Recommendations to Adapt Fast to a New Environment
My name is Ayan Nunez de Carvalho and I’m from Argentina. I’m seeking a degree in the Art Direction field and I’m currently interning at the Temple Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. This post is a short description of my experience as an intern for the Temple Athletics digital media staff. The purpose of this post is to describe the position and role that I was given within the staff and share my experience with other international students that might possibly go through the same “adventure”. I intend to share with you all some advice and recommendation that helped me to successfully integrate and adapt quickly to my new work team.
The Temple Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is one of the many departments within the Temple University institution. It is an extensive organization that seeks excellence at the Division 1-A level by improving, developing, and preparing its student-athletes for both, the sports world, the workfield, and personal life. Within the Athletics Staff Directory there are many sub-departments and there are more than 200 employees working in different areas that are in charge of making the best possible for the growth of the Temple institution. My position on the Temple Athletics digital media staff is next to the Assistant Athletics Director for Digital Media. As an intern, my responsibility is to help her to build and promote the Temple Athletics brand through social media in order to engage and grow the Temple fan base. I have to say it is a really fun job.
There is no need to say that the first day or even the first week at any new job would be a bit challenging since a lot of information would be delivered at you at once. However, keeping the focus on the tasks assigned it and being cordial to your new co-workers will help you to overcome the “adversities” during the first couple of days. Being cordial is extremely important. It is the key to start and maintain new connections and it can help a lot when trying to feel comfortable at a new place. At some point, one always needs the help of others, and maintaining a bountiful relationship would help oneself and the team. For some people it is hard to say simple things such as “hello”, “goodbye” , “how are you?” because of their timidity, but this simple phrases could have a tiny but significant effect when trying to build a relationship. Also, dress accordingly, since a first impression is very important when trying to gain other person’s confidence. Lastly, I recommend to have fun since it would make things ten times easier! Not everyone has the opportunity to work at something they love.
