Carly Rahn

Responsibilities

As a Corporate Services Intern for Renewable Energy Group, I work on a five person team that manages facility operations at our three buildings. Some of my daily tasks include: - Assisting with receiving and dispatching of work requests to technical staff, vendors or other services providers - Utilizing JD Edwards and Perceptive Content to process and submit purchase orders - Vehicle fleet management and acquisition - Meeting and event space management

Accomplishments

During my internship, I had the opportunity to create an entirely new reservation system for the large event space inside REG headquarters. I also helped write internal and external event policies for the companies buildings. This was my greatest accomplishment because I was able to see how it directly impacts all of the employees within the Ames office.

Learning experience

My greatest lessons learned were that it is okay to ask for help when you need it and that a work life balance is important. Starting off at a new job, it can often feel like you need to know everything. Working in this position has taught me that there are no bad questions and that you are better off asking than struggling through a task. Learning that a work life balance is important was probably the hardest thing for me. In my role, I wanted to impress my coworkers and go above and beyond. Having that attitude is okay, but it is also important to take time for yourself and make the most of the time you are out of the office. Now I recognize that after a full day of work, it is okay to go home and focus on myself instead of thinking what I should do at work the next day.

What advice would you give?

My advice for future students in my major is to network and make connections. My experience at REG has been amazing because of my coworkers making the experience great. You never know who may be working at a company five years down the line when you are looking for a job and connections are more valuable than any skill you can put on your resume.