Internships:
 A Taste of the Working World

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Internship Profile
Thomas Q. French
The Steak n Shake Company

Senior business administration major with a dual emphasis in marketing and management.

Internship:
Before this summer I didn't realize the value of an internship. Actually, the main reason behind looking for an internship was money. Quite a few of the business internships pay fairly well ($9.00-15.00 an hour) and I thought I could cash in while gaining some experience. I hit the internship scene very hard in the fall of 2001 and the spring of 2002. I sent resumes and cover letters to around twenty major companies all across the Midwest. The response rate for the prospecting resumes and cover letters was only about 50%. I needed a resource to find prospective employers, talk to them face to face, and interview in a relatively short time period. Solution? The Career Expo, held twice a year in the Student Union building. Expo enabled me to sell myself as well as my skills to prospective employers face-to-face and, in most cases, interview that same day or the next.

The fall Career Expo found me with resumes in hand, faced with the overwhelming task of trying to decide which companies to speak with. It's not hard to find a company that'll fit your tastes and skills at the Career Expo. I ended up speaking with about fifteen companies and organizations. Of those fifteen I sought an interview with seven of them. The following day I had seven different interviews. It was a long day, but well worth the effort. By the end of the day, I had two job offers on the table, with prospects for second interviews and testing in four more.

As the semester passed, and my classes became increasingly draining, I began to let my internship search slide. I had accepted no offers by the time the Spring Expo rolled around. Once again, resumes in hand, I started shaking hands and selling myself to different employers. This time I managed to come away with five interviews for the following day. I interviewed with Steak n Shake, a company I really would never have considered before Expo. Wading through all of the internship overviews and schedules, Steak n Shake's internship program rose above the rest and easily captured my attention. I sought the internship and made my interest known to the recruiter.

Not long after my interview and testing, I received a telephone call from the St. Louis division office offering me the ten-week internship. I happily accepted. I began the internship not knowing exactly what to expect, although I had high aspirations for the summer.

My decision to join Steak n Shake proved to be one of the most beneficial career choices I've ever made. While interning I had the chance to work in every facet of the business. The first few weeks with the company I worked out of a training store, learning about the day-to-day operations of the business. I worked the grill for a couple days, cash counter for a couple days, as a server for a couple days and basically just made my way around the store, becoming acclimated. Another neat aspect was that each week all of the twenty-one nation-wide interns gathered at their respective offices for a conference call facilitated by corporate headquarters.

Along with gaining the "in-store" experience, the first couple of weeks found me in the division office working closely with my mentors, Micky Pfeiffer and Steve Lourie. They helped me set goals for the summer and develop ideas for a project I'd be spending a great deal of the summer working on. 

The internship was very well laid out. I could tell that the company cared about its interns and the experiences we were to have. Anytime I had a question, comment or concern my mentor's door was always open.

The project I finally decided to work on was an employee retention and hiring practices analysis. I structured my project and set my own schedule. I conducted interviews with current employees as well as those no longer with the company. I also completed a personnel file audit, which I used to analyze possible trends in employee turnover rates. I presented my findings to the staff at the Missouri Division office, then once again in front of the General Managers of the Missouri Division and, finally, in front of senior management (CEO, CFO, Controller, etc.) in Indianapolis, Indiana, at the corporate headquarters.

Overall, I had a fabulous experience this summer with Steak n Shake. I couldn't have designed a better program. I was given the chance to grow by creating my own management style, time schedule, and goals. I had the chance to work closely with an accomplished mentor. It was apparent to me after this summer that internships are an invaluable experience. I'm a senior this year, but have another semester to complete next fall. I can tell you one thing for sure--I'll be interning somewhere this summer!

--Thomas Q. French