After many months of research, networking and interviewing I finally have decided upon a summer internship. This summer, I will be working in Chicago, IL in the marketing and product innovation group for a leading Consumer Products company. The journey to Chicago was full of twists and turns, ups and downs, and many different projected paths. Having said this, I’m excited for the opportunity and am looking forward to having a great learning experience this summer, not to mention, I have heard nothing but great things about Chicago in the summertime!
The internship process was a fantastic learning experience. Through this process, I was able to meet with countless alums and industry leaders, learn about many different companies, and gain greater insight to my interests, skills and career opportunities. As a result of the process I gained a greater understanding of various business models, industries, career paths and job functions. Most importantly, the lessons I learned, the people I met, and the knowledge I gained will be valuable to my further development. In addition to serving my own learning, I’m hopeful that I can pass along the knowledge I’ve gained with others who will eventually go through the MBA internship search, which is why I’d like to share with you the 6 lessons I learned from the MBA Internship search. While the list is not exhaustive, I feel these are the most important lessons and can be useful to many people as they begin or conduct their internship search
Things do not always seem to be as they appear – We all have ideas and plans with what we want to do, and while sometimes they work out, they also don’t. I thought I wanted to work for a tech company on the west coast and ended up working for a consumer products company in the Midwest. Part of this was just circumstance, but the other part of it was through what I learned in the networking and researching parts of my recruiting search. As I went through the search, I began to realize that there is a difference in working in technology (ex for a tech company) versus working with technology (much broader) I’m really passionate about applying technology to the things we already do, and my skillset is much more geared towards teaching and showing others how to use technology to transform what they already do. As such, building, marketing, and selling products, software and tools was not necessarily as much of a fit or interest based off of my skills and interests. This is a pretty subtle but incredibly important realization and something I was completely unaware of about 6 months ago. While I ended up in a place I didn’t expect, finding this was very helpful in narrowing my search and making my decision. Similarly, I had a handful of classmates who came in dead set on pursuing one field but then totally changing course because they realized it wasn’t for them. It’s okay to do this, the important thing is taking the time to gather this information and then understanding what it means and how it impacts your search and decision making process.
Networking takes effort, but makes a difference– Everyone tells you to network. Everyone says it’s important and you have to do it. I’d echo what they said and say that effectively networking takes significant work but can be a differentiator between you and the other qualified candidates. For on-campus recruiting with companies who have an active presence, networking is the differentiator that will help you get onto the closed list to be interviewed. For off-campus recruiting, networking is what will get your resume read and not sent into a black hole of oblivion. In total, I probably talked to over 75 different people throughout the process and half of those were conversations with Alum or current employees at a company I was targeting and in many instances it involved multiple instances of communication and follow up protracted over a few months.
Having said that, simply talking to these people isn’t merely enough. If you want the networking to lead you somewhere your conversations need to demonstrate your interest, capabilities, and personality. The person you’re speaking with needs to know that you A) care about the company and the position B) would want to work with you if they were to vouch for you. Finally, networking takes time and persistence. Simply meeting someone at an event and getting their card isn’t nearly enough. If you are hoping for it to lead to something you’ll want to stay on their radar and top of mind by occasionally reaching out to them either to ask questions or let them know of any updates. The more you demonstrate interest, capability and personality, the more they’ll be willing to help you.
We are in the information age; use it to your advantage – This is the information age. Information has never been easier to come by especially with the internet and social media. Finding information on companies, positions, employees etc has never been easier. Use these tools to your advantage when you researching companies, finding alum to network with or preparing for your interviews. Simply doing some research can help you understand the company, the position and the industry that you are targeting. Furthermore, it can also help you tailor your questions you have for perspective employers. Having thoughtful questions for company presentations, informational interviews and real interviews can set yourself apart from others and demonstrate your knowledge and interest. One example: I was doing an interview with someone who I knew was an active contributor to a very respectable website. I looked up and read through a number of her articles and even referenced them during my interview. She was impressed with my knowledge and that I had read through her work.
Don’t underestimate the power of curiosity and initiative – Even though networking may seem invasive or very motive based to some, it really is about how you frame it. In general, my experience has found that people do appreciate thoughtfulness, curiosity and general inquisitiveness. Additionally, considering most people are comfortable with talking about themselves, and you have a recipe for opportunity. In my experience, simply being curious about what people do, how they got to where they are in their life, and what they think about careers and jobs can go a long way. Through simply reaching out to people and asking them for a few minutes of their time to ask some thoughtful questions I’ve gotten a plethora of great information, sound advice, and in some cases, referrals, additional contacts and interviews. They key to this is taking the initiative. If you want to become great at building relationships you need to be proactive and about it. You’ll definitely get some rejections but what you have to gain from being proactive far outweighs what you have to lose.
There are lots of things you cannot control – This is one of the hardest things I had to come to terms with. In the interview process, there are so many things that are beyond your control. The interviewer, the candidate pool, and the questions they ask you, and the mood of the person who is making the hiring decisions to name a few. While it can be hard to accept, worrying about these things or getting upset about these things won’t be very productive. The only thing you can somewhat control is how well you present yourself in the interview. Did you prepare for the interview? Did you do your homework on the Alums that work for that company? I had an internship that I really wanted and I ended up getting a final round interview. Unfortunately, the final round did not go as planned and I did not end up getting the offer. I was pretty disappointed, and spent a few days reflecting on the experience. Upon further reflection, I realized that there were things I could control and that I couldn’t control. For instance, there was a case interview component to the interview and I didn’t do as well on it as I would have hoped primarily do to my lack of preparation. I realize that I could have done some more prep work to prepare for the interview, and vowed to myself that I would remember that for the next one. On the things that I couldn’t control part: I got a pretty tough interviewer, the candidate pool was full of HBS, Wharton and Stanford grads, and there was only 1 position. None of those things I just listed were things I could change or influence, so I had to let them go. Moving forward, I vowed to myself that if I didn’t get the offer, or get the 2nd interview, I would only be disappointed about things that I could control and I wouldn’t waste time on the things I couldn’t.
Decisions are tough, but internships are short-term commitments – Some of you will have the good fortune of obtaining multiple internship offers. That is a fantastic accomplishment but also comes with added pressure. In many cases, there are multiple great offers and it can be hard to choose. I was fortunate to be in this position and had a difficult time choosing my offer. The best advice I can give is threefold. First, understand your criteria and priorities. Doing this will help you evaluate how well each internship fits these priorities and criteria.Second, understand opportunity cost and trade-offs. Each decision you make will have things that you have to forgo. There may not be a perfect answer, but by truly understanding what you may have to give up you may find it easier to make a decision. Finally, also understand that internships are 10-12 weeks and are designed to give you a feel for what it’s like to work for that company and that role. While many of us want to covert then internship to a fulltime opportunity (and thus not have to recruit again!) it’s very important to view the internship as an evaluation opportunity for both you and the employer. You may realize at the end of the internship that while it would be great to have the offer, it’s not something you actually want to do. It can be easy to get caught up in trying to find the “perfect” fit or perfect offer, but it’s important to understand the internship is still just a trial period for both you and the employer.
Last but not least, understand that there is a lot of great advice out there on how to navigate the internship search. Some of this may apply to you and some of it may not. Ultimately, you’ll have to use your judgment to decide for yourself.
A Digital Mentor 