This personal reflection discusses the author's experience pursuing a career in account management and the lessons learned during an internship. It highlights the skills and responsibilities of an account manager and emphasizes the importance of collaboration and effective communication in this field.
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Running head: PERSONAL REFLECTION1 Personal Reflection Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation
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PERSONAL REFLECTION2 Personal Reflection Pursuing a career of your dream is the best thing that can happen to anyone. I am currently living the dream of my life. Since I was a young, I wished to one day be an Account Manager, and I have put in the necessary efforts, done the assignments required to get the maximum qualification and have currently been on an internship. The past few months I have learned I must be ready to work hard, collaborate with teammates and acquire effective communication skills to be successful in the field of Account Management. I have a few things to be done perfectly before starting to excel in this path towards the top spot in Account management. From the resent internship, I have realized that my choice was perfect because an Account Manager could be considered to be a part salesperson and partial customer service representative. But this did not scare me since I am used to doing all it takes to get the job done effectively. It is imperative to note that I have learned a lot while working as an intern at “Company Name." Everything with this company was amazing, the culture as well as the energy that was embodied and displayed by every single individual was exquisite and made it so exciting to report to work every day with an eagerness of learning something new in the incredible industry. As an intern under the mentorship of the Account Manager, I enjoyed every single minute. It took me two days to realize that an Account Manager is a connection between the company and each respective client. Therefore, as an intern, I was based in the customer relations department. The first few days were rough to me since I struggle to settle in and be part of the organisation. I had planned to practice my theoretically learned skills equipped with notes and everything that it takes. However, I was forced to watch my mentor practically apply all the theories and skills we were taught in the university. Even though theoretical knowledge was important, It had little to no effect in the field. My mentor oversaw the
PERSONAL REFLECTION3 company- customer relationship, determined the needs of the customers through examining what they want to achieve in the short term as well as long term. The information gained from this research was letter used by the Account Manager to make sure the company delivers exactly what the clients want. As an intern, my primary responsibilities were to foster client relationships, prepare presentations as well as sales pitches by working closely with the sale and marketing teams. I was expected to work under the supervision of my mentor who was willing to integrate my theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The customer relations department was to design marketing strategies as well as media proposal. As an intern, I was expected to handle the communications from the clients and under the supervision of my mentor write clients’ reports. Finally, we communicated the clients’ agendas to the rest of the staff members. Each intern was given a mentor to whom we worked under the entire internship program. I was part of the team, and my mentor allowed me to complete some daily tasks as well as attended meeting for his client accounts. It was during these few meetings that I learned that an Account Manager is also expected to monitor budgets; spending as well as revenue along with explaining all the cost factors to clients. I was very happy that my mentor could trust me to help him with completing real work for his clients. He gave me the work of identifying new clients as well as potential business opportunities along with upselling products and services. It was work that I did the entire internship period, and I could fully own all the credits. Besides working with our mentors, all the interns were split into groups to complete as well as present two intern projects. One of the tasks was a theoretical product innovation which we were expected to present to the client. The other task was to develop a launch activation which the customer would implement in the next few months. It was fun and an experience to remember to be able to collaboratively work with other interns as well as
PERSONAL REFLECTION4 witness the difference in skillsets every individual came with to the table. Therefore, between the experience gained and all the employees, I was able to interact and work with, this internship has exceeded my expectation. I realized that collaboration and effective communication is what made a successful Account Manager.This was the reason my internship was a success since I incorporated my learning contract decisions to control my mode of communication to advise my mentor, as well as other employees, help shape my career. Therefore, I performed regular checks of my work with my mentor and kept a record of my observations during the entire internship period. I took the advice and help from my fellow teammates and interns, and I am planning to implement it in improving my skillset in the future. The internship was more than an experience since I have learned that I have higher employability skills in the field of Account Management. I learned from my mentor that having strong interpersonal skills such as emotional intelligence, empathy, flexibility, and verbal skills are enough for one to succeed in this field. These skills alone are enough to make up for the weaknesses in other abilities. I am confident that I can succeed in this field because I have the necessary skills as indicated in my internship evaluation report. My internship evaluation report indicated that I am a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual with enhanced abilities to learn. Some of my other positive skills that predict my success are the ability to apply team building skills in a result-oriented manner. My adaptability to new concepts and unique way of responding to things differently to communicate with clients was also noted as an added advantage. Nonetheless, I need to develop my judgemental skills and perfect, effective communication abilities. An Account Manager is expected to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Therefore, I must not only communicate effectively but also strategically. It is clear that responsible decision-making needs strong commercial judgement
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PERSONAL REFLECTION5 skills, which requires in-depth knowledge of the business as well as the application of strategies. Along with the knowledge I had gained from my core studies real-world knowledge was essential in enhancing my understanding and boosting my judgemental skills. Above all, I need to develop a strong personal brand through strengthening my social media presence, professional profiles as well as personal websites so that I can perfectly manage my public view hence showcasing important skills required to represent a client successfully. In conclusion, the internship experience has been a major eye-opener for me. I now understand what I am supposed to do to succeed in the career path that I have chosen. The internship was a success since it increased my external connections and boosted my chances of getting an entry job after graduation. As a student, connect with your professors as well as learn and retain as much information as possible. The professors might connect you to the outside world, but the retained information from normal classroom course will help you thrive.I have to admit that the work of an Account Manager is more demanding than I expected while first venturing into this career path. However, the few months have embedded a thirst if becoming successful in this field and I am more determined than ever to finalize my education so that I can be well equipped with enough theoretical knowledge to handle all the responsibility that comes with the career.With strategic communication, an Account Manager could effectively access all the opportunities in the market. However, combining passion, theoretical knowledge and practical experience makes one an instant success in the carrier of Account Management. Internship Evaluation Report Student’s Namecarried out an internship atCompany’s Name, Australia, in the Account Management internship program during the year 2018-2019. The organisation is pleased to share this report on the general performance of the intern. We placed him in the
PERSONAL REFLECTION6 Customer Relations department. The intern was allocated tasks based on the functions of the department. He effectively coordinated with the sales and marketing team while serving the clients. Therefore, his work was highly satisfactory and valuable to our organisation. As an enthusiastic, intelligent and highly motivated individual, he worked with teammates with an eagerness to learn, understand as well as apply all the skills learned in a positive and result oriented way. The intern is adaptable to new ideas and performs his task in a unique way that suits the expectations of the clients and the stakeholders. We found him observant, intelligent and eager to learn with a willingness of going beyond the assigned work. Generally, the intern accomplished all the assigned tasks while delivering quality and timely work. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours References Allen, M. (2016). Strategic communication for sustainable organizations.Theory and Practice. Fayetteville, USA: University of Arkansas. Bush, S., Jung, E., & Knight, H. (2016).U.S. Patent Application No. 14/921,967.
PERSONAL REFLECTION7 Casas‐Arce, P. A. B. L. O., Lourenço, S. M., & MARTÍNEZ‐JEREZ, F. A. (2017). The performance effect of feedback frequency and detail: evidence from a field experiment in customer satisfaction.Journal of Accounting Research,55(5), 1051- 1088. Falkheimer, J., Heide, M., Nothhaft, H., von Platen, S., Simonsson, C., & Andersson, R. (2017). Is Strategic Communication too important to be left to Communication Professionals?: Managers’ and coworkers’ attitudes towards strategic communication and communication professionals.Public Relations Review,43(1), 91-101. Guenzi, P., & Storbacka, K. (2015). The organizational implications of implementing key account management: A case-based examination.Industrial Marketing Management,45, 84-97. Henderson, K. (2019, February 12). Duties & Responsibilities of an Account Manager. Retrieved May 12, 2019, fromhttps://smallbusiness.chron.com/duties- responsibilities-account-manager-875.html Kearns, K. P., Livingston, J., Scherer, S., & McShane, L. (2015). Leadership skills as construed by nonprofit chief executives.Leadership & organisation development Journal,36(6), 712-727. Murphy, L. E., & Coughlan, J. P. (2018). Does it pay to be proactive? Testing proactiveness and the joint effect of internal and external collaboration on key account manager performance.Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management,38(2), 205-219. Talley, J. (2016, June 16). What Does an Account Manager Do? Retrieved May 12, 2019, fromhttps://www.mediabistro.com/climb-the-ladder/skills-expertise/what-does-an- account-manager-do/ Tzempelikos, N., & Gounaris, S. (2015). Linking key account management practices to performance outcomes.Industrial Marketing Management,45, 22-34.
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PERSONAL REFLECTION8 Yip, G. S. (2018). Hewlett Packard: a pioneering approach to global account management.The Business & Management Collection. Yu, A., Lumpkin, G. T., Praveen Parboteeah, K., & Stambaugh, J. E. (2019). Autonomy and family business performance: The joint effect of environmental dynamism and national culture.International Small Business Journal,37(2), 153-185.