Internship Provides Business Student, Maya Abrahamian, Gateway to Full-time Job
In today's competitive business environment, work experience prior to graduation has become key to securing post-graduation employment. Current senior Maya Abrahamian found out just how key this fall when she leveraged her internship experiences and Chaifetz School resources to land a job more than six months ahead of her May 2019 graduation.
During the summer of 2018, Abrahamian, an analytics and enterprise systems major, worked as an operations intern at St. Louis-based investment giant Edward Jones. As a part of the firm's Operations Division, Abrahamian applied what she was learning in the classroom to aggregate and analyze historical data and make suggestions to influence the direction of the division's Client Free Billing Team.
"The challenging courses that SLU offers thoroughly prepared me for my internship at Edward Jones," Abrahamian remarked. "I was able to successfully present my recommendations to senior leaders within my team.”
Challenging interns to exercise critical thinking, creativity and problem-solving, Edward Jones gave Abrahamian the flexibility to discover areas in which she could excel.
"Edward Jones gives interns work that has a real impact on the firm and a sense of independence that allows interns to complete projects in the way that best fits their style," said Abrahamian. "Having this independence really allowed me to get a better idea of what type of work I enjoy and in which type of environment I work best."
Abrahamian utilized the Chaifetz School's Valerie A. Davisson Career Resources Center to aid in preparation for her summer internship, helping lead to the positive experience. The Career Resources Center, housed in the Chaifetz School and dedicated to SLU business students, assists students in honing critical career development skills such as resume writing, interviewing and networking, while providing students opportunities to connect with potential employers. The school's focus on students' professional development helped lead more than 85 percent of the class of 2018 to complete at least one internship during their time at SLU.
"The Career Resources Center gave me the confidence to take the initiative and go after whatever internship opportunity interested me," said Abrahamian. "Through the Chaifetz Career Fair, I met with Edward Jones associates and built a connection with the firm."
As she entered her senior year, Abrahamian combined her internship experiences with guidance from the career center and skills she had developed to begin her job search. Her preparation paid off when she quickly had an offer and accepted a position this fall to join Deloitte Consulting, LLP as a business technology analyst upon graduation.
"I looked at my post-graduation plan and decided to push myself into a field I always had interest in," said Abrahamian. "I truly have the Chaifetz School's Career Resources Center to thank for helping me get to this point, and I could not be more excited for next year!"
Get started developing your own customized career plan or learn more about career resources available to Chaifetz School of Business students by visiting the Valerie A. Davisson Career Resources Center.