No Complaints
I had only heard great things about Phillips 66. My older brother had worked there along with several of my good friends I knew from college and mentor programs. Because of that, I learned a lot about the company early on, the type of people who worked there, and got a good idea of the company culture. No one ever had any complaints about Phillips 66. They always talked about how great their work experience was and how happy they were to have worked there.
A Learning Atmosphere
I wanted an internship program that promoted learning and had opportunities to see more than just the office building I’d be working in. Phillips 66 provided a great opportunity to go and see the different aspects of the company. They want you to learn as much as you can about the company and the industry that the company operates in.
Company Culture
Company culture was extremely important to me. I wanted a cohesive and compatible work environment. A place where I could reach out, ask for help, get advice, have a mentor, and not feel looked down on for asking questions. I wanted a company in the energy industry that stood for honor, commitment and wanted to do things the right way. Not a place that cut corners, but a place that stood for their employees. Phillips 66 is really employee focused. They always say their biggest asset is their employees. It was important to me to be taken care of as an intern and as an employee.
An Open-Door Policy
They have an open-door policy to make sure everyone is taken care of and understands what is going on. Anytime I had any questions, I could go to my supervisor and ask for help. I never felt like I was being looked down on for asking questions or if I had made a mistake. I asked a lot of questions during my internship and my supervisor was always accessible.
Networking
Networking has always been something that I knew was important but it wasn’t something I necessarily liked to do. Phillips 66 made networking very easy and provided us with a lot of opportunities with both new hires and other interns. They had lunch & learns, networking events, and sporting events that allowed you to be able to network with other interns and professionals to see where you can fit in at the company. I still have contacts from the interns that I worked with over the summer.
A Good Experience
There’s a lot of planning that goes into making sure their interns have a good experience. They don’t want them to just come in, sit at a desk and do work. They set up a lot of learning activities, make sure interns are taken care of and that they have the tools to be successful.
Advice for Students Looking Doing an Internships
Take Every Opportunity
Take every opportunity you can. Don’t have the attitude of, “This is the only company I want to work for so this is the only company I’m looking at.” You never know what opportunity is going to come your way and it could turn out to be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.
Research the Company
Find out as much as you can about the company you’re interested in. Find out what they do, where they worked out of, and where their offices are. Reviewing their website can help give you a general idea about the company and a good idea of the type of culture they have.
Utilize the Resources Available
Take advantage TU Career Services. I had a career specialist I worked with and I would send over my resume to him. He would help me with any changes and updates that needed to be made. They helped me prepare before I started reaching out to different companies at career fairs and through Golden Opportunities.
Be Bold
When I was looking for internships, I would just walk up to companies, ask what the internship opportunities were, what they were looking for and see if that would be an opportunity that fit my path. Don’t be afraid to be bold and put yourself in front of these companies.
Communicate
It’s not just about what’s on your resume. It’s your ability to communicate what’s on your resume in conversation. You have to be able to network with them and tell them what you’ve accomplished.
Personal Networking
One of the reasons I felt like I stood out was personal networking. I knew my recruiter and she knew me. You have to get yourself in front of these recruiters and make sure they know who you are.
Advice for a Business Setting Up an Internship
Networking Opportunities
Make sure there are other interns there and we can network with each other. It can be lonely as an intern, so it’s important to make sure we have network events to attend. Not just professional networking, but a network within our own age group. This enables us (interns) to help each other find opportunities.
Learning Opportunities
Don’t just put me at my desk and tell me to do the work. Have opportunities where I can go sit with different members of the company, learn about what they are doing and why they are doing it. That is something that Phillips 66 encourages and they provide a lot of different learning opportunities. Having those learning and networking opportunities is important. That’s a huge part of what attracted me to Phillips 66 in the long run.