DeMetrovich 1

Cate DeMetrovich

Dr. Prewitt

ACCT 0480

Internship Reflection Paper

Section 1:

My name is Cate DeMetrovich, and I worked at O’Reilly Auto Parts this semester as their

Accounts Payable Intern. I am majoring in Finance and Accounting with a minor in Spanish.

Prior to this semester, I decided that I wanted to go to law school, but I was still determined to

attain an accounting internship to complete my degree. I accepted the internship at O’Reilly Auto

Parts, knowing that I would gain a new perspective on the private accounting industry.

Throughout my time at Drury, I have gained an immense amount of knowledge surrounding

public accounting. I decided to gain a new perspective on the accounting industry and work with

a team of private accountants.

Section 2:

O’Reilly Auto Parts was started in November 1957 in Springfield, Missouri. Charles F.

O’Reilly attended college in St. Louis and quickly accepted a job as a traveling salesman for

Fred Campbell Auto Supply. After traveling throughout Missouri, he realized that Springfield

had opportunity for growth. He asked to be transferred there in order to grow in his career. In

1957, Charles F. and his son, Charles H., decided to open their own business. By 1961, their

sales had reached $1.3 million. Since then, O’Reilly has expanded into 5,512 stores in 47 U.S.

states and 21 stores in Mexico. O’Reilly Auto Parts consistently strives to be the dominant

supplier of auto parts in the market areas.

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My responsibilities as an intern stated in the contract were imaging and filing invoices

and documents, entering utility bills into the accounting system, and mail handling. However,

my tasks did not seem to be as varied as stated. My first few weeks were filled with scanning of

different types of documents. By my third week, I was taught how to enter utility bills into the

system. This task was short-lived, and I was quickly moved back to scanning documents until the

abrupt end to my internship. My favorite part about the internship was meeting with the CFO,

Tom McFall, and having the opportunity to have lunch with the Controller, Jeremy Fletcher. I

was not given much opportunity to work on any projects, but it was very beneficial to be able to

meet with these individuals and ask them questions about their careers.

Section 3:

What was the biggest challenge you encountered?

The biggest challenge that I encountered was within my first few weeks as an intern. I

have not been able to work in a team or group in any of my previous internships, so I was

looking forward to having other individuals to work with throughout the day. The other intern

and I got along very well and became fast friends within the office. However, within a few days

of sharing an office together, I was called into a meeting with my supervisor, who had been

advised to discuss my excessive talking with me. I was confused, to say the least, because I had

always been encouraged to talk with my group members in class, and I had been completing all

of the work assigned to me. As I wracked my brain with my mistakes and how to move forward,

I realized that I needed to be more considerate to the people around me and their ideal work

environment. I do not mind a noisy environment while I work, but I realized that other people

would most likely not prefer that. I also had to overcome my own mental obstacles of thinking

that I was disliked in the office due to my actions. Although my internship did not begin as
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expected because of this incident, my work definitely shined, and I was able to work better with

the people in my team.

In what ways were you able to apply what you have learned in your academic coursework

to your internship?

In my internship experience, I was not able to apply much of my previous accounting

knowledge to the daily tasks, but I was able to apply my interview and communication skills to

certain tasks throughout the semester. I was asked to schedule meetings with different

department heads and have questions prepared for these meetings. I was expected to control the

direction of the conversation, which I felt prepared for by previous mock interview sessions.

Additionally, I think the communication skills that I have developed from previous work

environments prepared me to feel comfortable to speak with different authoritative figures. My

confidence allowed me to gain a greater perspective of their daily tasks and roles.

What transferable skills did you develop through your experience?

The first skill that I developed through my internship that I could transfer to other

employment opportunities would be the knowledge I gained through working with their database

while inputting utility bills. In my other internships, I have not had the opportunity to work with

the Accounts Payable department, so I have never had the experience of matching invoices

numbers within a database before. I think this is an important administrative task that will benefit

me for different roles in the future. Additionally, I further enhanced my organizational skills

during my time as a scanner. I was working with various types of documents throughout the day,

and each required a certain process to be scanned into the system. When first learning, I made

numerous mistakes, but I was able to quickly find a way to create an efficient system that

allowed me to quickly scan each type of document without getting confused. I think that this
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skill will definitely be beneficial during my time learning about the legal profession because I

will be helping attorneys work with many clients, and there will be many different documents

involved. I will be a step ahead with this process, since I have already learned organizational

skills at O’Reilly for the future.

What was the most important thing you learned about yourself?

The most important thing that I learned about myself during my internship was how

much I prioritize the environment of the company that I am working for. Most new graduates are

so excited about their first job offer that they are unlikely to look into the actual environment and

values of the company that they would be working for. Before working at O’Reilly, I never

thought to prioritize this aspect of my career. I was always taught to look at the position, tasks,

and salary; however, I now know that the environment and values of the company can affect my

decision much more heavily than other factors. O’Reilly has a very strong culture that they

emphasize to all of their employees, and it can really affect how employees interact with each

other. For example, the company has a “no cellphone policy” that they enforce during business

hours. As a result, employees tend to inform on one another, which I believe really decreases the

company’s morale. Through my internship experience, I have realized the importance of

prioritizing the company’s culture and work environment.

Section 4:

1. Begin summer classes to stay on track for August graduation (June 6)

2. Begin research assistant position with Dean of IU Maurer to boost resume and increase

networking opportunities (June 1)

3. Continue to pursue summer position with Darrell Cook & Associates law firm in Dallas,

TX (June 15)
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