This summer I took a brand management internship with the spirits company, Beam Suntory. I had a fantastic summer working on their tequila brand, Hornitos, and found three things allowed me to get the most out of the experience. I’m sharing them with you, along with some advice for your future MBA internship!
- Get support from other Boothies
Boothies are eager to help each other out. Be sure to seek them out! It was amazing to see how generous other Boothies at the company were with their time and to see how invested they were in my success. Getting their feedback really allowed me to improve my final deliverable, and chatting with them over coffee helped me get a better understanding of the company culture. I would highly recommend utilizing the Booth network to make the most of your summer internship and leave a great impression. - Don’t being afraid to speak up or offer to help
It is key to go about this in the right way. I am by no means advising interrupting someone in an important meeting when you’re only a week into the job, but I found when there were opportunities to volunteer an opinion, speaking up showed I was engaged and passionate. In my first couple of weeks, my manager invited me to sit in on a couple of meetings with our design agency. As they presented their amazing work, I was furiously jotting down notes so I could keep track of all I was learning. In a meeting later with my manager, I mentioned to her I had notes from the meeting and a couple of thoughts I could send her via email. She said she was happy to take a look, and that turned into me helping coordinate with the agency. It was not something that typically would have been handed to me, but my manager could see my interest and willingness to help, and took me up on it. Often interns are asked to sit in on meetings to learn, which is great! Making sure to demonstrate you’re engaged during the meeting, and looking to contribute if appropriate can take things to the next level. - Live 100% in the moment
I personally tried to filter out, as much as I could, anything that was preventing me from just taking in the experience and learning as much as I could from it. Internships are often 10 -12 weeks, which can feel like a short amount of time to decide whether you fit into the company. Any time spent agonizing over how the internship will end or the upcoming 2Y recruiting season will simply take away from your ability to judge the experience. This is easier said than done. As Boothies we love to overanalyze, but being too caught up in the past or future can cloud your judgement of the present. So I would advise, stay open minded, don’t write anything off, and give the internship your full self and attention. Otherwise you’ll never fully know if it was the right fit for you.
