The MBA internship search is a challenging, rewarding and insightful process. While there are many highs and lows, there are lots of great lessons that can help students mature and grow. To follow up on my previous post, I’d like to offer some additional insights that I learned from the internship search, based on each of the companies that I interviewed with. Note: I interviewed with a couple of more companies, but I want to highlight the ones that I was most serious about.
Company 1: Financial Services Company: An interview is just as much for you as it is for the company interviewing you – The first company I interviewed with is a very respected and reputable company and has a very positive reputation at UNC. Additionally, the role was interesting, the pay (I heard) was solid, and the feedback from the second years was strong. Despite this, I quickly learned that this company was not a great fit for me. The interview process consisted mostly of the interviewer asking me questions about my experience and my qualifications but it was also a time for me to ask tough questions and evaluate why I wanted to work for that particular company. There were a number of things that happened that made me realize that my fit with the company wasn’t that strong, and while I made it to the final round I didn’t end up getting an offer. Afterwards, I thought about some of the interactions with the company employees and the answers that some of them gave me to some of my questions I quickly realized that the fit just wasn’t there. Fortunately, because I used my interview as an opportunity to not only be interviewed but to interview I realized that it wasn’t the right opportunity for me, and I moved on to other opportunities.
Company 2: Technology Company: It’s OK turn down an offer as long as you have an action plan – I ended up getting an offer with the 2nd company that I interviewed with. The role was good, the company was solid, and I enjoyed my interview experience and interactions with employees. However, the role was based in a city that I didn’t have any long-term interest in, and I also knew I had other interviews lined up that I wanted to explore. Unfortunately, due to the expiring deadline, I would have to choose between taking the offer and exploring further interviews. I was torn about what to do, especially because having a “sure-thing” can be hard to pass up. Ultimately, I realized that I was more interested in chasing and pursuing other opportunities that I felt more interested and aligned with rather than taking the sure thing that wasn’t exactly what I was looking for. It was daunting at first to pass-up a great offer. Given that I had success in getting an offer (as evidenced) I had enough confidence that I would eventually land one that I wanted. Even though it meant I would have to continue to interview and chase other opportunities, after I called the recruiter and made the decision I immediately felt like I had made the right decision. Passing up a guaranteed offer can be tough to stomach, but if you have other opportunities and truly believe that they are worth pursuing I think it’s OK to pass up something. Obviously, there are limits to this – you may never find the “perfect” internship and you need to be realistic about your options. But you shouldn’t feel “trapped” into taking an offer especially early on. The fact that you got one should give you some confidence in your abilities. It can be tough to stomach, but having confidence and actively pursuing other opportunities can put you down the right path toward finding something you really want.
Company 3 Internet Company: It’s okay to have “dream jobs” and “dream companies” – The third company that I interviewed with was my dream company. I loved the company, the mission, the people, and the products that they created. I knew their business inside and out and could give you tons of great reasons why I was the perfect candidate. I made it to the final round of the interview process but unfortunately I didn’t walk away with the offer. To say that I was disappointed was an understatement. I felt really disappointed especially because it was a company that I had coveted for so long. While it initially was tough to swallow, I was able to move forward especially because I had plenty of other companies that I applied to that I was still very interested in. Having dream companies or dream internships is absolutely OK, provided you don’t get too fixated on them. At the end of the day, no matter how qualified you are, there are plenty of exceptionally qualified candidates in the MBA internship applicant pool. It’s okay to have goals and dreams and chasing them as best of you can, but you also need to realize that even for the best and hardest working candidates nothing is guaranteed. Having other options and being resilient in the process is critical to staying level-headed. Sure, I was disappointed for a few days, but right after that I had other interviews that I needed to prep. Ultimately, the immediate next company I interview with gave me an offer (which I eventually accepted) and upon evaluating the two against each other I began to realize that while the dream company was a great company, the role wasn’t actually a great fit for me and the new company and role were actually both a much better fit. I’m glad that I didn’t fixate too long on the past because it helped me cash in on the next opportunity.
Company 4: Consumer Products Company: Understand your priorities and trust your gut – The next company I interviewed with had been on my radar since September. I went to their on-campus presentation and really enjoyed speaking with the people that I met. I made it through the first round interview and was asked to come onsite for a final round interview. The day of the interview consisted of two interviews, a panel and a Q&A session with a senior leader. I thoroughly enjoyed the people that I met, and the fact that the people I met liked what they did, liked working with their colleagues and liked the company they worked for really stuck out and impressed me. I was fortunate to receive an offer from this company. And while I was evaluating it with my other offers I kept thinking back to the people and their attitudes towards their company, colleauges and work. I’m someone that really values culture and people, and by far, the culture and people were the best out of any company that I interviewed with. While it was a tough decision choosing between offers, I realized that when it comes down to the wire my gut always pushes me towards good people and good culture, and this company had it. It can be easy to get confused how to make the “right decision” when evaluating companies and choosing offers, however, trusting my gut and thoroughly evaluating and reminding myself of my priorities helped me see that this was the company for me. While it was tough to turn down the other two offers, I am really excited for this summer and to get to work in a great culture and along great people.
Company 5: Financial Services Company: Money and perks aren’t everything– The next company I interviewed with ended up making me an offer. It was by far the most valuable and lucrative offer and by a significant amount. During the interview process, I never felt like I made a strong connection with any of my interviewers. Furthermore, after getting the offer I did some additional vetting of the company through some extended people in my network. After those conversations I decided that the role and the company wasn’t a fit for me. Sure, the money and perks were great, but it wasn’t going to be enough. Moving past the perks and money helped me understand that this wasn’t the best fit for me.
Company 6: Technology Company: The best offer on paper might not be the right offer – The last company I interviewed with presented promising opportunities. The company was in an industry I thought I was interested in and the role was a very high-profile and sought after position. It seemed like a slam dunk – the role I wanted, the industry I wanted to be in, and the location I wanted – or so I thought. I ended up getting the offer but ultimately chose to decline the position. This offer made the most “logical” sense to take, at least on paper. Sometimes, the internship search process leads you in a different direction. After digging and getting into the details I realized that it might not be what I wanted after all. I realized while I thought I wanted to work in the tech industry, I was actually more interested in applying technology to another industry. Furthermore, while I thought I wanted to sell, develop and market tech products, I was more interested in applying technology to helping market non-tech products. Finally, even though this position hit some of the criteria I was looking for, I felt the other offer I was evaluating hit the most important criteria better than this company did. It was tough and surprising. This was definitely the offer I thought I was supposed to take, and on paper, it made sense. Turning it down was difficult but I’m happy with my decision, and proud of the fact that instead of simply taking the thing that made sense on paper, I thoroughly analyzed my options, listened to my thoughts, and made a decision that I felt was best for me.
In the end, an internship is like a dry-run or a trial to see how you align and fit with a company and opportunity. At the end of the day, much like lots of things in life, internships are what you make of them. The internship process was an incredible learning opportunity. I’m excited to about my opportunity this summer and I’m looking forward in the future to sharing my insights and learned lessons when it finishes.
A Digital Mentor 