We interviewed three former ES&S summer interns to find out what makes an ES&S internship so darn great.
For most students, an internship is an essential part of the track toward a professional career. For students chosen to intern at ES&S, it’s so much more. Why do we see our interns getting their hands dirty with projects and deliverables all summer, every summer? Three of our 2017 interns gave us their perspective on what makes an ES&S internship worth smiling about.
According to Tenda Helman (Human Resources), the ES&S experience was an entirely new and challenging experience. “In my other HR internships, I had helped with coordination and paperwork, but at ES&S I was much more involved with the creative side of HR.
A lot of freedom meant taking full responsibility for the impact of my projects, but I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything—it gave me the confidence to be creative and take ownership!”
Danylo Serednetsky (Finance) agreed: “My favorite part of my role wasn’t necessarily a project or a job function. It was just great to be given a meaningful role on the Finance team and feel like I was a part of achieving our goals.
I was also given the opportunity to sit in on meetings with management. Getting to observe my manager and team members as they solved problems and discussed projects and at times, being asked to chime in, taught me so much about good communication and teamwork.”
Maeve Nelson (Marketing) was worried a career as an in-house graphic designer for a corporate brand might be artistically unfulfilling. “One of my projects for the summer was updating the design of the election-day calendars our associates and customers use. I was given a lot of freedom to make creative decisions, and it was proof to me that there are creative outlets within the corporate world.”
Life at ES&S isn’t “all work and no play.” Interns are invited to socialize at company and team outings and get to know their teammates as people. Maeve remembers going out to dinner with her team, including VP of Government Relations, Kathy Rogers. “We spent the afternoon updating Kathy on our progress, and afterward went out to dinner. We played board games and talked, and it was so fun to get to know everyone outside of the office!”
ES&S interns attend a professional development program, meeting with Talent Coordinator Deanna Jares to develop professional skills and learn what recruiters are looking for in potential hires.
“This was one of the most valuable parts of the development program—learning what real hiring managers are looking for was a huge asset in building my resume and professional profile,” Danylo said.
Interns are also given the opportunity to take the Gallup Strengths Assessment, which ES&S managers use to build productive and collaborative teams. “The Strengths Assessment was interesting—it helped me understand how everyone uses their strengths, and how together we bring so many different and unique perspectives,” said Maeve.
They’ve landed on their feet. Danylo is now a full-time Data Analyst at Unico. “Before my internship with ES&S, I had the typical experience of most college kids—I worked part-time jobs here and there and went to school full time. Now that I’ve graduated and am working in my field, I’m using the communication skills and experience I picked up from my team at ES&S in my day-to-day.”
Tenda is heading back to school in the fall to finish her degree, but she hasn’t paused pursuing more opportunities to use her skills. “I’m excited to keep using the skills I learned at ES&S in the interview process. Everywhere I’ve applied, I’ve had positive feedback on my resume and applications.”
Maeve is currently an intern at design firm The New BLK, where she’s getting more experience with illustration and motion graphics.
“It’s a lot like my internship at ES&S—everyone here loves what they do. When you’re around people who aren’t excited to show up, it affects your attitude and your experience, but when you’re around people who are excited to come to work and work with each other, every day is new and there’s always a new problem to tackle. It makes the work you do exciting.”
You heard it here first: our interns play meaningful roles on teams company-wide, and the work they do helps make fair and secure elections across the country a reality. It’s our goal to prepare our interns for impactful careers and nurture a passion for democracy that lasts a lifetime—and to help them build a career path that keeps them smiling.
Learn more about what makes an ES&S internship special, straight from the interns themselves!