Josh Cortman

Describe the steps you took to obtain your internship/research opportunity/fellowship.
 
I applied online and had a connection with a current PepsiCo executive. I had one phone screening and two phone interviews before being offered a position last summer. At the end of my internship last summer, I was offered another internship for this summer. 

How far in advance did you prepare and begin applying for your experiential learning opportunity?
 
I applied at the beginning of 2018 before beginning the interview process in the middle of the spring semester and eventually, I received an offer towards the end of the spring 2018 semester. I was given my second internship offer (for Summer of 2019) at the beginning of the Fall 2018 semester. 

IIf you used any Career Center services, resources, or events to obtain your job offer, what were they? How did they support your application process?

The Career Center was an extremely helpful resource when polishing my resume which eventually helped me land my internship opportunity. 

Describe some of your responsibilities or duties during your experiential learning opportunity. 

I had my own project and was responsible for making my work come to life, seeking feedback and making necessary adjustments, and presenting my work and experience. 

What was a typical day like "on the job?" 

I was in the corporate office. For the most part, I was working with data on a computer by querying data, creating calculations, or creating visualizations of data. 

What are some major takeaways from your experience? How will these help prepare you for the next step after graduation?

I gained a lot of communication experience which will be essential in future work. I also, gained import technical skills working with Tableau and Excel which will certainly be useful moving forward. 

Did this experience help clarify your career path? If yes, how so? 

Yes, I learned how much I love the company and also enjoyed working with data. It also exposed me to the variety of opportunities within the company and helped me to understand where I will fit best.