My name is Jessie, and for 8 weeks this summer, I worked with ERA Real Estate as their Product Marketing Intern.  In all honesty, I wasn’t necessarily counting down the days till the internship started – in fact, I was mentally preparing myself for a boring summer filled with boring work.  Was I in for a surprise!  Instead, this turned into one of the best and most eye-opening summers of my life.

Here are the 3 biggest surprises about interning with #TeamERA and why I wouldn’t change my experience for the world.

They really are “TEAM” players

The first surprise revolves around the word “team.”  This was the first time I’d had a real corporate internship experience and I was fully prepared to walk into a drab and boring office full of people who didn’t want to be there.

From the first day it was obvious I was completely wrong – everyone was extremely happy to meet me, happy to be around each other, and happy to be a part of #TeamERA. This team spirit was something I never expected nor had experienced before. Everyone around me was always in ERA gear – I was even welcomed with a ton of ERA shirts, stickers and candy on my first day!

I also had the opportunity to see the ERA team spirit at the broker and agent level when sitting in on ERA’s 2019 Brand Champion. Just being able to watch some of our brokers and agents from all over the country interact with each other and share advice and best practices was such an amazing thing to see. Although I had never met any of them and many had not met each other, the room felt a lot more like a family reunion than a work conference. Each person that attended was so excited to be there and it was obvious that they really cared about ERA as a brand as well as each other.

It’s not hard to see where this pride comes from. The fact is, people don’t have team spirit or pride for a company they don’t enjoy working for.  It was little moments each day that made me realize that #TeamERA isn’t just something they say, it’s something that just is.

They Like to Help Each Other Succeed

The second surprise was the spirit of collaboration that filled the office every day. Each and every person around me brought something unique to the team and was so willing to help one another, and was there  to help and support me if I needed it.

As part of the internship program, my fellow Realogy interns and I were tasked with creating a presentation for John Peyton, RFG’s CEO, about our work and internship experience.  The immense encouragement I received from #TeamERA  truly eased my nerves and gave me the confidence I needed to succeed.   Everyone from the product team to the marketing team and even our senior leadership team, answered all of my questions, made suggestions to improve the presentation and gave me multiple opportunities to practice in front of them.  I’m so grateful to everyone for caring so much about my success and creating an environment where it’s so easy to learn and grow.

They Play as Hard as They Work

The last surprise can only be described by one word – FUN. Each member of the team was approachable and easy to talk to which made it so comfortable for me from the very start. Every single day in the office was exciting and although getting up in the morning wasn’t, I was always happy to make my way up to ERA’s spot on the second floor. Whether it be the little jokes, the big pizza parties or the exciting happy hours (I can say that, right? ☺️), I truly can’t imagine a more fun place to work or more fun people to work with.

Looking back, I can say with 100% confidence that my experience with ERA FAR exceeded my expectations. I did not expect to be working for a company that feels more like a team than a group of coworkers. I definitely did not expect to meet and work with people who will always be around to support me in everything I do from this point forward. And lastly, I did not expect to have such a fun summer making so many little memories that will last a lifetime.

For anyone like me looking around for a company to get started with, you just found it. I don’t think you’ll ever find a team like this full of so many amazing people who give you the opportunity to learn, grow and have fun while doing it. I want to thank everyone on #TeamERA for proving me completely wrong and making my summer as great as it was.

Jessie Pasquale, 21, is starting her senior year at Clemson University this fall.