I applied to about 15 internships this summer. However, I didn’t receive any of them. So, I did the next best thing for a cellular neuroscience major who hates social interaction: I took a job as a receptionist at an estate planning law firm. Going into it, I felt as though it was a bad idea. I am socially awkward, hate answering phones and, while I may be interested in law, I have no intention of going into estate planning–but hey, it was a source of income.
Throughout my first week on the job, I was not expected to answer every phone call. Instead, I had to listen and learn so that I could, one day, take the phone calls, schedule appointments and deal with difficult clients. I rarely answer my cell phone (sorry, mom) and don’t remember the last time I had a conversation on it that lasted over two minutes. Needless to say, I had to develop phone skills. Even though I had a guide of what to say, which questions to ask and when to transfer the call to a paralegal or attorney, I was still terrified. My palms would sweat until the first phone call of the day, and hopefully that would just be a client simply asking to speak to his or her attorney. Now that I answer nearly every call, I am still nervous, but I am capable of getting the necessary information before asking someone else to help.
My other “big” task as a receptionist is to greet clients. Now, this one is pretty easy. Say hello, walk them to the conference room, ask them if they would like anything to drink and tell them that someone would be with them shortly. Easy enough, right? Wrong. When I actually did this correctly, it sounded scripted. And then there were other times when clients would ask me a question and I had no idea what to say, or I would stumble on my words and just look completely incompetent.
I have always kept to myself. I lived life on a “don’t ask, don’t tell,” basis and, while that may have gotten me in trouble at some points (again, sorry, mom), I still have not abandoned this mantra. I will go where I want when I want or need, not tell someone when I finish a task, etc., but I do so in a more controlled and responsible manner, alerting someone of the important things, but that would be the end of that conversation.
Obviously, adjusting to having to be more social in order to effectively complete my job was difficult. I could not always pass off these tasks to someone else who was available. I had to be prepared to calmly handle sometimes-difficult situations with stressed clients. While it was not easy, I have learned many lessons regarding the "real world" and the society in which we live. To be successful, you need to calmly handle those you encounter and be able to effectively and comfortably communicate with them, whether you want to or not. I still may be rather introverted, but I am finally a bit more comfortable having social interactions 40 hours a week.
