Amy Bechdel
IMS Intern
Where did you intern?
I interned for two summers in the Washington D.C. area with Paradigm Cos., an apartment management, development, and construction company. I'm currently interning with Keystone Business Ventures here in Williamsport.
How did you land the internship?
First, I had guidance from Anne Landon in crafting a quality resume, which is a very important initial step in landing a good internship. Second, I think having wide range of related coursework in Business, and some experience working for one of my Business professors helped me to land the internships as well.
Most valuable experience?
In general, I think the most valuable experience I gained from these internships is the transferrable skills that I can apply to most any future job. For example, at Paradigm I had a couple opportunities to teach others within the company about the laws governing the department in which we were working. This allowed me not only to work on my research and understanding skills, but my teaching and public speaking skills as well. At my current internship, because Keystone Business Ventures is a smaller company, I have the opportunity to work on a wider variety of areas, and get more in-depth hands on experience with various projects.
Toughest challenge?
The toughest challenge I had to face in my first internship was just getting acclimated to working in a professional setting. Once I learned the ropes of my job, and gained more confidence, it became easier to meet the daily tasks and challenges. Currently, because I spend most of my time working outside the office, the toughest challenge is effectively using my time, staying on task, and using my best judgment to figure out problems when I can't reach my supervisor with a question.
Favorite part of the internship class?
My favorite part of the internship class is the various seminars we'll have, where we'll be able to practice interviewing, resume writing, and dining etiquette skills. Skills such as these aren't usually taught in regular business classes, but they are very important lifelong skills to acquire.
How did the internship help you for the future?
Having an internship now will greatly help me after I graduate. Not only did the internships give me the opportunity to learn transferrable skills, and a more hands on application of what I've studied in the marketing tract, it has also given me valuable experience I can list on a resume, as well as valuable business relationships and references that I can use to land future jobs.
Advice for other students
Use every opportunity you have to get an internship. They provide great work experience, and might lead to landing something even bigger. Also, have confidence in yourself. I almost didn't apply for my first internship, because I was pretty certain I wouldn't land it. Even if you don't land the first one, if you keep trying, you're sure to find an internship that's perfect for you.