Expectations vs. Reality!

Hi Everyone! My name is Hannah, and I am a senior at Temple majoring in Advertising following the account management track. Three weeks ago I started a sales internship with Henry Schein’s dental division. Henry Schein is the worlds largest distributor of healthcare products and services!

Before starting this internship I’ve always had an interest in pursuing a career in professional sales because I’m very personable, competitive and determined. I also admire the success of my family members and friends who make a killing in professional sales!

I was super excited to start this internship with Schein because it would give me the opportunity to understand and experience a career in professional sales before graduating college.

It has been five weeks since I started my internship program and I have learned an unbelievable amount of new material within the dental industry and professional sales world! This internship is extremely different than any other job or internship for several reasons but it’s different mainly because I am actually gaining real sales experience. I do not have a set schedule or report to an office everyday; I set my own schedule and am solely responsible for completing the tasks that were assigned to me at the beginning of the summer.

I “cold-call”(visit) hundreds of dentist offices in PA, NJ and DE, to try attain a lead or a second meeting with an office manager or doctor to try and gain their business for Henry Schein. Although I knew what to expect with a sales position, I didn’t understand that the constant rejection and lack of respect from dental office employees would have such a great effect on how I feel day-to-day. I have been successful in several aspects of this internship program however, recently, I haven’t been feeling confident about pursuing a career in professional sales because of my experience so-far.

For the rest of the summer I will continue to work hard, stay positive and and preserve!

For all of those reading, it is crucial to gain experience and a good understanding of the industry or job position you are interested in BEFORE graduating. Obviously, internships look great on a resume but more importantly any type of job experience allows you to learn what careers you do and do not want to pursue.

Needless to say I am very grateful to receive experience in professional sales before graduating college!