Let the Games Begin!

Tomorrow marks the start of Protiviti’s 2016 Intern Program, as over 200 interns will make their way to Orlando, FL.  Not even Tropical Storm Colin can keep us from kicking off a successful program and we wish all of our interns safe travels, rain or shine!

Later this summer, the world will celebrate the Olympic games, and in many ways I can draw parallels between that event and the experience that our interns are about to have here at Protiviti.

How, you ask?

Top Five Ways That The Protiviti Internship Is A Lot Like The Olympics

#1  The Opening Ceremony

The opening ceremony for the Olympic games is always one of pomp and circumstance, of spectacular choreography and the highest quality entertainment.  This is exactly how I would describe the interns’ start at Protiviti.  We will spend our time in Orlando networking, learning, exploring – and of course mingling with everyone from peers to facilitators to the CEO and Executive Team.  Between intern orientation and The Intern Challenge training, our interns will ring in the internship with gusto.  By the end of their first full week, the interns will feel informed, integrated, and inspired for what lies ahead.

#2  A Celebration of Diversity

One of the best things about the Olympics is that it brings together people from all over the map.  The same thing happens with our intern program!  Our interns represent a diverse group of individuals with academic and athletic commitments, extracurricular leadership roles, scholarships, full-time jobs, rock bands, charitable causes, and an endless list of pursuits and interests.  Like the Olympics, the internship provides an opportunity to appreciate and learn from one another.

#3  Tackling A Variety Of Challenges

With every Olympic games, I feel like I discover or rediscover a sport (modern pentathlon, anyone??).  There are so many challenges and exciting ways for athletes to test themselves as individuals and teams.  The same can be said for consulting, and I mean this in the best possible way – the internship is a time of tackling challenges, learning from mistakes, gaining new insights, and developing skills.  There is no shortage of sports metaphors to describe what we do.  It is all about synchronizing your routine, overcoming hurdles, and sticking that landing!

#4  Achieving Milestones

Through all the competition and obstacles, the best moments in the Olympic games are when athletes achieve true greatness.  They make the hard work worthwhile, and they give us a chance to recognize and reward a job well done.  These are also the moments that make the internship so special.  What will your big breakthrough moment be?  Attending your first client meeting?  Receiving your first project evaluation?  Meeting with the lead managing director for your office?  We are so excited to watch our interns achieve their unique goals!

#5  It Takes A Village

OK, this one is a little bit of a stretch, but bear with me.  Athletes live in the Olympic Village during their time at the games.  Not being a world-class athlete myself, I can only imagine that this is a place of amazing support and camaraderie where teammates are cheering one another on 24/7.  So if that truly is the case, then it is not unlike the environment here at Protiviti, where every single individual is committed to helping one another succeed.  From the project manager to the career advisor to the managing director to the campus recruiter, the Protiviti community rallies around our intern program.  We work hard to make sure our interns have a meaningful summer from start to finish.

With all that being said, let the games begin!

–Bridget