From Getting Coffee to Getting Clients

My search for a summer job in the legal field started back in March with very low expectations. My career counselor was very clear — as a freshman, I should expect nothing, and not be surprised if the job was less than that. I had made my peace with the fact that most likely, my summer would be spent getting coffee for the person in charge of getting coffee for the boss.

After much searching, I stumbled upon Yacobi Law, APC, a small, relatively new estate planning firm. The addendum piqued my interest, so I sent in my resume and cover letter. Two Skype interviews and a couple of emails later, I had secured what I thought was a part time, unpaid internship in Beverly Hills.

I walked into my first day of work only to discover that the lead attorney, Rozita Yacobi, had lost her assistant. She asked me if I felt comfortable stepping in until she found a replacement.

I immediately jumped at the opportunity, what harm would a couple days be? Beats making coffee, I thought. Without any warning, a couple days filling in quickly turned into a full-time gig and my summer internship took-off.

On any given day, I was Rozi’s assistant, client services director, marketing manager or some blend of the three. With this new found responsibility also came a fear of losing it, so I made one promise to myself: I will not let Rozi down.

In short, I said yes to everything, even when I had no idea how I was going to accomplish it. It didn’t matter whether I was translating documents from Spanish (a language I do not speak) to English, designing and sending both quarterly papers and weekly newsletters, or acting as a witness on a final trust — I never said no. To say I was out of my comfort zone would be an understatement; I had little to no experience and had to rely on my instincts. I doubted whether or not I was truly the right fit for the job.

So what changed? I was sitting at my desk one day, with a huge to-do list staring back at me, nervous as ever, when I thought: I just stumbled into an incredible opportunity and it would be stupid of me not to dive in head first.

Rozi is an incredible mentor, teacher and boss. With her support, I turned my fear of inadequacy into a fire that drove me to success, and turned my part-time, unpaid summer internship of getting coffee for the person who gets coffee, into an unparalleled opportunity that gave me an experience I could never have anticipated.

Though I definitely have a lot more to learn, I gained experience this summer in a number of areas including client services, marketing, office management and legal services. However, my biggest takeaway is a mantra that I will hold onto for the rest of my professional career.

Be Scrappy. When I was asked to translate a document from Spanish into English, even though the only foreign language I know is conversational French, I called every Spanish-speaker I knew for help and got it done. Resourcefulness is just as important — if not more — than innate skill.

Convert Your Fear into Fire. When I first realized that my “few days of filling in” were turning into my summer, I panicked. I felt this fear of inadequacy bubbling up from my core. But I took that fear and used it to my advantage. I turned it into a fire, and that fire drove me to work harder, do more and be better. Doubt and fear come with the territory of starting out — and just being — in the professional world. It’s how you overcome that fear that will determine your success.

Embrace Everything, and Say YES. It didn’t matter whether I was designing newsletters, scheduling speaking engagements or sitting in on client meetings. I put on whatever hat Rozi needed me to wear, and more importantly, I never said no.

I was forever out of my comfort zone this summer, but that didn’t mean my job was impossible. I learned that there are, in fact, a million and one ways to solve a problem: so never turn down a challenge just because the answer isn’t obvious, or you can’t speak the language. Embrace everything, say YES, and who knows? The outcome might just surprise you.

#StudentVoices #FacingFear

Tessa Hamermesh is a sophomore Communication Studies and International Studies student at Northwestern University, and writer for ProMazo.

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