In this “Internship Experience” blog post series, we will be featuring the profile and thoughts of our students from Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management as they return from summer internships.
Name: Faraz Khan
Graduation Year: May 2020
Major: MBA (concentration in Finance and Business Analytics)
Hometown: Lahore, Pakistan
Intern Company/Title: Proctor & Gamble – Finance and Accounting Intern in the Personal Healthcare Business account
Describe your position and some of your daily tasks?
I was a Finance and Accounting Summer intern for the personal healthcare business, which consisted of brands such as Vicks, Oral-b, Pepto-Bismol, etc. I was given three current business problems, namely; Profit Zone Competitive Intelligence, Customer Retail Margin Analysis and Supply Chain Mapping. I was responsible for preparing financial and strategic reports, as a result, provided recommendations for future strategies.
How did you land your internship?
P&G is not one of the companies that participates in the Whitman Career Fair. So I worked on connecting with them and submitting an application. The complete process was as follows: Online Application -> Online Assessment -> Test-Center Based Assessment (in Syracuse) -> Phone Interview -> Office Interviews x2 (in Cincinnati).
What did you learn from your internship experience?
This was my first experience in finance and accounting. I learned many new models and analyses techniques. Moreover, as I was handling current and real business problems, I got a very good understanding of how business work. Last but not least, the most import aspect for me was to experience the U.S. corporate culture, which as I found out, is drastically different from the rest of the world.
Has your experience changed your plans or career choice when you leave college?
I believe the experience cemented my career plan to stay in the U.S. for a little longer and also stay in the finance industry.
How will your internship experience help you after graduation?
Apart from the learning opportunity, as an international student, it is essential to gain U.S. based experience to increase your chances of securing full-time employment. An organization such as P&G is a great addition to my resume and I believe it played a major role in securing my full-time offer. (I received an offer from PwC Risk Assurance).
How has the Whitman School prepared you for your internship?
Securing a job is purely based on an individuals’ hard work and determination (90%) and luck (10%). However, Marissa Smith from the career office was integral in improving my resume and cover letter (which were my weaknesses).
What did you enjoy most about your experience?
The internship was extremely well structured and my manager was the best manager I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I also got to learn a lot from my peers, who were extremely talented and made me challenge myself and push to get better results.
Do you have any advice to students who are looking for an internship?
Having submitted more than 400 applications in 12 months, I believe I can help a lot of students, as my seniors helped me. I am more than happy to guide students if they need any assistance.
My advice would be to:
- Apply now
- Do thorough research on the role, organization and industry it operates in
- Do not send the same resume or cover letter for two different roles at a company, and make sure to make it reflects what the job requires
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