Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1510765
60 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 We have interns all around the world: Mexico, Brazil, and across the United States. established. In fact, our "chief people officer" started as an intern 21 years ago. e goal of our program is to provide mean- ingful work experiences in a professional and supportive environment for students as they prepare to launch their careers. We believe that our program is differentiated because our interns are solving real problems. Our CEO Dave Whitehead likes to say, "If you have a problem you can't solve, give it to an intern." It recognizes the fresh perspective they bring. ey don't know to be scared, they're just thinking outside the box. Our hope is these students will eventually work for us, but even if they don't, we want to give them a really positive, first career experience that they can take with them. Johnson: How does the internship program affect the community in your region? EMa Freiburger: ere are a few ways we have influence in the community. First, we offer internships for students ranging from high school to PhD-level education. Second, we encourage our interns to be engaged and involved in SEL; we treat them just as any other employee. ey are invited to attend events, seek out opportunities, get involved with stu- dent and community groups, etc. Community is built into our intern programming. ird, we ensure they have a connection to peers who are going through similar stages of their career development. We have interns all around the world: Mex- ico, Brazil, and across the United States. We strive to keep them connected to interns in Pullman, Washington, and Lewiston, Idaho, as well. I've heard senior management say that we are the number one consumer of electrical engineering grads from Washington State Uni- versity. Hemingway: We're midway through career fair season and fall recruitment, so we're recruiting a lot of interns at WSU and schools all over the country. We have more than 450 WSU alumni working at SEL right now. Barry Matties: If a company wants to do an internship program, what is the most effective way to promote it, and what's the promise you're making to the interns? Hemingway: e first place you start is reach- ing out to faculty in the region where you're looking to recruit. We build relationships with faculty and the communities where we're recruiting. at opens doors. We start with, "How can we support you?" But oen that evolves into talk- ing to students in the class- room and attending career fairs. We can sponsor senior design projects, of course, and eventually we might hire them as interns. Employees could sit on advisory boards as well, but it all starts with our rela- tionship with faculty. e promise that we make to interns is pro- viding them with a meaningful professional experience in a supportive work environment. Johnson: Once interns reach out to you and express interest, what is the selection process? Freiburger: Our interns go through a hiring process like our full-time employees. Oen, we've met them at career fairs, so we've had that first touchpoint. Aer they apply, we review their resumes, then set up phone inter- views so we can understand what they want from an internship, and how the role they've applied to aligns with their goals. We navigate through to a final interview, so we can under- stand their technical knowledge: Are they a fit for this role? en we make a final decision.