Iowa State business students attended a career advice event Wednesday at the Gerdin Business Building.
A panel of graduating seniors spoke to underclassmen about how they turned their internships into full-time careers.
Mia Abeja, a senior in human resources (HR) and international business, used her HR internship at McDonald’s headquarters to meet people in the company.
“I asked my manager about everybody she thought would be important and then I emailed them,” Abeja said. “Ask questions, even if they’re dumb questions.”
Abeja said she impressed her bosses by always looking for new ways to be a better employee in the company.
“You want to stand out, so you need to ask where you can help,” Abeja said. “At the end of my internship presentation, I was able to highlight all these other things that weren’t expected of me.”
Clay Willadsen, a finance major, took advantage of his sales internship at Wells Fargo to explore different opportunities within the company.
“Do what your manager asks you to do and ask for more stuff to do,” Willadsen said. “If you do a good job, you will stand out and you should be in a good position.”
Jenna Mueller, a supply chain management major, secured a full-time purchasing position at Schwan’s Company by seeking advice from people above her.
“I really leaned into the previous year’s intern and he was really helpful,” Mueller said. “Insight into his experience and just learning from people above you and taking their advice is really helpful in the corporate world.”
Furthermore, Mueller obtained a full-time job with Schwan’s Company by frequently expressing her interest in meetings and conversations.
“During my final presentation, I invited the team to come, like the executives, and they could tell I was really interested in coming back,” Mueller said. “So, when it came time, they offered me a full-time position.”
Abeja said she found her internship on LinkedIn after looking for summer opportunities in her hometown of Chicago.
She noted the long interview process, saying she had to undergo five separate interviews all in one day.
Bennett Dirkx, a senior in marketing, found his internship as a client specialist at Holmes Murphy, an insurance company, because of a connection he made.
Dirkx said he had a conversation with a Holmes Murphy employee at a career fair during his sophomore year. He told the employee he knew someone who worked at the company and expressed interest in the company, but was denied since the company did not take sophomore interns.
Dirkx applied one year later and said the two connections at Holmes Murphy helped get him the internship and full-time job.
“One thing that I encourage everyone to do is have an existing connection,” Dirkx said. “Some hiring processes are referral-based, so for example, if you see someone in a role you want on LinkedIn, connect with them.”
Mueller said the best advice she could give to an underclassman is to be a part of every company event.
“You could talk to someone and they could have a job you’re super interested in, but you wouldn’t have known that if you didn’t go to the one event,” Mueller said.
Dirkx said his best advice to students is to simply ask questions.
“If you don’t know what you’re doing, that’s actually fine, because that gives you the opportunity to demonstrate sensibility and ask your employer,” Dirkx said. “That’s coachability, that’s hireability.”
The Ivy College of Business will host its annual CYning Day on Wednesday to celebrate students who have accepted an internship or job opportunity.
The event will take place at Kingland Hallway inside the Gerdin Business Building.
