Bridgette is a senior at Michigan State University majoring in Advertising. She completed an Internship with Enterprise during the summer of 2018.
Looking for the perfect summer internship can be a daunting task. When it comes down to it, most people are looking for the same thing: an opportunity to learn and gain experience, a fun environment that will be supportive and a chance to earn some money.
When I came across the opportunity to be an Enterprise Management Intern, I couldn’t pass it up. Here is why you shouldn’t either…
Business understanding. Throughout the summer, I learned about and had visibility to all parts of the business. The rental process was only a portion of my work. I also learned the importance of business interactions and gained confidence in my networking skills.
Develop professional skills. This internship grew my professionalism tremendously. Going into the summer, my ability to dress professionally and hold myself to a high professional standard presented some gaps. Enterprise gave me the training I needed to improve in those areas and get ready for life after college.
Grow relationship skills. Each customer interaction I experienced taught me more about creating an interaction, as opposed to making a transaction. I learned how to talk to people whom I had never met, and how to have a meaningful conversation with them.
Experience a new city. With more than 7,800 worldwide Enterprise locations, your opportunity to experience a new city is wide open. I got to spend my internship in Nashville, Tennessee. If you’re able to move, I recommend taking the opportunity to work in a city you’ve never experienced before.
Support system. The group of people I got to work with were my biggest fans. I received endless support and encouragement from all, from the top down. I still receive support from those mentors now as I finish my degree.
Drive cool cars. One of the many perks of the job was the opportunity to drive cool cars around the city. I had never been much of a car person before my time at Enterprise. After this summer, I realized how unique that experience was.
Reward hard work. Internships can oftentimes be underpaid or even, on occasion, unpaid. Enterprise pays their interns and offers opportunities for bonuses or even scholarships! Our region participated in weekly intern contests and an overall scholarship opportunity awarded to the intern with the best performance at the end of the summer. They believe in recognizing hard work and rewarding you for it.
Make great friends. I got to work with some amazing people during my Enterprise internship. I became great friends with many of them as we worked together each day to achieve our goals. I also got to spend a lot of time with the intern who was located in my branch and interns in other areas. I still talk to my Enterprise friends often.
Have fun. Enterprise loves to have fun. We got to participate in a region-wide scavenger hunt and field day. We had branch outings to get to know each other better outside of work. And the branch environment is always a great time.
Easy transition. As an Enterprise intern, you do a little part of each job. You are exposed to all roles you would perform as a full-time Management Trainee. This makes the transition to a full-time position smooth and stress-free.
