PSE INTERNSHIP STORIES: Going Remote
PSE INTERNSHIP STORIES: Going Remote
A Timeline to Staying Positive and Resourceful
Written By: Anita Drapkin
Featured below are two of our Gamma Gamma members' insights on how they stayed open-minded and persistent in developing strong internship experiences they could take away from for years to come, despite having to participate from the least expected of all our places: their childhood bedrooms. As I am sure many of us feel, the ordinary internship search is a journey all on its own, here is a timeline to how a few of our members navigated it through these unprecedented circumstances with ease. It’s all in the mindset.
Anthony Patrick | Tell Us About Yourself
Meet Anthony Patrick, a rising Sophomore from the Cleveland Area majoring in Accounting. He entered PSE in Spring of 2020 and is involved on the Recruitment Committee working closely with the VP of Recruitment. He also keeps busy outside of PSE with the Multicultural Business Association and National Association of Black Accountants. This summer he worked as a Controllership Intern for Nationwide!
Courtney Dunning | Tell Us About Yourself
Meet Courtney Dunning, a rising Senior majoring in Marketing with a minor in Digital Innovation. She joined PSE in the Spring of her freshman year, serving on 2 committees, 3 projects, a Project Manager, and a New Member Team Lead. On campus she is also involved in Kappa Alpha Theta, the We Are The Change Miami Movement, and the Digital Innovations Program in San Francisco’s Social Media Management Internship Role. This summer she completed her own self-navigated Marketing and Branding Internship!
THE SEARCH
Anthony Patrick -
All internships have to begin somewhere, and especially as a freshman, it can seem intimidating and overwhelming even in normal circumstances, not to mention amidst a global health crisis. Here Anthony let’s us into the very start of his timeline in staying involved in his internship with Nationwide despite a constantly changing business environment.
Describe Your Job Search
I had a pretty atypical experience with my internship as I actually had it secured in the fall of my freshman year. I attended a Diversity and Inclusion Networking Event where I met a Nationwide Recruiter. We instantly hit it off and had a very natural conversation.
How did you start off that conversation with a recruiter and make yourself stand out?
I came to this event with a very clear goal, to not actually obtain an internship, but to put my name in association with Nationwide.
Tips: Researching companies attending events in advance can help you come more prepared and with a better purpose to guide you through networking.
“To me it was more about building a relationship to put my name in their head.”
It was a very natural conversation rather than an elevator speech of accomplishments.
“It is more about presenting yourself rather than what you can do.”
Tips in following up with recruiters:
Stress the importance of asking “what does an opportunity with _____ look like” and referencing a point from a conversation with the recruiter.
I received an email from Nationwide the next day to confirm my interest and set up a phone interview for the following week. In preparation for the interview I did a mock phone interview at the Career Center which was innumerably valuable.
“In my phone interview I actually had to check and make sure they knew I was a freshman yet to take an accounting class, but I still got the internship!”
Tip: Recruiters are just as, if not more, interested in your soft skills as your hard skills. Showing genuine interest and passion can take you far in making an impression. In a remote setting this is important. When you start online or phone interviews enhance your resume or listed skills/courses, what do YOU specifically bring. Don’t assume your LinkedIn can speak for you. Even in a digital age that human aspect is constantly key in making yourself memorable.
THE SEARCH
Courtney Dunning -
Courtney had a different experience with her summer internship. She had one lined up from fall that was unfortunately cancelled with changing travel capabilities in the face of COVID. However Courtney faced this adversity with immense optimism and found a new opportunity at the close of an expected one. As a junior or senior, there is a visible pressure from peers to obtain an ideal internship, but Courtney explains below the wide expanse of options available to us to continuously grow our professional skills all on our own.
Describe Your Job Search
I began looking into my remote internship when I found my original one was cancelled.
“Not being in a classroom March to June was hard, I didn’t feel I was growing or pushing myself. I wanted to be able to discuss what I had done and look back what I’d learned from the quarantine.”
I knew I wanted to engage in a 5 week commitment, the length of a typical internship. First I began joining online classes, certifications, and business groups. Through The American Marketing Association I received an email to join a virtual conference where I saw keynote speakers and live videos. Just by signing up I received a free invite to an online conference with Girl Up! From there I just kept pursuing online resources to grow my skills and knowledge.
How did you reach out to brands and make yourself stand out?
I was able to develop interpersonal connections with LinkedIn posts to document my work. I responded to comments and further took them to direct messages or email to grow connections and find new brands or resources to further grow and refine my skills. These public postings allowed me to connect with alumni and bring in people from an outside network I wouldn’t have interacted with otherwise.
Tips: Even remote, there are so many opportunities to interact.
“Reach out to anyone who liked or commented on your post you may not know. Ask what interested them and what they are looking for! Genuinely try to learn from anyone.”
THE WHY
We often forget that we should be evaluating potential employers as much as they evaluate us as potential candidates.
Anthony Patrick | Why did you pick Nationwide?
I appreciated the company culture and ethics. Attending the Diversity and Inclusion Networking Event, rather than a general career fair, was helpful because it already was refined for companies with similar inherent values that aligned with mine.
I was looking to grow new skills, and Nationwide provided me with a plethora of areas to excel in within a real business setting.
“It was the continual investment in the interns growth opportunities and communal learning that made Nationwide’s opportunity stand out as a journey rather than climbing a ladder”
Courtney | Why did you pick the resources you did?
Going into my self-taught internship, my goal was mainly to just learn as much as I could. I am a visual learner and wanted to learn from people teaching marketing concepts: applying that visual aspect to working from home.
Tips: Take up opportunities to try experiences different from your major or extracurriculars. Even without seeing diverse professionals in an office setting, take initiative to ask for extra resources in something that interests you or even go about researching it on your own.
THE PROCESS
Anthony -
Q: What was your internship like?
As a controllership intern, I worked on a Close and Analysis team for Accounting and Finance Solution Services. I was the only intern on the Close team where we worked on the end of the month and quarter closing. We were important as like the air traffic control of transactions between many departments. I’d assist with daily entrees of team members, miscellaneous entries, and suspense entries to make sure they were correct in the general ledger.
Q: How did you stay motivated when the internship moved to be remote?
You have to have the right mindset when going virtual, it’s not easier.
“This is a job, virtual does not take away from that.”
Being adaptable and unafraid to ask questions is what was most helpful for me. Knowing when to use direct messaging, like Microsoft Teams, instead of email to get quick responses, that is sometimes actually preferred by your managers or teammates, is vital. As well as continuing to foster business relationships with your team and community even while you are all in different places. Having meetings and luncheons or getting to know fellow interns one on one helps grow that community, instead of individual-worker, mindset is practically essential to any remote work.
“You have to hold yourself to a higher standard. Let the manager know I did this, if you have questions please let me know. You should be consistently interacting with your manager’s more than just asking for tasks, but asking where can I improve and grow?”
Courtney -
Q: What was your internship like?
For the first few weeks I enrolled in marketing and brand management courses and research to see how brands were interacting socially with current events, like how were they accommodating work from home changes or responding to social issues.
From there I found myself exploring entrepreneurial and motivation TedTalks and podcasts. These showed me there's more to learn going into entrepreneurship that eventually stems into marketing and brand management.
I kept myself on track by making a task list of 3-5 action items a week depending on the length, including courses, videos, podcasts, projects, etc. Mixing up the media I worked with as well as reflecting is what made it so impactful.
Tips: “In staying motivated, it helps to draw from different platforms and learn new skills you may not have originally saw yourself pursuing. Take all opportunities as they come and reflect on their value.”
WEEKLY REFLECTIONS
Anthony -
One of the many development opportunities I was offered was to be on the Nationwide Interns Council which connected interns with Nationwide Associates. I spearheaded the newsletter publication for the intern body. Doing these written reflections and have discussions with associates allowed me to develop new goals and have a different vision going into the next week with more purpose than I would have otherwise. I also made a service catalog project and served as a student leader in meetings. Taking these leadership opportunities let me make the most out of my internship experience and made it more valuable.
Courtney -
I made a weekly LinkedIn article to pull together what I had done and learned. I would say this is one of the most important things I did in my internship. The reflecting really allowed me to appreciate the skills I learned and how they would apply to the workplace. Sharing it with my public network enabled me to gauge others' reactions to see where I could further grow myself as well as give me more resources. Creating that professional recap of my internship did more than create a portfolio piece. It guided me to find more focused action items for the next week and find the gaps in what I had just learned. Professional reflections is something I learned to take far beyond this internship as they completely change your perspective on growth opportunities for the future of that experience and what you want out of those to come.
PSE INVOLVEMENT
Lastly, how did your involvement in PSE help you in being successful in your remote internships?
Anthony -
“PSE helped me be an adverse candidate.”
In everything I do with PSE, I’ve learned to be a candidate that doesn’t just fill the job description, but adds value. I am constantly pushed to be my best, most creative and outgoing self in everything from interviews to client projects and committee decisions, which is something I have learned to take with me to the workplace.
Courtney -
“I wouldn’t be able to do this without PSE”
PSE gave me the personal and professional confidence to do something I hadn’t seen before. Being surrounded in such a supportive environment for professional development encouraged me to make myself grow.
The common factor in Courtney and Anthony’s having positive remote internship experiences? Their mindset.
It’s all about making a community from home, whether with co-workers or your LinkedIn network. Find value in the work you are doing and keep that social interaction alive. Do everything for a larger purpose, whether it is for your current or future manager to see. In changing to working from home environment, you truly get out what you put into it. There are never less opportunities, just different ones. Following your passions and staying curious will open doors you may not have bothered to explore in a non-virtual setting. Even when the pandemic settles and we return to our normal workplaces, we still can access online learning opportunities, communications styles, and reflection platforms that can be positively repurposed into a part of our careers.
PSE Your Business Advantage for Life.
