My Journey to The Company Cebu: First Impression After Two Weeks

The workload seemed like the most challenging part of an internship to me. As it turned out, just choosing where to go next caused a lot of stress, joy, and overthinking. I felt the pressure even before I stepped into The Company Cebu.

My journey didn’t start with stepping into the office for an interview or being assigned tasks. It began much earlier, with the search for an internship itself. By January, I was already feeling the pressure, knowing that some of my classmates had secured spots as early as December, just as our advisor had told us to do. The clock was ticking, and I couldn’t help but wonder—was I already too late?

When I emailed The Company Cebu, I had already sent applications to at least two other companies. One promised to endorse my resume to HR but never followed up, while the other didn’t respond. Desperate for options, my friends and I took matters into our own hands—literally walking through Ayala and IT Park, hoping to find companies willing to take interns. 

After a stressful job search, I was thrilled to discover The Company Cebu. Its proximity to my university, the positive feedback from classmates, and the focus on creative collaboration made it the perfect fit.

Fast-forward to the day of my interview, and I was in front of the Mabuhay Tower.

I remember pacing back and forth, trying to calm myself, and looking at the notes I wrote beforehand. 

Then, a few minutes before the interview, I was lucky to meet a client I spoke to. Though I never got to know his name, I remember talking about his business and how I was here at The Company Cebu for an interview for my internship. 

Talking to that client made me feel less tense and less nervous about the interview, which I was thankful for as it allowed me to think straight and answer Ate Nickie’s questions more calmly. That interaction with the client and the interview with Ate Nickie made me sure that I would want to work in this environment with these people for my internship.

Officially an Intern

Stepping inside the office, now officially an intern, was a surreal experience. 

Nothing could quite prepare me for the quick passage of time during my first weeks of internship. As I was led to my onboarding, I settled on the tasks I would be doing, things I should take note of, and just getting to know the people there.

I first helped my fellow marketing interns, King and Steven (also my classmates from university), shoot their reels. Then, I researched what topics we could focus our blogs on and pitched it through a message to Ate Ruthie, our supervisor. I was hesitant to pitch it at first, as I was just starting, and what I may be pitching might not be what our supervisor was looking for. To my surprise (and excitement!) Ate Ruthie was very enthusiastic with her response, which made me feel more eager and satisfied that I could contribute something to the team.

Then, I met the other interns, like Al and Ansh, the HR interns I met for my onboarding, who were very friendly (and tall!), and Ness, the accounting intern whose laughter was contagious; you can’t help but smile with her. 

I also met Kuya Joseph again, my senior at the university, who welcomed me to the team and wished me luck with my internship. Seeing a friendly face in the crowd of (still) unfamiliar people was comforting, as I was still a bit shy with people I did not know yet. But seeing Kuya Joseph and my friends Steven and King with me on this internship eased the awkwardness I usually feel with others. 

However, it was not until the company dinner that I got to know the team behind The Company Cebu. There was Sir Lanz, who was a very cheerful person and who I always saw as smiling; there was Miss Lady, who was very considerate and always asked us how we were doing, and Miss Joy, who I was seated next to whose laughter made me feel at ease and less tense (it was a company dinner, which I was very nervous about, as I had watched kdramas where company dinners could become very awkward and all).

Meeting our Supervisor

It wasn’t until a few more days that I physically met our marketing intern supervisor, Ate Ruthie. To be honest, she wasn’t what I was expecting. Ate Ruthie was so bubbly and charming that I was immediately at ease with her and felt that she was very approachable.

Her signature 👉👈 during our conversations was very refreshing and new, as I had not conversed with anyone who also used the same pose. Her approachability made me more open to discussing the deliverables or tasks she assigned. During a meeting for the meeting room promo campaign, Ate Ruthie repeatedly assured us that we could always approach her if there were issues or concerns we wanted to raise. Though we haven’t had many interactions, I could say that Ate Ruthie is very reliable (and cute), as she always replies within the day and does deliver on what she says, like when Ate Ruthie told us that she would update our trackers so that we are aware of our deadlines, and when she would check on our deliverables.

I look forward to getting to know her better and working with her on the tasks the other interns, and I have been assigned to. 

Meeting Ate Ruthie, our supervisor, made me reflect on what I have done so far and how I feel towards everything that has happened. The weeks had been hectic, and sometimes, I am shocked at how fast time flies during the internship. In a short time, I worked on many things, like creating videos, editing them into reels, creating posts and captions for social media, and brainstorming with the other interns for our milestone project.

It had been hectic, but it was productive and fulfilling. Shooting my own videos tested not just my phone storage, but also my creative juices; the brainstorming with the interns was fun as seeing the ideas take shape for our milestone projects was amazing and exciting at the same time. It made me feel alive and ready, eager for more to learn and gain more experience to stretch my limits. It is the same feeling that I felt in my previous internship. Every day, there was a new thing to be done, a new place to go, and new people to meet. I may be tired and drained after my internship hours, especially after going through transportation (where I have to ride twice to reach my destination).

Still, I feel fulfilled, with a sense of purpose that I had also felt during my last internship. It is this feeling that I realized is what would perfectly describe my first two weeks as a marketing intern. And I honestly cannot wait for what my internship at The Company Cebu has in store for me for the rest of my stay here as an intern. 

These first two weeks at The Company Cebu have shown me the strength of a supportive and collaborative work environment.  I’m excited to continue learning, growing, and contributing to this amazing community.