The Intern Files
Neil Umali - Southland Industries

They gave me an office. They gave me a laptop. I felt like I was part of the company at the very beginning. I was talking with the main boss, this is the first day.

Expectations

They were asking me what I want to get out of this internship. That was pretty awesome because that got me to really tell them, I really want to be outside also at the same time. I just don't want to be inside the office.

Challenge

They kind of see you as a junior ranking and you want to be at the top level. I guess that's one of the struggles. I know what I'm doing kind of thing, but why are you telling me this?

Contribution

I was in Caesar's Palace; it's a one billion project. It was just three of us handling the project. It's a billion project, and it's like wow! We have more than 100 workers working for us. It's such an awesome thing to be a part of that and have that trust.

Earning Trust

I was up front with them. I told them what I don't know and what I know already. In a way, I said, "Hey, you can trust me with this. I'm not going to do something that I don't know and not ask you a question and just do it by myself. If I don't know, I will get your help."

Supervisor

He was the right fit. It's not just him. You're really working with the whole company, it's not just him. I'm working with his boss, I'm working with his secretary, I'm working with his workers. So it was the whole office I was working with.

Advice

Let's say I am in fall semester, I'm going to be starting my internship in the spring. So I had really plenty of time to research the company I want and really know you want to do. And don't jump to a company just because their name is prominent. Do your research first, know what you like, build your resume. There really is a lot of time of preparation that you need to do.