Here’s some great career advice for students on managing job offers and how to make the most of an internship, courtesy of Daniel Schwartz ‘01, CEO of Burger King Worldwide, Inc. This is a cross-posted from the CALS Career Development Blog, which features lots of great career building tips for CALS students.
Job Offers: Perhaps more so than any other time in your career, there is significant pressure to secure that first job. However, it is important that before you commit yourself to anything, you are educated and completely honest with yourself about what you’re looking for. Your first job can set the trajectory for the rest of your career so you owe it to yourself to be as informed as possible. I think most young professionals would be surprised to learn how accommodating employers can be to inquisitive, potential candidates. Don’t be afraid to ask to speak to other employees who would be your potential co-workers or department peers. Digging a little deeper can expose aspects of the position that will either energize you to accept a great fitting opportunity or help you to avoid a job that simply isn’t what you thought it would be.
If you aren’t ready to sign on the dotted line, most employers are willing to give you additional time to decide. Often times, when a student is looking to secure their first full time role, they will feel additional pressure to sign the contract right away. Taking a little extra time, to ensure the job is right for you, does not run you the risk of having the offer withdrawn. Ultimately, employers want you to be comfortable with your decision, so that from your first day in the office you feel you fit right in. If you take the time to evaluate your situation and accept the position, we can be more confident you know you have made the right choice for you.
If you’re weighing more than one option, that’s terrific! Take this as an opportunity to decide what you are truly looking for out of your job. Will this particular place help me to turn this job into a career? Will this employer provide me with the tools and experience to be successful early on and will it prepare me for greater success later on? Ultimately, your decision may come down to which opportunity just “feels right.” Keep in mind that your first job might reveal to you that this is not the line of work you want to be in. Your first job may serve as a learning opportunity not for your career development in that field but for a career transition.
Making the most of an internships: At Burger King Worldwide, Inc., we value accountability and ownership at all levels of the organization. If you go into your internship with the mentality that you are only an intern, you might miss out on an opportunity to take ownership of your responsibilities and maximize your role. At BKW we want interns who approach the internship with a desire to understand the company as a whole, who engage deeply with the culture, and who are ultimately there to produce results.
A great way to improve relationships within the office is to broaden the scope of your project by gathering insight from other departments. At BKW, we encourage collaboration and employees at all levels of the organization will be happy to supply you with cross-functional information you need to deliver the best result. They will appreciate that you are looking to them as a resource and you will have an opportunity to interact with employees outside of your direct teams. If there’s not an opportunity to work together, you shouldn’t hesitate to simply ask functional-experts outside of your department to spend 30 minutes with you learning about what they do. This will give you an opportunity to learn a little bit about other disciplines outside of your internship focus. You might even decide that there’s another department that’s better suited to meet your career goals.
If you have an interest in becoming a full-time employee following graduation, do not be shy about letting your employer know that. It’s something you should be able to clarify through the recruiting process. That being said, you should approach your internship as a 10-week mutual interview. An internship is a fantastic opportunity to prove your dedication, work ethic and the value you can add.
Final piece of advice – regularly and proactively ask for feedback on how you’re performing. This is something you should do throughout your career, not just as an intern. Many people who are new to the workplace are afraid to ask how they are doing, or they expect feedback to come pouring in. Proactively manage your career by asking what you’re doing well and where you can improve.
by Daniel Schwartz, CALS alum ’01
Chief Executive Officer, Burger King Worldwide, Inc.
