By Web Communications
This article was written by Chris Salas (MBA’18).
I remember precisely where I was when I had “the conversation.” I was sitting at the dinner table during a frigid December evening in 2016, post-dessert. I had been hesitant to acknowledge my lack of effort, but the conversation ensured that I was going to perform a course correction. After this heart-to-heart chat with my fiancée, I knew what I had to do immediately, and to be honest, that sense of clarity was refreshing.
The conversation in question was how to go about landing my internship for the upcoming summer. During Mods 1 and 2 of my first year, I attended multiple, disparate information sessions. I also loaded my Fridays with helpful seminars about topics such as job search tips and resume writing 101, all to no avail. I simply felt like I was drifting farther and farther away from any semblance of an internship offer. I needed to reprioritize this internship search, and this conversation was step one in the process.
First, some background. I am (what I consider) an “unconventional” MBA student, with a background in Military Intelligence. I am someone who was genuinely concerned about passing the Managerial Finance course in Mod 1. I trended toward Marketing as a possible concentration, if only because I found the topic both interesting and something that a “poet” would pursue.
So, what did I do? I made a simple and cohesive strategy that was easy to follow. More specifically, I networked non-stop, and I checked in regularly with my CMC Advisor to ensure I was holding myself accountable. My goal by the end of January was to have spent every lunch break on a phone call or over coffee or tweaking my resume — anything internship-related.
How did I do it? Seeing as how I wanted to remain in Nashville over the summer, I was able to narrow down my search in a geographical manner. During the winter break, I reached out to second-year classmates as well as Nashville-based Owen alumni and planned (and held) coffee chats with as many of them as possible who were in a wide swath of industries. I figured that, if these conversations only narrow down my list of companies to pursue long-term, even that would be a success. In other words, there was no downside to this networking, and there was virtually limitless upside.
Post-winter break, I kept up the internship hustle. Over time, I found that these conversations were causing me to think more creatively about my Concentration choice. I was feeling more positive about switching to Operations and Strategy, and I had not even considered those two as an option before Owen. I also made it a point to end every meeting by asking to be referred to anyone that could be of help. While it sounds overly simplistic, this one request helped me land a volunteering opportunity that further bolstered my personal narrative (and played a role that helped me land my eventual full-time offer).
One January afternoon, I was mid-conversation with my CMC Advisor when she immediately interrupted my update and said, “Hold on, I think this person would be a good local resource to connect with.” She pulled up the LinkedIn page of the CEO of a local startup and encouraged me to reach out to him. I jotted down his name and contact information, and I followed up later that evening.
Within a week of initial outreach via e-mail, I was interviewing for an internship with that same exact company, and by the end of January 2017, I officially landed that internship. As for my full-time offer, I combined these freshly-honed networking skills with my will to succeed, and that made for an excellent combination. For proof, one need only look to the fact that I landed TWO full-time offers before the holiday break of my second year at Owen.
All of my hard work had paid off, but it was not a singular effort. If there is one thing that I wish to impart to readers of this article, it would be to leverage all of the resources at your disposal. The Owen alumni network is extremely powerful. Additionally, the CMC is available for meetings. The advisors are there to assist, so don’t be a complete stranger if you’re in the middle (or early) stages of your internship search. And finally, do not be afraid to stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone — especially as it relates to networking in pursuit of the internship. While this process takes time and significant effort, I am a firm believer that nothing truly worth doing is easy. Do the legwork, ask for help when needed, and follow every meeting with a thank-you e-mail — if you follow this approach, I am quite confident that you will find success!
