2002 Panelists And 2001 Summer Internship Positions example essay topic

iscussion for First-Year International MBA Students March 26, 2002 Panelists and 2001 Summer Internship Positions: Polo Aristo y-Summer Associate, Zephyr Management L. P, New York Pietro Berardi-Summer Associate, Deloitte & Touche, New York Pat Vaishnava-Summer Intern, Intuit Inc, Waltham Each panelist discussed his internship search process and the work experience itself, then gave advice on how to find a position make the most of your time on the job. Key points of advice included: Search Process o Even though networking isn't easy (and often just isn't done in other cultures), it's absolutely essential! The panelists suggested starting with your friends, classmates, second-years, and the career services staff, and working your way up to alumni and other contacts. Make lots of calls, and send lots of letters and emails. o Leverage being an international student.

You have many great attributes (open-mindedness, ability to adapt to new situations, etc.) that can work in your favor. Also, potential employers should know that for internship positions, it's no more difficult to hire an international student than an American student-there's no extra red tape! Pick up a copy of the document "Hiring an International MBA Student" from the career services office for more details. o Decide what your personal goals are for the summer. Do you know exactly what you want to do when you graduate? In that case, it's a good idea to find a position in that particular field. Or, do you want to try something new?

Polo's past experience was in marketing, but he wanted to give finance a try-turns out he learned that he wants to go back to marketing, which is a very important and useful outcome of his experience last summer. o Be willing to consider an entry-level job. Some companies may be very interested in hiring you, but just don't have the resources to pay the standard MBA internship salary, or do not have a specific MBA internship position available. The internship is meant to be a learning experience-of course you need to make enough money to live on for the summer, but don't forget the value of all you " ll learn. Also, just because you start in an entry level job doesn't mean you " ll stay there for the whole summer-Pat started out doing data entry, but was promoted within two weeks! o It's not too late! You still have time to find an internship-just keep making calls and pursuing every possible opportunity. Don't get too frustrated.

But: it takes a couple of month to process your application for optional practical training, so you should talk to the Intercultural Office about when you need to file the application. On the Job o Be realistic. According to Polo, anyone who comes back from their internship bragging about the big deals they closed and their important contributions to the company is lying! The internship is only three months long, and the goal is for you to learn.

Don't be disappointed if you aren't in on every deal! o That said, you should definitely be willing to work hard! Show your employer that you " re flexible, resourceful and will go the extra mile. Always maintain a positive attitude. Be strategic, however-figure out who the movers and shakers are in the company, and make sure they know who you are. o Be careful about cultural differences and American workplace etiquette. Keep an eye on how your American colleagues interact with one another in different situations. Pietro and Polo found that their American colleagues tended to be more formal than people they had worked with abroad.

They particularly cautioned against the "kissing as a greeting" thing-people are likely to get very upset! o Make sure you leave a positive impression when you finish the internship. The career services office can give you advice on how to ensure that this happens. What If You Don't Get an Internship?? As Pietro's grandmother advised him last year, it's only an internship-it's not a life or death situation! If you don't have a summer internship this year, it does not mean you won't be able to find a job when you graduate. You " re getting lots of good experience right here in the MBA program-the business plan competition and Diane Weiss, for example.

One student who was not able to find an internship last summer ended up taking classes instead... and was one of the first in the class to get a full-time job this year. So keep the internship in perspective..