Internship Awareness Month
Written by Ally Chavez | April 11th, 2022
April is known for the start of warmer weather and of course rain showers, but at Clearcover we celebrate April as Internship Awareness Month. Not only do internships look great on your resume, but internships are the perfect way to explore future career opportunities, gain experience in the professional world, and help you learn more about yourself. At Clearcover, during your internship you will be improving your professional skills by participating in resume reviews, mock interviews, and end of summer presentations. You will also be able to explore different departments and teams Clearcover has by attending department overviewers and meet and greets hosted by full time employees.
To celebrate internship awareness month, we chose to spotlight two current interns and two full time employees who started their careers at Clearcover as interns. Keep reading to learn more about why our interns chose Clearcover, how Clearcover prepared them for future career goals, and what advice they have for anyone interested in applying for an internship position.
Sabrina Rice | Growth Operations Intern
I am from the suburbs of Chicago and am a current senior at Denison University studying communication. I have been the Growth Operations intern at Clearcover for the past 10 months and have had an amazing experience. I am also a nerd for zodiac signs and love learning about them in my freetime. I also love music, especially the Rolling Stones.
Why did you choose to intern at Clearcover?
I chose to intern at Clearcover because I wanted to be a part of a disruptive company taking an old industry by storm. Additionally, as a 21 year old who had not solidified a career path, I wanted a dynamic environment where I would be exposed to a variety of experiences. I came across Clearcover on Linkedin, and it seemed to fit everything I was looking for. After I connected with team members and other Clearcovers, I knew that this was an environment I had to be a part of and a place where I would be constantly motivated to be betterer.
How has your manager supported you during your internship?
I’m grateful to have an amazing manager who goes above and beyond in motivating and supporting me at Clearcover. She embraces my strengths, weaknesses, and curiosities and supports me in my goals no matter how big that goal may be or the challenges that come along with it. She cheers me on in everything I tackle and constantly motivates me to be the best version of myself, professionally and personally.
How has your internship prepared you for your future career goals?
Clearcover has prepared me extensively for my future career goals. I learned a variety of skills and fundamental lessons in the professional world that have given me a head start. Communication, project management, and problem-solving are all examples of skills that I advanced and polished during my internship and are essential for my future professional path. I feel confident entering a full time position post-graduation because of Clearcover and the unique experiences I had.
What have you learned during your internship at Clearcover? Did you discover anything about your field that you didn’t learn in the classroom?
I learned so much at Clearcover that I could not learn in a classroom about myself and the workforce. I learned especially in the Growth Operations and Agency Development fields, where I had incredible mentors and teammates teaching me the ropes. One of the most important things I learned uniquely from Clearcover was effective prioritization. While I have always been an organized student and person, working at Clearcover has taught me to effectively categorize my priorities to make me more productive, emphasizing what's important and urgent and not what is urgent and not important.
Nicole King | Influencer Partnership Intern
My name is Nicole and I’m 22 years old. I’m currently a senior at Florida State University and I’ll be graduating next month with a degree in marketing. I’m very excited to step into my post-grad life and I’m most excited to be moving back home to South Florida (which I love). When I’m not in school or working my internship, I enjoy hanging out with my friends, watching YouTube, scrolling through Tik Tok, and enjoying the outdoors.
Why did you choose to intern at Clearcover?
After seeing the internship posting on LinkedIn, I thought it would be a great place to learn the ins and outs of influencer marketing.
How has your manager supported you during your internship?
Kelsey always checks in with me to make sure that I’m doing okay. She takes the time to guide me through projects and make sure I feel comfortable before just throwing me in. Kelsey also checks in with me to gauge my areas of interests which I really appreciate.
How has your internship prepared you for future career goals?
My internship has reaffirmed to me that I enjoy influencer marketing and would like to continue to grow in this field.
What have you learned during your internship at Clearcover?
I’ve learned how much preparation and planning goes into setting up a campaign launch. There’s a lot of criteria to cover when searching for the right influencer for your campaign
Amy Hua | Associate Software Engineer
Hello! I am Amy Hua. I started as a summer intern on the Servicing Technology Team during the summer of 2021 and I have continued to work on the same team as a full time Associate Software Engineer. The languages I work with are Kotlin and Typescript. Outside of programming, I also like to draw, workout and try new restaurants. A fun fact about me is that I designed t-shirts for my team
How did you turn your internship into a full time job?
When I started my internship, my main goal was to learn and to build courage in a work environment. My team always made me feel welcome to ask questions no matter the subject. I asked questions on new technologies we were using and also tips on how to better communicate to my team. By asking questions, I started to learn more and gradually built my strengths and found my weaknesses. Even in my full time position, I am still constantly learning and asking questions. Within a few weeks, I felt comfortable speaking to everyone and already felt like I was a part of the team.
What made you decide to stay at Clearcover as a full time employee after your internship?
The people I have met in Clearcover played a big part in my decision to stay as a full time employee. Everyone I have spoken to has been kind, respectful and encouraging. It has helped me work on my confidence to speak my opinions. Also, the challenges that I am faced with on a day-to-day basis has made me want to learn more. There is always something new to learn and people to help you reach your goal. As someone who has been with this company for about seven months now, I have improved on my programming skills and on my confidence.
What advice would you give to future interns at Clearcover?
Something that helped me stay focused during my internship is to set a goal of what you want to accomplish through the internship. Throughout the internship, try to check back on that goal and see if you are on the right path to complete it. Also, try to meet people, don’t be afraid to schedule a one-on-one with someone. And, last but not least, don’t ever be afraid to ask a question.
Dan Steinl | Actuarial Analyst
I am an Actuarial Analyst within the Insurance Product department. I help ensure Clearcover is charging appropriate rates, and I provide support for state filings. I started as an intern in May 2019 and continued to intern until I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison this last December.
How did you turn your internship into a full time job?
I emphasized becoming an expert at my own work. I knew very little about auto insurance when I first started, and a very beginner level of technical skills. When I was assigned a project, I tried to understand every aspect of the work to learn as much as possible. I made sure to ask, "Why am I doing this?", and then brainstorm on how I can get it done. It took a lot of googling and questions sessions with my manager throughout my initial 12-week internship. By the end of the summer, I was the first point of contact for other teams that were implementing my work. That’s how I transitioned an intern behind the scenes to a real resource that others could reach out to.
What made you decide to stay at Clearcover as a full time employee after your internship?
After a year at Clearcover, I talked with my manager about exploring different opportunities. Clearcover was the first office job I ever had, and I wanted to see some other types of actuarial roles. My manager and coworkers were extremely supportive and encouraged me to get some different experience while I was still in school. For one summer I worked with a health insurance company in Denver, and I realized that I missed Clearcover. The startup environment gives me tons of opportunities to build projects from scratch and see immediate impacts of the work I do. I realized all this because I had a team that pushed me to develop and gain new experiences, even at a role outside of Clearcover. That supportive culture and the meaningful work I do made me sure this is where I wanted to work full time.
What advice would you give to future interns at Clearcover?
Make sure you understand the purpose of your work and how it fits into a bigger picture. When you first start, it’s going to be intimidating to try to navigate all the moving pieces in a startup insurance company, so start small and try to master the projects you work on in your internship. If you understand how your work fits into a bigger company goal, it will make the work more meaningful and teach you more about Clearcover. Set up follow ups or ask for a quick Zoom if you’re trying to understand how something works. It will make you stand out as an intern who’s taking an interest in the company and the projects you’re working on.
We are so glad to have such great interns working at Clearcover. These Interns demonstrate our valued Leadership Principles “Dive Deep” and “Act like an Underdog.” If you are interested in spending Summer 2022 with us, please contact Ally Chavez at achavez@clearcover.com
