Cal Buckland developed outbound sales skills at Echo Global Logistics as a summer intern.
How did you get your internship?
I actually found out about this company through some people I knew that used to work at the company. They suggested that I apply because this internship program would be a really good experience for me. I reached out to one of the sales recruiters via LinkedIn and told her I was interested in the role. I told her where I was from, what my major was, and expressed that I would love to set up an introductory call. Before the call, I filled out the application online and was eventually offered the position.
Why did you choose this internship?
This was my first internship, so I was open to gaining any experience in the business world. I knew the company had a good reputation and that people enjoyed the company culture, so I felt this internship program offered the most opportunity for me to be successful. Also, many of the skills I already had aligned with the job description. The location of the internship was in Chicago, which was also an important factor to me because that is where I am from and I wanted to complete an internship in a place I was familiar with.
What was your favorite or most satisfying part of your internship?
This is a tough question because there are so many things I can say were satisfying. I would say my favorite part of the internship in terms of the work responsibilities was cold calling people and building those relationships with them. It was always a good feeling when you had a good call and got to talk to different types of people all over the United States. My favorite part of the internship was also the friendships I gained with the other interns. There were about 30 of us and we all got super close throughout the internship program by spending time at work or doing things outside of work hours together. This internship experience is something that I will truly remember for the rest of my life.
What did you find most challenging about your internship?
Something that I found most challenging about the internship was trying to learn everything in such a short amount of time. The internship was a 10-week program and we spent the first two weeks in the training room learning everything we needed to know about the job. They had to cover everything very quickly in training because they wanted us to spend the next 8 weeks on the floor with all the permanent employees. Everything was brand new to me, so I had many questions. Even though we had a time designated for training, I learned the most on-the-job during those eight weeks because I learn the most when I am actually doing a task, rather than observing.
If you worked on a big project, what was it?
During the course of the internship, myself and three other interns got assigned a certain sales topic that we would have to present at the end of the year. Our assigned topic was “the pipeline” and we were asked to include suggestions of what we might add to improve it. The pipeline is the online platform that Client Sales representatives use to look up new accounts to call on, view recent activity, and account details like total revenue. We were working on this presentation all summer and rehearsed what we were going to say when our presentation day came. We were all very happy with how we did.
What was the impact of your internship experience? What will you remember?
The impact of my internship experience was great. I learned new things and will utilize the skills I gained throughout the internship experience in my everyday life. I woke up everyday excited to go to my internship and maintained my motivation to learn more about the industry. Everyone welcomed me with open arms and supported me when I had questions. My manager and mentor were both great people which made being on the team very enjoyable. All the other interns had an impact on my life as well since they are not only my future colleagues but also my friends.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for and/or begin their internship?
The advice I would give for other students would be to start your internship search as soon as possible; the earlier the better. I would reach out to any people you know that might be a possible connection to somebody or something. I would say to not be afraid to try something new and out of your comfort zone as well because an internship is just a learning experience for you to learn new skills in whatever industry you are trying out. Once you’ve begun your internship, I think it is important to ask a lot of questions and learn the most you possibly can. The last piece of advice I would also say is to remember to have fun