Working as a Corporate Accounting Intern - Essay Example

(Your 31 December 2009 I started working as a Corporate Accounting Intern at the Korea Pohang Cable TV Co., Ltd. from (date). It lasted for three months, till (date) to be exact, and was an unpaid internship. My duties were manifold, as listed in the job description that I was handed: I had to assist the Chief Financial Officer, or CFO, with his annual audit preparation, along with helping the Assistant CFO in organizing the employee files. Moreover, I had to make sure that all the bills were paid on time, and taking deposits to the bank whenever it was required. I had to update the vendor files and the internal financial folders and binders, as well as ensuring that all files were kept in order, of course, I also had to file myself whenever needed. It did not end there; I was also required to perform any other projects that would be assigned to me. During my tenure as the intern, I tried to perform all of these duties as well as I possibly could, and learn as much as I could from the same. I have to admit that filing was not one of my strongest suits, however, through the internship, I managed to hone my filing skills, so to speak. But, of course, that was not all I learned. While assisting the Chief Financial Officer in the preparation of an annual audit, I learned the intricacies of such an audit: how and where to start, and what resources to utilize during the preparation. The fact that I was working with both the CFO and his Assistant was a great boon for me; I am majoring in accounting and plan on sitting for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) exam some time soon, thus, becoming a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) myself. The opportunity to work as a Corporate Accounting Intern, hence, not only taught me what was to be expected from me as an accountant in the future, but the fact that I assisted CPAs also granted me an insight into the mind of an accountant. This will prove to be of great value to me once I enter the professional field myself; I feel I will be a step ahead from those who have not had the same opportunity as I have had through this internship. This internship, I feel, would provide a stepping stone for me once I enter the job market; prospective employers normally take the related experience of the applicant/candidate into account while hiring. This internship, I believe, has given me enough relevant experience to be noted above my peers, come the time for employment. I can, in a way, say that the internship has laid down the foundation of my career, as I will be further building on the knowledge, experience and insight I gained through this, of course, excluding what I have learned in the courses I have taken as a student. When I started working, it was quite hard for me to adjust to the rigors of the professional world of accounting. Being a student, I was not used to working so hard and for so long in an office; my working hours were from 9am till 6pm. However, within a week I had adapted enough to be able to perform my work with ease, and had adjusted into the office routine. Other workers also helped me in getting accustomed to my work as well as helped me in familiarizing myself around the office. I was given a tour of the office on my first day and was also introduced to the other workers: my colleagues. I did not know what to expect at first, though I did have some negative images of what working in an office would be like: there would be lots of office politics, everyone would be trying to get ahead of each other; ideas I must have picked up from watching too many television shows perhaps. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that none of this held true at my office. This is not to say that there was no office politics at all, or that everyone was extremely nice to everyone else all the time, but what I mean to point out is that nothing so unpleasant occurred to, or around, me; I did not even observe any such activity. The employees were very cordial to me, and to one another, and they went out of their way to be helpful to me, thus enabling me to learn as much as possible without being distracted by matters unrelated to my work. Generally, a group of us would take our lunch break together and go some place to eat. This fostered a general sense of camaraderie amongst us. I do not mean that all of us became close friends, but we did socialize with one another. This helped in improving our work quality, at least it did mine, as the socializing generally lifted my spirits somewhat and helped me focus at my work better as there were generally no bad feelings lingering in the air to distract me. The CFO and the Assistant CFO also proved to be very pleasant individuals, helping me learn more and teaching and correcting me patiently. I say “correcting me” because there were a lot of times when I made mistakes as I had little to no experience of working in the field of accounting. However, I would mention here that the CFO was a hard taskmaster: a perfectionist, the CFO wanted all the work to be impeccable. This is not to say that there was no room for mistakes, the fact that my mistakes were overlooked and/or corrected prove testament to the fact, but that once I was taught how to do something correctly, I was expected not to make any similar mistakes. Overall, it was a very good experience for me. I learned a lot that I would not have been able to learn had I not had the chance to intern. I was expecting to come out of the internship with some knowledge about how accountants work and how things get done in the world of accounting, but I was surprised to find that I ended up learning much more than that. This chance proved to be not only of great significance because of the work related experience and knowledge, but also because I learned a lot about personal interaction with people. I have learned how to carry myself professionally as well as on a personal level at work. I also improved upon my communicational skills; I can now better express myself in a professional capacity, and I can also now communicate well with my colleagues on a personal level. The internship has proven to be much more helpful in my professional growth than I had earlier envisioned: I know now what to expect in the work place as well as know how to cope with professional matters in a better way. This experience is of immense value to me and has enabled me to better myself professionally as well as personally. It is an experience that I will cherish because, as I said before, it has helped me lay the foundation of my professional CPA career. [Your Name] [Street Address] [City, ST ZIP Code] December 31, 2009 Imlak Jung [Title] Korea Pohang Cable TV Co., Ltd. Kyungbuk Pohangsi Namgu Daedodong 135-150, South Korea. Dear Mr. Jung: I am writing here to thank you for the internship opportunity given to me and the experience the same opportunity afforded me. The internship has taught me a lot; I have learned how to carry myself in the professional world. I am, now, better informed as to what to expect once I become a CPA myself. The internship has taught me the inner workings of the world of accounting and I have gained immense knowledge by working with the CFO and the Assistant CFO. Moreover, I can file better now, something I was not so good at before this internship. Moreover, I have also grown personally through this opportunity. I have developed better interpersonal and communicational skills. Something considered an added bonus, if not an asset. Altogether it was a wonderful experience and, because of it, I feel I have gained a step above my peers; once I enter the job market most prospective employers will feel that my internship gives me enough of an added advantage to be considered more seriously than those who have not had such an opportunity. I am, again, thankful to you for this experience. Sincerely, [Your Name] Read More