Aon: One Intern in a Global Environment

On my first day, I felt overwhelmed, I was going to be working for a company with about 60,000 employees in 120 countries and they are the principal sponsor the world’s most popular football (soccer) team, Manchester United. I definitely felt like I was staring into the eyes of a beast but that quickly changed. I am finding out that the corporate world is a much friendlier and inviting environment than you would think.

In classes, I often didn’t like the team assignments or activities that we did because I felt I would be better off doing it alone, but I have learned how effective and beneficial team work can be when it is structured. No one is alone here at Aon, each department works closely with each other to produce the best results possible. And it works!  I have found out how crucial communication is because when you are working with several other people, every person must be on the same page. But because of being part of a team, I adapted so quickly and although it is still early, things are starting to become natural.

I never thought I would be able to create something that would have any real impact on the company because I am only an intern in a vast ocean of employees but one thing I am beginning to understand how such a little thing can have a domino effect. For example, I created and wrote the copy for an internal email about something great that an employee had done in their free time. The email was sent to the 800 employees at this office who each may have shared the information with another person, etc. Now that one email has turned into a great PR opportunity because the Aon name was associated with such a good cause.

Overall, I am getting a feel for the environment in the professional world and how I can contribute to it.