingers have never flown as fast on the keyboard as they have in the last two weeks. On-boarding 60 people without anyone noticing is a James-Bond worthy task. If anyone had been paying attention they would have seen our director frantically speed walking multiple times back into the HR den to stop some mild disaster & that the door to the HR cave of solitude was closed a lot more than usual. (We’re back by the CEO and people in the know anyhow, so no one cared). While fighting with spreadsheets, name discrepancies and ‘what in the world is going on with these benefits’ thoughts, we also had to carry on business as usual. I played a big part in launching the annual appraisal process - ironically on the platform created by the acquired company - which was plenty of mind bending work in itself.
I think I was the most excited one in the office today. Why? I’m not really sure, but I recognize what amazing exposure I am getting to the real world of business. Mother dearest said today “you are learning things that you do not even realize.” I am so thankful.
sn 1: And yes, I’ve started using we - it feels nice to be part of a team.
sn 2: You’ve probably noticed that I haven’t told you who I work for or who we acquired. It’s not a secret, there were press releases involved, but I will more than likely never mention the company name in a post, out of a respect for work-life separation, and in case I ever say something that the company as a whole might not agree with. The point still comes across loud and clear without that one detail.
Bucket List Update
I’ve got plenty left to do and just over a month to do it!
1. Visit the Dali Museum
2. Go to the Aquarium
3. Explore Ybor
4. Ride some roller coasters at Busch Gardens
5. Go to the Hyde Park Farmers market
7. Spend time on Siesta Key
8. Eat at Wat Mongkolratanaram Buddhist Temple
9. Take a tour of the Yuengling Brewery
10. Wonder at the Chihuly Collection
11. Brave Fort De Soto
12. Suntan on Clearwater Beach
13. Eat at The Colombia
14. Shop at International Plaza
15. Visit the Vinoy and Birchwood
16. Eat at Ceviche
Weekend Wisdom: Southern Hospitality
To continue the theme of kindness popping up everywhere around me this summer, I spent this past weekend in one of the kindest places I’ve ever been.
I was visiting my sweet friend Anna in Fayetteville, Arkansas, home of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. More hippie/indie than small town southern, Fayetteville has gorgeous historic buildings laid out in a very walkable setting. I enjoyed visiting the unique boutiques and restaurants & regret not picking up a souvenir tank at Fayettechill, a kind of outfitters store with great graphic prints. Lunch consisted of gourmet grilled cheese one day and local fried chicken another. It ain’t the south without some calories y’all.
What struck me as the weekend went by was how considerate everyone was. Making eye contact with strangers wasn’t avoided like the plague, jokes and little comments were traded in passing & excuse me’s rang out in gentle southern accents. Everyone I met shook my hand and looked genuinely pleased (if for nothing more than a good southern mama’s training) to meet me, holding conversation instead of looking down at their phone or jetting away as soon as possible. I left thinking, I could get used to this and I should try this.
Was this my first time in the South? Absolutely not, but I had never experienced good southern hospitality outside my beloved Kentucky, where people who have known me since childhood are expected to love me.
A word of advice, if I may, to the rest of the world not born with sweet tea running through your veins:
Put down the eye daggers, shake someone’s hand and smile at a stranger. You’ll feel better and so will everyone else around you.
The Kitchen Chronicles: Your Next Meal
I can officially report that I have now become one with the kitchen appliances. They just needed some tender loving care and for me to be more patient.
In my recent I-CAN-feed-myself attitude, I’ve invented some great recipes. This one, the easiest and most tasty yet, is one all interns, chefs for one, or tiny kitchen dwellers should try.
Why should you eat this?
- The darker the green, the healthier the body
- No meat cooking required
- No added oil calories
Step One: Bring a pot of water to boil with the help of some salt. Add large heaps of kale, turn down to a simmer, and cook until tender (like you would spinach, only kale is exciting and spinach is not). Drain the ‘must have lost some chlorophyll’ colored water and set aside. This can be done days in advance.
Step Two: Drop a half a cup of fresh salsa (I like La Mexicana in Medium) with some liquid into a pan that you heated medium high. Let sizzle for a minute. If you’re going to at least pretend you’re an adult, upgrade from Tostitos and Pace salsa
Step Three: Add about two cups of kale (based on how modern Popeye you are feeling that day) to the hot salsa. Open a can of tuna and add either half or the whole can. Shuffle everything around until it is good and hot.
Step Four: Transfer the easiest meal you ever made to a plate. Top with a reasonable amount of cheese like a quarter cup - clogged arteries are not the goal - and microwave till melted. Serves great with a fork or tortilla chip.
Bonus Step Five: Scoop some olives into the still hot pan, turn it up to high, and prepare to experience the glory that is a pan-seared olive.
Might I entice you with a blurry food shot?
(1) Unread Message
McKinsey & Company reported in July 2012 that 28% of a professional’s work week is spent answering and sending emails. They’re important and therefore, they are important to get right the first time.
Here are a few rules I’ve learned in the last month… Some from great examples of how to do it right… Many from great examples of how to do it poorly.
- Be concise. Cut it down to three sentences if you can.
- Still be thorough. I spent 45 minutes today trying to figure out which employee another was referring to because a. in a bit of frustration she typed out the first name that popped in her head (the wrong one) & b. she didn’t include a last name. No one is going to be offended that you gave them details they already know.
- Be a little kinder then necessary. You never know how someone’s day is going and therefore what tone they will read your email in.
- Try to avoid assigning a tone to a set of words on a screen. The reply probably did not intend to scold 'stupid intern you should have explained that and not made a typo," but
myyour tiny bit of insecurity asIyou establish a place in the office might makemeyou see it as if it were in big, bold, red letters. - An extra please never killed anyone - especially if your emails are outward facing. (My HR co-worker guru women are great at this).
- A salutation and a closing take little time but make big impact. After a few exchanges, it is safe to drop one or the other, and eventually both.
- It is not always necessary to sound like a robot. [Insert name here]
- One thank you email is enough.
- A nice blue font color is tres-chic.
- Smileys actually aren’t prohibited, and often welcome amongst the drudgery. *depends on the company culture*
- If you send the same email over and over again, make a template. In my case, I fiddle with weekly emails so that details don’t get lost by the recipient assuming what is normally there is a there again.
- *Bonus IM Rule* - If someone is in a meeting, and it can wait, let it wait. The system we use at work, Lync, even indicates when that person will be free.
Experienced professionals and newbies a-like… do you agree? Disagree? Share your tips for work emails in the comments section!
This weekend was a stay-cation for the Sykes family! We spent saturday and sunday in downtown Saint Petersburg to celebrate Father’s Day. In the shadow of the Vinoy, the area is mix of classic glory from an era-gone by with modern draws like a Chihuly glass collection, enticing street side dining and a world-renown Dali museum. We thoroughly enjoyed strolling the main street & hoping on the trolley tour given by an adorable old man. Mom and I even napped by the pool! Saturday night we took at side-trip back to Spain at Ceviche, a very authentic tapas a restaurant. It was a true Sykes trip, with its share of banter, life chats, and calories.
Dinner for One (Intern)
The stove and I became friends tonight thanks to this lovely dish! It’s great for one person, is easy, and is one of the tastiest meals I’ve ever made.
This recipe is my own! I think all of the food blogs / food shows / food everything are finally sinking in.
Recipe:
1. Dice onion to your taste and add to a skillet on medium-low heat with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. (I love onion so I added about a quarter cup)
2. Cut one small tomato into medium sized chunks and add to pan along with salt and pepper. Allow to cook for a bit and then mash tomato. (The goal here is to cook till everything is soft and the majority tomato gut liquid is gone)
3. Add your serving of pasta (mine was large as I was trying to use it up) to the pan to allow it to heat and absorb some of the flavor. Add a little more olive oil.
4. Once your pasta is hot, transfer food to plate and top with a generous helping of feta cheese!
Optional steps:
5. Eat while looking at my favorite website www.foodgawker.com
(The oven and I still aren’t speaking)
My day. In kittehs.
& yes, I did enjoy shredding as much as these fur balls.
It was a nice break from the filing.
The Kitchen Chronicles: lunch edition is much more pleasant! All packed up and ready to be carried off to work.
The Kitchen Chronicles
Day One: an attempt to feed myself on one trip to the grocery store
Cliff notes version: Not going so well.
1. The fire alarm must be a teenage girl: it is uber sensitive and has gone off three times in my last 30 minutes of cooking. This has resulted in me quickly diving into the oven to grab pans, barely escaping the singe of the heating element. The broccoli has been in there for a while unsupervised because I’m to scared to open the door.
2. In an attempt to stop the teenage cries of the alarm I opened the porch door and am now in hot pursuit of one uninvited fly. (Oh spotted another. TWO uninvited flies).
3. The oven on the other hand appears to be way below temperature, leaving me under-concerned for the well-being of the broccoli.
4. I bought two pounds of tilapia thinking “healthy! easy!” and have quickly discovered it tastes like… well… nothing. But according to all the fancy food blogs out there its a great canvas. Which in my case means it will continue to taste like almost nothing even if I give it my best go with my measly assortment of spices
(Checked the broccoli, if you were concerned, it is doing just fine.)
5. My family is famous for yummy asparagus, an asparagus I have made many a time, an asparagus I have been complimented for a handful of times, and an asparagus I have just managed to ruin. It is as if the kitchen has sucked all of the Sykes-Sparr cooking genes out of me.
Overdramatic? Yes.
Realistic? Actually yes.
The end of the world? Absolutely not.I’m thankful to have food to mess up and a kitchen to gripe about. I’ve got lunch and dinner for the next couple days prepped pretty well.
Send me your recipes and I’ll see if me and my kitchen can learn to love each other with practice
Sad-sparagus
.
A (working) Bucket List
There’s no time like the present to make a bucket list. My goal whenever I spend an extended amount of time somewhere is to leave really knowing what it is like. This is what I’ve gathered, so far, that I must/want to do while in the Tampa area!
Are you from around here or have you had a wonderful experience you’d recommend? Send recommendations my way!
1. Visit the Dali Museum
2. Go to the Aquarium
3. Explore Ybor
4. Ride some roller coasters at Busch Gardens
5. Go to the Hyde Park Farmers market
7. Spend time on Siesta Key
8. Eat at Wat Mongkolratanaram Buddhist Temple
9. Take a tour of the Yuengling Brewery
10. Wonder at the Chihuly Collection
11. Brave Fort De Soto
12. Suntan on Clearwater Beach
13. Eat at The Colombia
14. Shop at International Plaza
Fourteen major to-do’s after work, on limited weekends and in between online lectures? Challenge accepted.
Wrap up: Week One
The main lesson I learned this week is that 40 hours is exhausting when you aren’t use to it. I napped! I thought working people somehow magically grew out of naps? And I know I wasn’t the only intern surprised by this.
I’d say the introduction I got to Human Resources was from the director-level: confidential meetings about 401k performance, FSA discussions, immigration paper processing & lunch and dinner meetings… I don’t know if my experiences will continue along this trend but it was nice to start out with a motivational ‘work hard and this is where you will end up’ view.
(alas alack, I started filing and shredding on Friday)
I’m also taking a summer course, Business Law (who would I be if I didn’t bite off more than I could chew?) and haven’t found time to work on it yet but that will have to change if I am to pass.
Week Two: an attempt to feed myself on one trip to the grocery store, is what you can look forward to for next week!
1. Go to grocery store (check)
2. Cook food (coming up)
3. Post pictures and reviews of my recipes for adoring fans (aren’t you excited?)
Day 4: I commandeered the office of a director
Day 5: I became CEO
(Unfortunately, the real story is much less glamorous. I don’t have a real seat yet so I sit wherever is empty and near the HR group.)
“Even in an office, walls are of little use. He IMed me the other day and I responded…verbally”