Intern Project – Young Professional Domestic Relocation

Intern Project – Young Professional Domestic Relocation

Through our relationship with relocation management companies (RMCs), Dwellworks provides relocation support services for corporate clients, such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Google, Genentech, and many other Fortune 500 and emerging industry companies. For the purpose of this assignment, we will focus on the US and Canada domestic, urban area to urban area relocation rental search support process for young professionals. The goal of every client’s relocation program is to have the relocating employee satisfied with their move, settled in quickly into their new environment and up and running as quickly as possible, at a well-managed cost for the relocation service.

Instructions

The relocation industry has seen a recent change in the ‘typical’ make-up of a ‘transferee”.  The change over the past several years is an influx of relocating ‘young professionals’ and fewer of the once traditional, mid-career transferee with spouse and children.  While that is still a critical population served by our customers, we believe Dwellworks and its clients have effective solutions for that portion of the market; what we are interested in pursuing is a broader, deeper understanding of the service needs and expectations of the emerging and potentially dominant new market. Merriam Webster defines a transferee as a person being transferred for business. For the context of this assignment, think of a transferee as an employee of Company ABC who works out of the headquarters in Seattle, WA and is being relocated to their other office in Chicago, IL.

Dwellworks provides a Destination Services Consultant (DSC) who is a subject matter expert to assist the transferee with their relocation. This person assists the transferee with the rental finding process. Generation Y and Millenials are known to be renters to a large extent by choice. They prefer to rent apartments or homes with the assumption and understanding that they may be relocated within a year or two, and they are open and excited about the opportunity.   They are not necessarily on an immediate homeowner track, even if they could afford a home.  A typical transferee in this customer segment is between the ages of 25-35, who holds a mid-level position within a company, is perceived as a contributor to company growth/new initiatives/new market development, and who may be an attractive target for the client’s competition due to their skillset. This employee is adverse to relocation to further their career and specifically, is open to new experiences as much for personal development as for career track.

Working as a team, use research such as surveys and/or focus groups to determine how a typical “young professional” transferee would like to be helped during a move from one urban area to another urban area.  More specifically, if they were given 10 hours of a consultant’s time, how would they want the time to be spent? For example, would they want to meet with the consultant and hear about the neighborhoods or would they want the consultant to schedule apartment viewings for them? What else?

We also would like to know what the customer service environment should look like; is it face-to-face interaction, Skype, Chat, Email, text, mobile app, etc. Also, how should the customer service interaction feel? Should it be warm and fuzzy or quick and simple? Based on your findings, draw conclusions and make recommendations for service delivery structure. 

The intern group will meet on a weekly basis for a 30-45 minute conference call. During the call, the group will focus on delegation of presentation topics as well as the piecing together of the information. John Fischer, VP, New Product Design will attend these meetings to provide guidance to the group. Each intern is required to set aside time during the week to complete their portion of the research project.

The length of the presentation should be approximately 25-30 minutes; allowing for an additional 15 minute question & answer period following the presentation. Every intern is required to present an equal segment of the project.

On Thursday, July 10^th we will have a ‘mock presentation’ day.  At this time, the HR team will meet with the group and will provide constructive feedback on the presentation. The intern group will then have two weeks to practice and make any necessary changes. The final presentation will be presented to senior leadership and is scheduled for Wednesday, August 6 at 10 AM ET. 

Purpose

The internship project will give you a chance to work with other interns on an assignment.  You will gain experience in webinars, conference calls and giving presentations. The purpose of this project is for you to gain experience working as a team on a project in a new and exciting industry. We want you to use your great teamwork and organization skills and create a presentation that will not only improve your resume, but also our entire team here at Dwellworks!

Intern Project - Cultural Dimensions

Intern Project - Cultural Dimensions 

Dwellworks recently grew our global foot print by the successful acquisition of (5) five separate destination services providers in Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom. Help the Dwellworks team to better understand the cultural dimensions that exist in each of our service centers. 

Instructions

Hofstede's cultural dimensions theory is a framework for cross-cultural communication, developed by Geert Hofstede. It describes the effects of a society's culture on the values of its members, and how these values relate to behavior, using a structure derived from factor analysis. There are six dimensions the theory focuses on: Indulgence vs. Restraint, Long term vs. Short Term, Masculinity vs. Femininity, Tolerance of Uncertainty, Individuality, and Power Distance. 

Working as a team, use Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory to identify and explain the cultural dimensions that exist in each of the countries Dwellworks has service centers in. Dwellworks currently has service centers in the following countries: Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Luxembourg, United Kingdom and United States. 

Based on your findings, draw conclusions, for best practices while conducting business in each country and between countries (i.e. Canadian doing business in US, LUX, UK etc.).

The intern group will meet on a weekly basis for a 30-45 minute conference call. During the call, the group will focus on delegation of presentation topics as well as the piecing together of the information. Each intern is required to set aside time during the week to complete their portion of the research project. 

The length of the presentation should be approximately 25-30 minutes; allowing for an additional 15 minute question & answer period following the presentation. Every intern is required to present an equal segment of the project. 

On Thursday, July 10th we will have a ‘mock presentation’ day.  At this time, the HR team will meet with the group and will provide constructive feedback on the presentation. The intern group will then have two weeks to practice and make any necessary changes. The final presentation will be presented to senior leadership and is scheduled for Thursday, July 31st at 10 AM ET.  

Purpose

The internship project will give you a chance to work with other interns on an assignment.  You will gain experience in webinars, conference calls and giving presentations. The purpose of this project is for you to gain a solid understanding of doing business from a global perspective. We want you to use your great teamwork and organization skills and create a presentation that will not only improve your resume, but also our entire team here at Dwellworks! 

Don't Do The Dead Fish!

Today we had our business etiquette training and it was a success!

Matt and Jessica from HR in Cleveland put on a great presentation showing us which ways to present ourselves and which ways to not. I always knew first impressions were very important with new people however what I didn't know is that only roughly 7% of the impression made on the person comes from the words you say, the other 93% comes from body language and the handshake! This blew my mind because I have always focused on being very real and being my self and being honest in interviews. I would do this because I believe that employers, if the job is going to be a suitable fit for me, would have to enjoy who I am as a person as well as a worker. Knowing now that body language and handshakes make up that large of a portion of the first impression really makes me want to perfect my body language so that when I present my self to new people, my body language is proper and impressive so that I make that great first impression that will last!

Shane Mitchell
Destination Services Intern
Ottawa, Canada

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch: Walnut Wednesday Food Trucks

Every Wednesday during lunch hour, there are over ten food trucks parked on the corner of Walnut Avenue and East 12^th Street; which is only about a five minute walk from Dwellworks. I have been here only two weeks, I have gone both Wednesdays, and this food destination is a must.

The trucks on Walnut feature just about any type of food imaginable: pizza, burgers, BBQ, Mediterranean, Chinese, even dessert trucks such as the Donut Lab truck that appears in the bottom right corner of my picture above.

My second day of Walnut Wednesdays led me to the Pig On A Roll sandwich from The Rolling Pig BBQ.

Another reason why Walnut Wednesday is my favorite lunch destination is because there is always live music performers in the middle of the park while people enjoy their meals.

Nick Ferrara
Market Research Intern

Business Etiquette Training- Advice for Interns

Today we had our business etiquette meeting with the HR representatives. Most of the information presented on general business etiquette was common sense; however, there were a few very important points that were touched upon that I did not know prior to this meeting.  First and foremost, we learnt about the importance of first impressions. Each and every one of us makes judgments and decisions about others within the first 20 seconds of meeting them. We all pretty much are aware of that. What came as a surprise to me was that these judgments are based only 7% on words, the rest is all physical.  I never really realized how little of a role words play in our first impressions. Interesting huh?

Another topic that was addressed was office conversations and what is acceptable and what should be avoided. Obviously you can control what you chose to talk about; however, you cannot always control what others chose to talk about without, what kinds of questions they ask you, and the direction of the conversation.  As an intern, this is a tricky thing because other employees and interns around you trying to get to know you, asking you questions regarding your personal life, and other topics. You may not necessarily feel like talking about certain things in your personal life in the office but at the same time you don’t want to be rude to people who are going out of their way to make you feel comfortable and trying to get to know you. Also, you may be ok with talking about a certain topic to that specific person one on one but there are many other people around you who are in earshot and might perceive the conversation in a different light.  The HR representatives in the meeting gave us great insight and advice on handling these types of situations.

I think that this was one of the most helpful meetings I’ve had so far here at Dwellworks. As an intern, the corporate world is a territory we have had either little or no experience in and millions of different questions pop up in your head throughout the course of the day- a lot of which has to do with conduct and protocol. Everything is new, you are unsure of certain things, and you are constantly being analyzed and giving off impressions to others. They did a wonderful job on this presentation and I gained very helpful insight and guidance.  They even threw in some dining etiquette...napkin on lap, use utensils from outside in, bread plate on left and drink on right J Time for lunch, bon appétit!

Brittany Orwin

Valuation Services Intern

 

Cleveland, Ohio

I took this picture of our office here in Cleveland when I got out of class one evening last week.  Our building is underneath the giant sign, right in the heart of Playhouse Square.  Downtown Cleveland has always been one of my favorite places but up until now I haven’t been able to experience what is really going on here everyday.  Now I’m immersed in our downtown culture working here at Dwellworks and also taking a summer class two blocks down Euclid Ave. at Cleveland State University.  I have always been really proud of Cleveland and, like this picture shows, it has a very bright future on both the domestic and international level, especially with the help of growing companies like Dwellworks. 

 

Alex Norton

Global Supply Chain

 

 

The life of a Desk

With this being my first office job, I have never had a desk or cubical before. It was a surprise to find out on the first day that Dwellworks gave us our own individual cubical. They also were very courteous in stocking the desk with all of the essential office supplies. I was also surprised to find that I received my own personal phone because I feel at most other internships you would not get a company telephone number. Dwellworks also provided us with an array of gifts for us, such as sunglasses, silly putty, and an official Dwellworks cup.  My desk is located towards the front of the back of the office on the first floor, just past the divider of conference rooms. My desk is actually the first desk in the row right next to the women’s bathroom door. I sit next to Kevin, my fellow valuation services intern, and Rick Stuber. My desk is mostly organized with everything in its place but I feel once the work picks up it will soon change.

Colton Ebersole

Valuation Services Intern

Taking the Internship

I decided to take the internship at Dwellworks because it was an opportunity that was directly related to my field of study, and the values of the company lined up with mine which is an important thing when looking for a job. My HR professor told us to not settle for a job just because they pay well, or you’re just desperate. You should wait until you find an opportunity where your passions, competencies, and the company values all align the most, because that is when you will be the happiest. And I am glad I followed this advice because I look forward to coming to work each and every morning, something that I wouldn't have had if I decided to go with a different company

The interview sealed the deal for me. I had been looking at other internships for different companies, but not one came close to the culture and positivity I got when I was at Dwellworks. I know that this was the right decision and can’t emphasize enough the positive environment and how pleasant the people are here. 

Valarie Reinig

Human Resources Intern

My Desk and Workplace

Upon arriving at Dwellworks, I was surprised to see the open work environment and the accessibility of all members of the team. The open door policy at Dwellworks is conducive to producing quality results and promoting efficiency in the relocation industry. Allowing the interns to work alongside team leads increases equality in the workplace and allows the interns to positively contribute to the daily operations at Dwellworks.

  My desk is located in the back of the office near the kitchen. I sit across from my leader, Wilson Rodriguez, who answers any questions I may have and guides me through day to day operations. Wilson is an extremely knowledgeable and accessible property manager who is an excellent leader and mentor.

Currently, my desk is a mess! I have papers and notes scattered throughout and I am going through the process of organizing and filing all loose documents. As my time at Dwellworks increases, I am sure I will develop new organizational patterns to better suite my work environment.

Steven Freiberg
John Carroll University 2016

Week 2: What does your desk look Like: A Meditation

What does my desk look like?  Something like this:

I took this panoramic shot with my phone.  It only looks like the least impractically shaped desk ever- it only has the one curve near the keyboard, then it’s just straight to the wall on the far left.  I guess if you printed this off, cut it out, and taped the ends together, you’d be able to see what it’s like as I spin around in my chair.

Looking at this picture, it is clearly my desk, but that’s not quite what it looks like, thanks to Apple’s magical picture-taking technology.   It’s an accurate picture of my desk, through a less than accurate lens.   Or maybe just a different lens.  Who’s to say really?

So what does it look like?  It looks like a desk.  A pretty new desk, in a modern, low-walled, semi-open office.  In this picture it looks a bit like a stylish Z.  Maybe that’s for my name.  Maybe the other interns’ desks look like the first letter of their name when you take a panoramic shot.  But I doubt it.  That’s what happens when your name begins with a relatively obscure letter: you see it everywhere, because everywhere you see it, it feels like it means something.  But it almost never does, at least not intentionally. 

This picture (to the right) was taken using the same technique, in the same spot, but going up and over instead of around.  If you combine the two, you get something of a feel for what it looks like to sit at my desk.  The ceiling directly above my chair is the exact center of this picture. 

I realize I could have just taken a traditional shot of my desk and posted that with a lot of exclamation points to fulfill this assignment.  But I wanted to capture what it’s like to be here, in this place, for 40 hours each week.  The sublime irony of this assigned blog topic is that Dwellworks has one of the least desk-centric office cultures you’ll find.  It’s like asking a professional diver to take a picture of his towels.  They’re important and you spend a lot of time in them, but they’re not the center of the experience.  There’s a heart to the community here and its made up of people that happen to sit at desks for their day to day tasks.   Even from a purely physical environment perspective, I wouldn’t say the desks are the most important feature of the office.

Working in the restored department store/warehouse that Dwellworks calls home gives you the opportunity to see things as not what they are or what they were, but as a little bit of both.  Who knows what all happened here over the decades, at the Woolworth & Co. couched between world famous playhouses and one of Ohio’s most regaled jewelry stores.  Now, it’s a wide open post-industrial office-space, repurposed so we can have a place to work. 

That’s probably the easiest answer: what does my desk look like?  It looks like a place to work.  For as exciting as the décor around here is, all of the desks basically look the same.  Some are bigger than others (mine is decently large) but they all have the same furniture and the same cube-walls.  Some people decorate theirs (I haven’t yet, and might not), but they all look the same. 

They are all compartmentalized places to work.  They provide each of us our own space, to do the work we need to do.    But Dwellworks wouldn’t be Dwellworks if only the action at the desks mattered.  This is a great office to work in because people regularly get away from their desks to collaborate or engage coworkers on a personal level

Take, for instance, how low the cubicle walls are.   I like to look around throughout the day and say hi to the people that pass by.  Even when someone is working their hardest, there is always a spirit of accessibility.  No Dwellworks employee is an island. 

That’s why it’s a bit of a shame that the upper level of our office is a bit like a wasteland.  There are times when I come back to my desk and end up in the wrong row.  There are only 6 people in the handful of desks that make up my row. Downstairs, I would have neighbors on all sides.  Up here, I sometimes end up at the wrong desk because it’s nearly impossible to tell all of the uninhabited desks apart.  Sometimes the peacefulness is nice, but more often, there’s a measure of melancholy detachment from the rest of the office. 

 Despite all that, I’ve got my desk and it is a fine place to work, and will be a fine place to work for these next 50 days of summer.  I think we’d all agree though, that one of the best things about working at Dwellworks, is how un-central the desk is to our day to day work.

                                     Til next week,

                                                 -Zack

Favorite Place to Eat Lunch

 “Walnut Wednesday” takes place every Wednesday from 11:30am-1:30pm in downtown Cleveland. Food trucks gather at Walnut Ave. and E. 12^th Street in the NineTwelve District for people to come and buy lunch. There are an assortment of food trucks including a taco truck, bistro truck, crepes truck, sushi truck, Swensons food truck, donut truck, ice cream truck, and many more. Live music is played as well for people to enjoy while they sit down and chow on their favorite food.

Yesterday, some of the interns decided to go to Walnut Wednesday for lunch. It was my first time going and I was very excited to attend this event because I had heard great reviews and remarks about it. When deciding what to get for lunch, I was stuck between the sushi food truck and the Zydeco Bistro food truck. I decided to go with the bistro food truck because the menu looked so appetizing. I ended up getting their famous 4 cheese macaroni. You could add toppings to your macaroni and cheese including caramelized onions, pretzels, chicken, and other interesting toppings to add to it. My topping of choice was the shredded chicken and it tasted amazing! I also got to try one of the mini donuts sprinkled with cinnamon sugar on top of it from The Donut Lab food truck. The mini donut was so soft and tasted delicious! It was the perfect little dessert to have after my meal. I definitely plan on going to Walnut Wednesday more often. I would like to try every food truck at least one time this summer.

Cat St. John

Valuation Services Intern, Cleveland

College v. Working Life

As a college student with only one semester left, I have learned to appreciate the freedom that comes with a college schedule. There are no Friday classes and the gym and meals are whenever you have time. Having worked full time for the past three summers though, I have come to enjoy the flexibility you have while in school. Despite that, I have always enjoyed keeping busy while in school, I take a full course load as well as work part time, but for some reason working 8:30-5:30 is always an adjustment. I think the biggest adjustment for me is how repetitive every day is. Time can go by so slowly or so quickly depending on how much there is to do and the schedule is always the same. The best way I know to keep focused is to enjoy what I am doing and the people I work with. Dwellworks understands how to keep things interesting and fun while still accomplishing so much. This type of work culture that embraces both is what makes the transition from being a college student into a working adult fun and less daunting. Though I am going to enjoy my last semester at school as much as I can, knowing that there are companies out there where everyone enjoys their work and is engaged is what will give me hope that maybe the fun doesn’t end when you graduate.

A Pictoral Representation - Kaitlyn