Lessons from a Clearcover Intern

Written by Nicole C. , Operations Intern 2021 | February 28th, 2022

From the snowy depths of a Chicago winter, Clearcover is looking forward to summer and welcoming a new class of interns.  Every year, we eagerly anticipate learning from our interns' fresh perspectives while guiding them as they explore their career interests and put into practice everything they've recently learned.

Our summer interns will join Clearcover teams across several departments including Marketing, Legal and Compliance, Engineering, Growth, Customer Experience, and Human Resources. In addition to responsibilities on their teams, interns will focus on their professional development by participating in mock interviews, practicing their public speaking skills, and attending various workshops organized by full-time employees.  And as a remote-first company, our intern positions are open to students across the country.  

Last summer Nicole Caruso, a Business student at Indiana University, interned on Clearcover's HR team.  Here, she shares lessons she gained from her experience and offers some words of advice to interns who will join the business world for the first time this year.

During the summer of 2019, before the pandemic, I worked as an office intern at Clearcover's headquarters in downtown Chicago.  I went to the office every day, picked up the mail from the post office and sorted it, set up the new office furniture, kept the kitchen stocked, made coffee, and performed a bunch of other miscellaneous tasks. When I returned last summer,  I worked directly under the HR team and took on many more responsibilities. Working as part of a team brought a whole new depth to my internship  experience. I wasn’t observing from the outside like in the past, I was actually getting my hands dirty and stepping out of my comfort zone. I left Clearcover when I returned to Indiana University for fall semester, so I’ve had time to reflect on what the experience taught me and what I learned about the difference between a school environment and a real job. Here are the top five things I learned and some advice for first-time interns:

Your actions affect other people and the company

My biggest responsibility in high school was getting good grades and working on the  yearbook staff. But when I started working with Clearcover's HR team, I was working with people’s livelihoods, and my actions reflected back on the company. For example, a candidate who could easily be rejected because of the number of applications to consider could have a spouse and kids to provide for.  Not taking your time to give each candidate consideration is not just a lack of effort, it’s abusing your responsibility to be a considerate human and reflects poorly on the company you work for. When you wait until the last second to meet a deadline, your work represents the entire company. It sounds intimidating to think about, but it can also be so exciting. Being given big responsibilities means your employer trusts you and thinks you can handle them. Just don’t abuse that trust.

Departments call themselves “teams” and they don’t use the term lightly

In an academic setting, everything is individualized. You take tests by yourself and earn an individual grade for the semester. Even when assigned a group project, your goal is to get yourself the best grade possible, not necessarily to produce the most successful and efficient result. In the business world, companies depend on real group work. Each department at Clearcover calls themselves "teams" because each employee’s work impacts the department as a whole. People want to see their coworkers and the company succeed, so they will help each other with their responsibilities.

Versatility is important

Employers are looking for people who will step up and pick up the slack from their coworkers or work on a project that not everyone wants to do. You’re going to get asked to do things that are outside your comfort zone. You might even think to yourself, “Am I even qualified to take on this responsibility?” Imposter syndrome is super common for students entering the workforce for the first time. But, the key to combating this is to be confident in your abilities, what you’ve learned, and yourself. Being versatile and adaptable will get you far in the business world and isn’t something that school stresses enough.

Jobs won’t always give you step by step instructions 

Critical thinking skills are a must in the business world. In school, every assignment you are given will have step by step instructions and most tests have a study guide. At work, you’re expected to know how to handle technology, especially now that we live in a post-pandemic world. Try and figure things out on your own before going to ask for help every single time you're stuck.

It’s okay to make mistakes

That being said, it’s okay to ask for help if you really can’t figure something out. People are understanding and everyone you work with remembers joining the business world for the first time. All of my coworkers at Clearcover were so awesome and I genuinely felt like they wanted me to succeed. 

I can’t express how grateful I am for my time at Clearcover. I learned so much and they gave me a challenging yet enjoyable experience. It was the perfect transition into the business world and it has given me a huge motivation to work hard on my degree. 

Cleacover is now accepting applications for summer 2022 intern positions across all of our departments. If you're ready to spend your summer with us, please contact Ally Chavez at achavez@clearcover.com.