Our 2013 Classroom to Career internship program has come to a close, leaving us at Dardis more impressed than ever by these talented individuals. Looking back on this past summer, we witnessed our interns progress from our Dardis Academy training program right to potential buyers’ homes and office buildings, making sales and learning valuable lessons along the way. They persevered through our rigorous program, even though many of them didn’t even have any prior sales experience!
Congratulations to all of our interns, who we know will enter the working world post-college with unmatched work experience. We would especially like to honor our top three selling interns, Patrick Gibbs, Elliot Salter and Justin Blackburn. In last week’s blog post, Patrick described the many benefits of his Dardis internship, and Justin Blackburn echoed his responses.
“You learn a lot of very useful things that you will be able to use down the road in your career,” Justin said. “It will also look very good on a resume and is a great experience for anyone going into the business world.”
He cited his sale of 42 polos to the athletic director at his high school as his most successful moment, which we previously highlighted on this blog.
Another top seller, Elliot Salter, recalled a sale that he never expected. He drove two hours to meet with a client and ask for tips solely on his sales pitch, but the meeting led to a large sale late in the summer.
“This summer internship was a terrific opportunity to not only make money and show my employers what I can achieve, but I was able to prove to myself that with hard work and organization, I can really be successful in what I put my effort into,” Elliot said.
A 2013 LinkedIn intern contributed an insightful post to the company’s blog in early August calling interns promising entrepreneurs, diligently working to get people to invest in their careers. We agree that interns have the unique opportunity to not only receive important professional experiences but also make connections that can make a difference in their future careers.
So how can interns be successful entrepreneurs? Take this advice from LinkedIn intern Courtney Sanford:
- Be innovative: Take advantage of what makes you unique and don’t try to fill the same roles as your full-time co-workers.
- Build a brand: Social networks provide a great opportunity to build your personal brand, and great entrepreneurs know the importance of managing their online identity.
- Impact your company: Regardless of the size of your company, make sure you add value and are able to make an impact with your projects.
- Adapt: Use your internship as an opportunity to learn new skills and test out your knowledge.
- Be a serial entrepreneur: I can’t emphasize enough how valuable it is to have multiple
internships that give you varied experiences, perspectives, and skills.
At Dardis Academy, we recognize the importance of real work experience and meaningful internships. There are numerous student benefits for our Classroom to Career internship program, so as we ramp up for our 2014 program, please consider recommending Dardis Academy to a young entrepreneur in your life.
Photo credit: http://www.zazoomvideo.com/
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