linkedin intern paper
TRANSCRIPT
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Company Name: Coweta County School System Central Office
Address: 167 Werz Industrial Boulevard, Newnan, GA 30263
Date of Employment: May 18, 2015 -August 14, 2015
Hours Completed: 291
Student Name: Connor Grieb
Supervisor’s Names: Chris Latimer & Glenda McDuffie
Faculty Coordinator’s Name: Catherine Whelan
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Table of Contents
Section 1: Company Description 3
Section 2: Description of Tasks 5
Section 3: Management, Teamwork and the Workplace 8
Section 4: Self-Assessment 10
Section 5: Overall Experience 12
Section 6: Appendices-
a) Ethical Dilemma Questionnaire 13
b) Daily Log 15
c) Updated Student Resume 23
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Section 1: Company Description
The Coweta County School System Central Office is where the majority of the major
functions of running a school system take place. Operations ranging from finance to student
registration is operated from the Central Office. Each of these functions is essential to operating
efficiently and effectively to ensure students in Coweta County receive a proper education. With
31 schools, including 19 elementary, 6 middle, 3 high schools, 1 middle and 1 alternative high
school, and 1 charter high school for career ready pathways, operating efficiently and effectively
can be complicated at times. That is why our organization is staffed with almost 3,000
hardworking and dedicated professionals focused on effective operations for over 22,500
enrolled students.
During my internship, I spent the majority of my time in the accounting department and
the payroll department. Both of these departments provided me with real word experiences that
will benefit me in my future career. The payroll department’s major function is to accurately
compensate employees for their work in a timely manner. They are responsible for enacting step
raises, percent raises, withholding taxes, and other important tasks. As well, the accounting
department is responsible for ensuring that schools are managing their money properly and that
all purchases and payments are necessary to the function and effectiveness of the school system.
The accounting department is responsible for internal audits, paying vendors, and approving
transactions from the schools and the central office.
The main focus of the Central Office and the schools is to ensure that “Coweta is
Committed to Student Success,” as our mission statement says. The goal of the Coweta County
School System is to “provide high-level, engaging work for all learners and leaders to meet the
needs of all stakeholders.” In order to do so, the school system must ensure that it is hiring
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qualified and hardworking individuals to help promote learning and the development of the
students. The school system offers free education to all students to help prepare them for their
future careers. One of our schools is dedicated to helping develop career ready individuals by
providing them with the opportunity to take business, healthcare, engineering classes and more.
By offering these classes, it allows students the opportunity to try out a career they may be
interested in and help promote post-secondary education. As well, these opportunities provide a
competitive edge over private and charter schools.
While school systems do not necessarily have a lot of competition, private and charter
schools can cause some conflicts for public schools. Charter schools are usually started by
parents, teachers, and for-profit organizations, and they are independently operated public
schools that do not charge tuition. These schools receive funding from the local, state, and
federal governments based on the number of students enrolled, which can take away from the
amount of money the public schools receive. As well, charter schools can raise their own funding
from others sources.
On the other hand, private schools charge tuition and do not receive funding from the
government. However, because private schools can charge for tuition, they are usually able to
pay their teachers more, which takes away valuable talent from the public schools. As well,
private school teachers are not required to comply with the more difficult certifications and
regulations that are required for public school teachers. Because of this, private schools would be
more appealing to teachers due to the less rigorous requirements. Private and charter schools take
away valuable monetary and human capital, which can make it harder to operate effectively and
efficiently and ultimately harms the public school students.
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Organizational Chart:
Section 2: Description of Tasks
Some of the frequent tasks I was assigned were: auditing school financial records,
entering transportation time sheet data, preparing checks to be mailed to vendors, and updating
school employees’ salary sheets. A brief description of each is provided below.
Auditing school financial records: I performed a thorough review of the December 2013
financial records for 25 of the 31 schools. The audit consisted of reviewing and testing bank
reconciliations, bank statements, journal entries, bank deposits, receipts, and vouchers. A copy of
the excel audit program has been included in the email as well for reference.
The bank statement and reconciliation had to be checked for endorsement by the
principal and to ensure the reconciliation was performed properly. Journal entries were checked
for appropriate use and ensure the appropriate accounts were debited and credited. The bank
deposits were checked to ensure all receipts were deposited and that they reconciled to the
appropriate amount. As well, deposits were checked to ensure all receipts contained
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documentation of amount collected and were deposited within one week or when the amount
totaled $1,000 per board policy.
Receipts were tested to ensure the receiver was marking the receipt as cash or check and
signing it. As well, the receipts had to be traced to the general ledger account to ensure they were
properly handled. Vouchers were tested to ensure they included all supporting documents
including purchase request forms, invoices, evidence of receipt, and the correct account was
charged. As well, vouchers were checked to ensure the correct amount was paid and sales tax
was not included in the amount because we are a tax exempt organization. Finally, vouchers
were checked to ensure the correct account was charged for each purchase.
Entering transportation time sheet data: I assisted in the payroll process by performing data
entry of clock in and out times for transportation employees into an excel file to calculate the
number of hours they worked each week so their pay could be calculated appropriately. Because
transportation employees begin their work days at home, there is no other way to have them
clock in and out; therefore, the excel spreadsheet must be used to document their hours and
calculate their pay. The spreadsheet shows the breakdown of regular and overtime hours to
ensure proper calculation of pay. The excel sheets are then used to manually record the pay into
the payroll books and into the Smart Fusion software in order to print the checks.
Preparing checks: I assisted in the accounts payable functions by making sure all vendors were
paid the appropriate amount and that the checks were made payable to the correct address. I
validated the amounts and addresses by totaling the amount of each invoice and checking the
checks payable address listed on the invoice to the address we had listed on the check. By
performing this task, we can cut down on the number of checks sent to the wrong address or paid
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the wrong amount. This guarantees our vendors are paid timely and properly and that we are
performing efficiently.
Updating employee salary sheets: Each year, employee’s salary records must be updated for all
certified and classified employees. Typically, teachers and other employees would receive a step
raise based on the number of years of experience. For instance, teachers receive a raise every two
years on their odd year of experience (i.e. 3, 5, 7 years, and so on). Classified employees receive
a step raise every year. Both of these categories of employees must work 190 days in order to
qualify for the raise. This year, however, all employees received a two percent raise and a step
raise, if they qualified. I was tasked with editing and entering the years of experience, step level,
and new salary for all teachers and certified personnel in the 31 schools. These reports are used
to track any additional pay and leave without pay the employees incur and to cross-check the
SmartFusion pay report for accurate pay for the month.
Some other tasks I was infrequently given were:
- Receiving financial records from the schools for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
- Updating employee additional pay for the month of April.
- Printing financial reports for the 2013-2014 fiscal year for the Department of Education.
- Balancing the monthly payroll by cross-checking the employee salary sheets to
SmartFusion payroll check report.
- Printing, folding, and organizing monthly pay checks to be sent to the employees.
- Organizing and storing accounting and payroll records for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
- Filing employee status, time clock adjustments, W-2 forms, and direct deposit forms.
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Section 3: Management, Teamwork and the Workplace
Although I did not directly manage other people in this internship, I did indirectly
manage 31 bookkeepers. Every audit I performed included a written review of their accounting
records. Each bookkeeper receives their review and is expected to correct their errors and follow
the directions I have given them. The bookkeepers are expected to provide better quality
bookkeeping in the year following the receipt of the review; therefore, my directions and reviews
must be clear and concise to guarantee the bookkeepers can understand what is required of them
while also being polite.
As well, I was in charge of receiving all of the 2015 fiscal year accounting records from
the school’s bookkeepers. This entailed making sure the bookkeepers provided me the entire year
of records and a separate copy of the June reconciliation by July 15, 2015 without exception.
When they brought me their new records, I was also required to provide them with their records
from the previous year to take back to the school. This task required me to take inventory daily
to know which school’s books were provided to me on time and whether or not they provided a
separate June reconciliation with all the required documents. Bookkeepers who did not follow
directions were requested to do so immediately.
Managing the bookkeepers was more complicated than I expected it to be. Of course,
there were people who did not turn their books in on time or with a separate copy of their June
statements. When this happened, I had to politely ask them to get the required documents to me
as quickly as possible. Seeing as I was younger than the bookkeepers, it was important that I did
not allow them to try to avoid following directions. I learned that I had to be firm in what I was
requesting of them while being polite so they would not get upset.
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One of the most apparent aspects of this internship was the teamwork that took place in
the office. All of our jobs were interrelated, and therefore, we each relied on each other to get our
tasks done. For instance, when I had to prepare and mail checks to pay the vendors, I had to rely
on my coworker to run the check report and print the checks. Then, the checks would be given to
me to validate the amounts and addresses. If I did not perform my job properly, it would reflect
poorly on the entire accounting department. As well, it was essential that I completed the audits
in a timely manner so the bookkeepers could be provided reviews quickly to improve their
bookkeeping in the future years. Without teamwork, our tasks would not be completed as
effectively and efficiently. As well, teamwork provides for a staff that has a higher morale, better
communication, and a sense of unity.
The interesting part about working for two different departments is that I developed
different perspectives of the workplace. In the payroll department, they were a more serious and
reserved group, while my co-workers in the accounting department were more lively and
extroverted. In the payroll department there was not much talking and laughing that took place.
This allowed for work to be done quickly, but the morale in the department appeared lower than
the morale in the accounting department. In the accounting department, there was more laughter
and talking, which boosted the morale of the department. Because the morale was better, the
department functioned more efficiently.
Both of these departments were able to perform in a professional, business-like manner;
however, I learned that I would rather work for the department that is livelier. Having a
workplace with a good morale and extroverted employees made for a more enjoyable workplace.
Going to work every day was not as hard when I knew I was going to be surrounded by fun,
animated coworkers.
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Section 4: Self-Assessment
The opportunity to work for the Coweta County School System Central Office has
provided me with new knowledge and skills that will benefit me in my future career. I learned a
lot from this experience including important life lessons, skills required for my future, and some
of my weaknesses that need to be developed further. This internship provided me with
opportunities to have hands on experience with real life accounting practices, and the opportunity
to see what the career of an auditor is like was one of the most valuable opportunities I have had.
My internship revealed that auditing will probably not be the path of accounting I will
choose. While I enjoyed working for the school system and with my coworkers, I did not always
enjoy auditing; however, I believe part of that is due to not having a full understanding for the
use of each account the schools had. For example, when testing the vouchers for appropriateness,
I would have to determine whether or not the correct account was charged. The hardest account
to understand was the miscellaneous account, because it was to be used by the schools to
purchase items to be used by all students. This account could include purchases for office
supplies such as envelopes and stamps but not for other items such as a label maker or clock. If I
had a full understanding for the accounts and their uses, I would have enjoyed auditing more.
A benefit of having this internship after taking most of my accounting classes is that I had
the proper accounting knowledge to know when certain accounts should be debited or credited.
Because of this, I was able to determine if journal entries had been properly recorded and if
checks had been written to appropriate accounts. As well, I knew how to reconcile bank
statements, and that made part of the audit program easier. Without these classes, I would not
have been able to succeed in this internship.
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Other courses I have taken, such as business ethics, business communications, and some
management classes, were also a benefit to me. Being able to write clearly and concisely was
extremely important for this internship because I was required to write a review for each school’s
accounting records, and my business communications class prepared me for that. My business
ethics class helped me determine my morals before my internship, which made making ethical
decisions during it easier. As well, my management classes helped me be an effective manager
of the bookkeepers while collecting their 2015 fiscal records.
The main skill I acquired in this internship is the ability to perform audits. Although I still
might not be a professional auditor, I was able to perform audits using our system. I learned a
vast amount about the importance of dates and approval or verifications of certain tasks such as
purchases and verifications of bank reconciliations. The auditing skills I acquired in this
internship will be the skills that benefits me the most in my future career.
Another experience I found beneficial was being able to see fraudulent checks that were
flagged on our account. We had 12 checks in one week that were flagged on our account. Being
able to see these helped show what to look for when checking for fraudulent checks. Although
the checks looked almost identical to our actual checks, the text font was not the same and they
were not signed by the appropriate person. Finally, I was able to develop my ability to use Excel
and Smart Fusion during this internship. We used SmartFusion to look up information on
employees, school accounts, and to print school reports to use for our audits. If I work for
another company that uses Smart Fusion, I know this skill will be beneficial as well as my ability
to use Excel proficiently.
Some additional knowledge and skills that would have been beneficial to have would be a
more in depth understanding of the accounts used by the schools to help determine if the schools
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were debiting and crediting the appropriate accounts. As well, an understanding of the school
board policies for financial record keeping would have helped me be able to write better reviews
with reference to where they could find a full explanation of the policy. Further skills that need
developing would be my management and auditing skills. The opportunity to practice both skills
in my internship has been very helpful, but I am aware that both skills still need some
improvement.
Section 5: Overall Experience
Overall I really enjoyed my internship experience because of the opportunities it gave me
even if I do not become an auditor. The opportunity to work full time and perform audits gave
me a true look at what being an accountant will be like and makes me very excited for my future.
I also thoroughly enjoyed working for both the payroll and accounting departments. All of my
coworkers were very helpful and understanding when I needed help on a task that I could not do
alone. As well, they made sure I felt like I was part of the group and not just summer help. They
really made this experience enjoyable and I can only hope to have future coworkers as nice,
caring, and entertaining as this group was.
I am sure this internship was also an important start to my career. I gained a lot of insight
into what an auditor’s job is like. Knowing what to expect will help me make the right choice for
my first job, and I believe the first job in your career will determine where you ultimately go in
life. As well, having this experience on my resume will certainly help me get a good job when I
graduate. I learned a lot of new skills, such as Smart Fusion and management skills, and
improved some of my other skills, such as Excel and accounting practices, which will also
benefit me and make me a better employee for my future employers.
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One of my bosses, Mr. Chris Latimer, frequently said that he wanted to make me into a
well-rounded individual; therefore, we had daily life lessons every week. While some of the
lessons were of a more joking manner, there were some lessons that could really be applied to
help make me into a better employee. A couple of his amusing life lessons were, “We do not tell
the boss everything we do” and “We put 30 minute lunch breaks down on paper but we really
take an hour.” Of course, he was not really serious about these; however, life lessons such as,
“You will never know how great you can be until you take risks” and “We are all professionals”
are applicable life lessons. Overall I learned a lot about the type of job I do and do not want and
the kind of work environment I want to work in once I start my career.
Section 6: Appendices
A) Ethical Dilemmas
1. During this internship, did you encounter any ethical dilemmas? If so, please briefly
describe them below.
While I did not personally encounter an ethical dilemma, my coworkers and I
occasionally discussed ethical dilemmas that arose. For instance, one of the bookkeeper
at the schools was requested by her principal to charge a check to an account that she did
not feel was correct. In response, she contacted us to see whether or not it was ethical for
her to charge the account the principal wanted her to charge. Ultimately, we decided it
was okay for her to do so and the problem was resolved.
2. Please briefly describe how you handled these dilemmas.
I did not personally have any ethical dilemmas, but any ethical dilemmas that
people contacted us for were discussed as a group to determine the right solution for the
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problem. We made decisions on ethical issues together instead of as individuals so that
we could view the dilemma from different views. This ultimately helped to make the
decisions that were best suited for the situation.
3. Do you feel the courses you have taken here at GCSU helped prepare you to deal with
these ethical dilemmas? If so, please tell us how.
Overall, I cannot say that most of my courses have helped prepare me to deal with
ethical dilemmas; however, my business ethics class did help me determine my personal
ethics which I applied to the situations that arose. Aside from that class, not many other
classes prepared me for those kinds of situations. Occasionally we would discuss some of
the accounting standards and code of ethics in accounting classes which have impacted
my personal standards, but we did not talk about the ethics required of accountants in
depth enough to say that it has prepared me for ethical dilemmas.
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B) Daily Logs
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C) Updated Resume
CONNOR GRIEB 41 Lake Court, Newnan GA 30263 � Cell: 678-634-8121
[email protected] EDUCATION: Georgia College and State University – Milledgeville, GA Expected May 2016 Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting; minor in Management
GPA: 3.96 cumulative; 4.00 major President's List Spring 2013-Fall 2015 Dean’s List Fall 2012
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: Coweta County Board of Education – Newnan, GA May 2015 - August 2015 Accounting Intern
• Performed audits on schools’ December 2013 financial records. • Assisted in accounts payable and payroll functions for the Board of Education. • Strengthened my communication and problem solving skills by working with coworkers.
Coweta County Board of Education – Newnan, GA June 2014 - August 2014 Payroll Intern
• Entered data for employee compensation and step pay increases. • Recorded employee time data to calculate regular and overtime pay. • Provided high quality customer service.
VOLUNTEER LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE: American Cancer Society Relay for Life – Newnan, GA August 2015 - present Silent Auction Co-Chair
• Solicited and collected donations from local businesses to auction off at Relay for Life. • Communicated with businesses about donations for the event. • Coordinated with logistics team to organize silent auction set up.
Horse Dreams Youth Ranch – Milledgeville, GA January 2014 - present Equestrian Facility Assistant
• Developed people and time management skills by educating children with physical and mental disabilities about horses.
• Improved ability to work diligently and effectively in both independent and group environments. • Enhanced ability to multitask.
Awards: Georgia College and State University – Milledgeville, GA January 2014 - December 2014 Silver Presidents Volunteer Service Award
• Completed 220 volunteer service hours in 2014.