The Power of Internships

THE POWER OF INTERNSHIP PARTNERS

Regional fi rms and corporations are vital to the strength and success of internship programs within the College of Business. We asked three of our partners to share what makes COB interns so important to them.

Taylor Corporation

As one of the area’s largest employers, Taylor Corporation has a strong draw for College of Business interns. e company, founded by alumnus Glen Taylor ’62, has supported Minnesota State Mankato’s Stangler Internship

Initiative and frequently partners with the College of

Business on initiatives designed to create more internship and job opportunities for students and new graduates in nance, accounting, sales, IT and operations.

Brent Christopherson is director of talent acquisition at Taylor and knows the importance of seeking out and developing new talent—starting at the intern level.

“Interns are very important to an employer’s overall workforce strategy,” he says. “Giving students an opportunity to learn more about your organization while providing work experience and on-the-job skill development leads to an increase in early career hiring. Internships are also a great way to increase your employer’s brand.” During the hiring process, Christopherson looks for intern candidates who are critical thinkers and e ective communicators and who pay attention to details and have a “high level of curiosity.” ese are the very skills he o en sees when interviewing candidates from the College of Business.

“ ey always come prepared,” he says. “ ey research the opportunity in advance of the interview, and they ask great questions. e interns we have hired all listen well, have a great work ethic, they are incredibly positive and genuinely show an interest in the work they are doing.”

Interns are very important to an employer’s overall workforce strategy.

Eide Bailly

Accounting and business advisory rm Eide Bailly opened its

Mankato o ces in 2006 and quickly became an integral part of the area business community. Students who intern for Eide

Bailly can expect an up-close view into what it looks like to work for a large rm with o ces all over the country.

Eide Bailly’s Partner-in-Charge for the Mankato o ces, Ben Ellingson, recognizes the value of interns to his company’s continued growth and success. In fact, the large majority of Eide Bailly’s full time sta have come through the company’s internship program.

“Internships provide candidates with great on-the-job training and an introduction to our services and culture, but they also provide us with additional resources to meet peak demand times throughout the year,” he says. “Internships give us the opportunity to get to know each individual during their time with us, and if they are a good t and the opportunity is there, we would look to bring them on full time.”

What does it take to intern with Eide Bailly? Technical skills are a prerequisite, but for Ellingson it’s more than that.

“We believe so skills and relationship-building skills are the most important factors,” he says. “We value a culture of caring and fun, and we want to enjoy coming to work each day and spending it with our coworkers and clients.”

Ellingson and the Eide Bailly team have come to value their strong partnership with Minnesota State Mankato. ey always have a strong presence at the annual Meet the Firms event. Representatives from Eide Bailly make it a point to connect with students in Accounting Club and even present to classes on occasion.

“We hire a strong majority of our employees from Minnesota State University, Mankato,” says Ellingson. “We value the two-way relationship in which we can share our knowledge to help provide insights into the profession while at the same time being introduced to the future of our workforce. We genuinely enjoy our time on campus (or on Zoom) spending time with the faculty and students. It’s always the highlight of our day!”

Northwestern Mutual

Northwestern Mutual’s internship program has been highly regarded as a hands-on, real-world experience for more than 25 years. Not only do students get a taste of the nancial industry, “they’re really test-driving what it takes to be a business owner,” says Director of Internship Development Caroline Kelly. “ ey’re working as full-time nancial advisors [and] getting one-on-one coaching daily.”

e internship is also a big part of how Northwestern Mutual grows its talent pipeline year a er year.

“We like to call it the crown jewel of Northwestern Mutual because so many great individuals come from the program and go on and have successful careers,” says Kelly.

In fact, about one-third of students who go through an internship program with Northwestern Mutual go on to be hired as full-time employees with the rm.

Northwestern Mutual has a strong and visible presence on the Minnesota State Mankato campus, not only within the College of Business, but in the athletic department as well.

Kelly nds that there is a good deal of crossover in the characteristics it takes to be a successful student-athlete and to be successful in nancial advising.

“One in every ve nancial advisors are former studentathletes,” says Kelly. “Within our agency, about half of our rm are student-athletes. … Coachability, the ability to see something through, hard work, commitment, discipline. … ere’s a strong correlation between athletes and success here.”

It’s these very characteristics that Kelly o en sees in College of Business students interviewing for internships with Northwestern Mutual.

“ e College of Business at Minnesota State Mankato [does] a fantastic job equipping their students to be ready for interviews,” she says. “We’ve seen them have a little bit more maturity, have more seriousness and are looking for something meaningful which we’ve valued, and which is why we’ve brought on a good amount of students over the years through the College of Business. e way they are prepared, they’re just ready for something more.”