My experience as a Clear Vision Communications intern

Landing a summer internship can be a long and grueling process for college students. Spending hours filling out applications and perfecting resumes while studying for finals and saying goodbye to friends is exhausting. After spending weeks doing just that this past spring, I still had not found an internship that lined up with my needs. Though I had received a few internship offers, I hadn’t found the right fit for me.

While friends were hitting the beach and starting their vacations, I was drinking copious amounts of coffee and poring over my resume looking for ways I could stand out from the crowd. While scouring LinkedIn for open positions, I stumbled upon a Human Resources Internship posting from Clear Vision Communications Inc. I initially hesitated to apply. As a student at Ohio University, I had been studying digital media and I was not sure human resources was the right area for me. I decided to send in my resume anyway, hoping that perhaps this was what I needed, to be looking somewhere I hadn’t thought about before.

Hardly a day had passed when my phone rang. On the other end of the line was the chipper voice of Sydney, the HR manager at Clear Vision. Right off the bat I could tell she loved her job. Who else was this excited while talking on the phone on a rainy Tuesday morning? I could also sense that there was something different about the way things were done at Clear Vision. I had expected to hear the usual questions about how my experience would benefit the company. Instead, Sydney asked what I was looking for in an internship and what I wanted to get out of this.

I came in for an interview and immediately learned that this internship would not involve idle time. I would be entering paperwork into our work systems, helping with various HR duties, creating expense reports and organizing receipts, doing work that would make everyone else’s day a little easier. After going over these responsibilities, CEO Stephen Kordella paused for a moment. Acknowledging my experience in media, he offered to give me brand management responsibilities on top of the administrative tasks. I had become so accustomed to over-explaining how my experiences would make me a perfect fit into whatever role was needed that I was taken aback when the gears shifted. I was receiving an offer to do exactly what I wanted to be doing because I was already seen as an asset to the team.

Over the past three months at Clear Vision Communications, I learned that this is simply the way the company does things. Their leaders encourage growth and learning through challenging yourself to go out and get the job done. The team is excited about what they are doing each and every morning. I came to this internship thinking that I was a morning person but I had no idea how much of a morning person you could really be. I wrote several blog posts on the experiences our employees had at Clear Vision, interviewing a new team member every few weeks. I would wake up an hour before I needed to just so I could chug some coffee and attempt to match the energy that everyone else seemed to have at 7am. Sometimes I could hardly keep up with my notes as the person on the other end of the phone would chat away about how their job helps them grow both personally and professionally. Writing about their experiences inspired me to work a little harder every day and to find my own strengths in the workplace.

Aside from writing, I had the chance to create and curate posts on all of Clear Vision’s social media platforms. Working with our brand manager, I learned how to post for search engine optimization and I learned the ins and outs of actually managing a brand. I was expected to bring my own ideas to the table every week and I was often asked for my opinion on the way things were going or what we could be doing better. Simply being able to take a critical look at the work I was doing and having the freedom to create gave me the confidence to make suggestions and work harder. There is so much conversation and support at Clear Vision and it truly makes you feel valued and confident to tackle your goals.

Following this internship, I will be headed back to Athens, Ohio for my last semester at Ohio University. Upon graduation this December, I believe things will be a little different when I head out for job interviews. I will have a little more experience, a little more confidence, and a little more determination and it’s all thanks to Clear Vision!

Setting Goals and Reaching Them: Evan’s Story

At Clear Vision Communications, we believe in goal setting and pushing your limits. Lead Account Executive Evan Harris has been setting goals for himself and reaching them his whole life. Whether it was pushing himself on the football field, double majoring in college, or trying out something completely new, Evan has always sought opportunities to grow.

Evan grew up in Hartville, Ohio where he began playing football when he was about five years old. He said as soon as he could play flag football he was doing it. This started due to inspiration from his father who played football in college and coached high school football while Evan was growing up. He spent the days of his summer at football camps and training practices, captivated by the sport. While he believes his interest in it began as a way to bond with his father, he grew to love it on its own. He joined the football team in high school and even played during his freshman year of high school.

Growing up, Evan was motivated to always be a better player but he soon began to discover some other interests as well. He loved talking with people and finding out how he could help people in need. He became involved with a drug prevention program through his high school and became passionate about giving back to others and his community.

A couple years later when Evan began his college career, he set out on the path of Environmental Studies. As a huge supporter of environmental sustainability, he feels that we only have one planet to live on, so we better take good care of it! Environmental Studies fulfilled his need to give back to the others and to the earth. He believes taking small steps to simply learn how our planet works and what we can do to keep it working will make a huge difference in the long haul.

He became heavily involved in a sustainability club on campus where he was able to make some big changes in his four years. The club helped implement the use of water bottle refill stations, sustainable landscaping, a campus garden and a compost system for leftover waste from dining halls.

Evan also found that simply talking with people and finding ways to give back to those around him was something he was incredibly passionate about. This led him to become involved in a fraternity where he became head of the philanthropy department. He was able to raise money for local charities and truly help those who needed it.

Along the lines of communicating needs and helping others, Evan had been taking a few course in communications. He picked up the area of study as a minor and in his junior year of college declared it as his second major. He was passionate about communications and he wanted to prove to himself that he could work hard and earn two degrees in only four years. He did just that and graduated in May of 2017!

This past spring Evan set out on the job hunt. Though he had always loved talking with people and considered himself a strong communicator, he never saw himself as someone who would work in a sales position. Yet, one of Evan’s friends was employed through Clear Vision Communications and always talked about what an amazing job he had. Evan could tell even on the outside looking in that there was something special about Clear Vision.

Evan  made the leap to apply for a position and immediately loved the culture he was immersed in. He found himself surrounded by positive, upbeat energy in the office and he thrives off of that energy every day now. One of the things he loves most is that his position as Lead Account Executive relies on motivation to do better every day and a determination to give 100%. That motivation makes him excited about what he does and excited about  the opportunity for growth within the company. It doesn’t hurt that he spends his days talking with others and helping them find better opportunities in their own lives!

Keep up with Evan and the entire team, by following us @clearvisioncommunicationsinc on Instagram!

Pushing her Limits: Alyssa’s Story

Clear Vision Communications, Inc. thrives on  the dedication of its employees and their passion for what they do. Lead Account Executive Alyssa Fortuna knows all about being dedicated and having the ambition and bravery to put herself out there and get the job done every day.  

Growing up in Kirtland, Ohio, Alyssa was interested in track and music as a child. Yet, what would become her biggest interest for years to come was something she discovered at the age of eight years old. She attended a cheerleading competition as a spectator and immediately decided it was something that she wanted to do herself. She set her mind on cheerleading, tried it out, and instantly fell in love with the sport.

This experience would benefit her in many ways for the next chapters of her life. A shy, hesitant child, it was cheerleading that helped to bring her out of her shell. Later on in high school, the sport taught her how to overcome any obstacles that were thrown her way. Whether she was dealing with injuries or simply missing out on the things that other teenagers were doing, Alyssa learned to keep her head up and constantly push forward. She was practicing almost every day and competing the majority of her weekends.

This dedication gave her incredible opportunities to show off her skills with her team. In her senior year at Kirtland High School she had the chance to participate in a competition at Disney World in Florida, where her team placed fourth in the country for their division. It has been experiences like this one that have kept her on her toes and looking ahead toward big goals and big opportunities. Additionally, she developed incredible time management skills and learned how to dedicate herself wholeheartedly into the things that she is passionate about.

Alyssa took that passion and used it in her college career. Though she started out at Mount Union, she transferred to Notre Dame College for her sophomore year to further pursue cheerleading, boldly unafraid of starting over somewhere new. While she initially decided to seek out a career in teaching by studying education, she eventually decided that the path was not a good fit. Again, she made the choice to try something else that better suited her interests and passion. After taking some courses in marketing and public relations, Alyssa fell in love with the world of business. She switched her major to Marketing and Public Relations and dove into her new found interest.

Alyssa thrived in the public speaking classes she enrolled in because she found that she could have fun with them and truly relate to the material that was being taught. Her experience in these types of classes led her to pursue a career in the business world upon her graduation in May of 2017.

While she applied for several jobs and had multiple interviews at companies that were similar in concept to Clear Vision Communications, none of the options seemed right for her. She could not envision herself professionally fulfilled at any of these places. When her interview with Clear Vision Communications came around, she could immediately feel the difference in energy and dedication in the office. She saw the potential for growth in all areas whether it was with the company, with her professional life, or with her own personal life and goals.

Now a Lead Account Executive, Alyssa loves the work that she does day in and day out. A dedicated, valuable team member, she thrives in the fast-paced environment Clear Vision Communications offers. The positive energy in the office keeps her going and keeps her on her toes every single day. She is constantly learning and growing, along with the rest of the team and she wouldn’t have it any other way!

 

Challenging Herself and Others: Emily’s Story

 

A competitive nature and a desire to challenge oneself goes a long way. Lead Account Executive Emily Sheets learned this from the time she was a child. Growing up in Twinsburg, Ohio, Emily played sports all throughout childhood and high school; she was especially interested in softball, basketball, and bowling! Her competitive attitude and desire to work hard kept her playing throughout her teenage years. She eventually made the switch to focus solely on bowling in high school.

Emily’s interest in sports had a huge impact on her life and even influenced her to seek them out as a professional career. While she was planning to pursue sports in college, injuries prevented her from doing so. As a result, Emily decided that she wanted to be a teacher. She studied Middle Education Math and Science at Kent State University and spent three semesters as a student teacher. In May of 2017, Emily earned her degree and began the job hunt. Upon searching for opportunities, she stumbled upon Clear Vision Communications’ job posting online, and her interest was immediately peaked.

Though it was not a traditional teaching position, Emily had worked in retail her whole life and felt that the company truly had a chance to resonate with her. She saw the opportunity to grow with the company and to apply her specific skill set to whatever she set her mind too. A combination of the growth in the company and the environment that it had to offer told her that she was making the right move. “When I interviewed there, I thought the atmosphere was amazing, and it was really different from the other jobs that I was interviewing for,” Emily remembers.

Emily says that these qualities about the company still make her work fun and easy to do every day. As a Lead Account Executive for Clear Vision Communications, Inc., Emily has found many parallels between her current path and teaching. Much of her job involves coaching, training, and developing others within the company; it fulfills her desire to share her own knowledge so that other people can learn and understand it. Her position allows her to create opportunities for herself and others every single day!

Today, her experience competing in sports still influences her life. At at Clear Vision Communications, Inc., she is able to apply her competitive nature to her work and challenge herself in everything she does. Plus, she still participates in softball and bowling teams and even coaches a bowling team in Twinsburg! Clear Vision Communications, Inc. is thrilled to have a passionate, motivated individual like Emily on its team and looks forward to seeing her continued success with the company!

 

To keep up with Emily and the entire team, be sure to follow us @clearvisioncommunicationsinc on Instagram!