An internship is a great opportunity to gain real work experience in a short period of time. Interns can make connections with the people they work with, from coworkers to managers and even CEOs during college or soon after graduation. People can assist with specific tasks related to their industry OR get creative by exploring an industry outside of their college major.
Our intern Karli Fritz, a STEM major at Iowa State University, has been such a great help in organizing our documents, helping us with recruiting, and brewing amazing coffee to comply with safety precautions.
“With COVID, we’re trying to take as many safety precautions as we can in the office,” Kari said. “I’m the only one touching the coffee pot, and I help with anything that anyone needs help with – filing administrative stuff, paperwork, and I also got into some recruiting, which is exciting!”
Company culture as an intern
Karli fit right in with our company culture, and our team welcomed her with open arms (well, at six feet apart!).
“I love the atmosphere and everyone’s energy. Even though I’m the youngest here, I definitely feel comfortable and very welcome, and the energy here is awesome,” she said.
Karli even made an appearance as a guest on Recruiting Live with Joey and Kevin, sharing her experience as a BlueWave intern and learning about the interpersonal recruiting world.
“I really like interacting with people and knowing that I’m making a difference in their life with helping them get a job, especially if they didn’t know where to start,” Karli said.
Advice for other interns
Karli encourages interns to be open-minded in where they apply for an internship. She says before BlueWave, she didn’t think an office setting would be the best fit for her. But the type of work she did and the team she surrounded with helped change that.
“I’m a STEM major, and I never thought I would work in an office,” Karli said. “But I am definitely getting experience that I can apply to anything. Be open-minded and it can take you wherever you’re supposed to go.”
Since interning at BlueWave, Karli says it’s helped her gain problem-solving skills, practice more computer skills, and learn best practices for speaking with candidates and teammates in a professional setting. Karli can apply these skills at any internship or job she pursues in the future.
Working with people, talking to clients and candidates, and practicing written and verbal communications in an office setting are all invaluable experiences interns can add to their resumes.
The importance of connections
Every job and internship is all about who you know and what skills you bring to the table. When you build relationships, you’re investing time in conversations and connections that can help you when you’re looking for a job.
Karli says instead of going to medical school or a physician assistant school, she’s now considering working for a corporation and doing some behind-the-scenes work related to her STEM studies.
“Be open-minded and apply to everything you can,” Karli said. “When I was applying for jobs in college or internships, out of the 10 I applied for, 4 people called me back. Definitely make connections with anyone you can because they might know of an opportunity that you don’t know about.”
Got questions about finding an intern for your company?
We’ve got you covered! Whether you need to find an intern or fill a position in your company, we’re all about building relationships and understanding your needs. Contact us to grow your team with top-notch talent.
