Water Cooler Talk: How to Turn an Internship Into a Full-Time Job: Investing in the Workforce of the Future
August 5, 2019

Brought to you by Heritage Financial Consultants, LLC, Published in the Baltimore Business Journal

Written by Kara Eyler

You’re in college and your friends and family members ask what you’re doing this summer and you reply “just an internship,” but it’s not JUST an internship. The next three months (or more) will be full of exciting days, challenging days, and learning from your mistakes and your successes.

I was a student at Towson University in 2009 when I started my internship at Heritage Financial Consultants, a Baltimore based wealth management firm offering financial planning services through Lincoln Financial Advisors who is a broker/dealer (Member SIPC) and registered investment advisor. I thought I would learn some important wealth management processes, make some connections and then move on, but it wasn’t anything like that. Heritage’s advisors wanted to give us the most useful experience possible, which was evident throughout the internship program.

During my time as an intern, I made sure to take advantage of every opportunity – to learn more about the programs used, the process of on-boarding clients and how to help clients when new situations arise. I also ensured that my team knew I was willing to help with any tasks, I wanted to build a trusting connection with each of them. In the end, the connections I built made a difference and my advisor decided to hire me on full-time, something I didn’t think was possible from “just an internship.”

This National Intern Day, I challenge all of you to reflect on the internships you held and think about what someone could have done to make that experience more impactful for you and your career. Now go do that for an intern in your office, and know that your investment in those college kids is investing in the workforce of the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRN-2647506-071819