Week 4 (7/12-7/16) Personal Contributions

While it is not technically my fourth week at Porter Isaac, I decided to take a break with the reflections and complete my last three during my last three weeks working. It is crazy to think that in just three short weeks, I will already be leaving Porter Isaac! At this point, I have contributed to a few different major aspects of Porter Isaac’s recruiting needs. One of the biggest tasks I have consistently worked on over the course of the summer is pulling leads. This means that I research companies that could potentially be new clients for Derick. Essentially, I search for companies who are looking to fill positions that Derick has candidates for. Because Porter Isaac focuses on primarily IT and corporate recruiting, I have researched many technology companies with job openings. For the most part, I look for companies in the DC metro area, where Porter Isaac is based, but I have also pulled leads from New York as well, because Derick has worked in New York in the past and occasionally visits. The companies that I choose I then file into a database, where Derick can then sort through and contact them and see if they’re interested in hiring him as a recruiter. While this work can sometimes become a bit bland and mindless, I enjoy pulling leads and find it interesting to see what the job market looks like and what kind of companies are hiring for different kinds of positions. This kind of work has given me insights into more subtle leadership that is essential in this kind of career. Derick does not lead the company in an overbearing or snobby way. The tasks he has given me, like pulling leads for him, are also tasks that he works on on a daily basis as well. This makes me feel equally important to the company, even though I am an intern with far less knowledge than him! When I started my internship, I had only ever been exposed to companies with a very hierarchical structure; with the founders and CEOs calling all of the shots and remaining far superior to the other employees. I have found that Derick’s leadership operates on a very equality-centered basis, where he feels all employees are capable of the same tasks and have equal potential. This is not to say that Derick does not have authority or is unsuccessful as a boss, but instead, means that as a leader he does not let his power go to his head or diminish the importance of his employees. Since Porter Isaac is so small, everyone gets to feel heard and everyone is responsible for helping the tasks to get done. This is why I have loved working as an intern here, and especially pulling leads for Derick – I know I am doing work that is genuinely helpful to him and therefore my work, even as an intern, feels crucial. There is nothing worse, as an intern, than feeling useless in the office, and I have never felt this way this summer.