Internship Academy: Networking with Alexandra.
By: Chelsey S., Sr Manager, Communications
At Schwab, our internships offer upcoming talent the chance to build authentic connections and get hands-on experience working with clients. Through mentorship, collaborative projects, and exposure to real-world scenarios, interns also expand their professional skills and discover the positive impact they can make in the lives of those they serve. For social media savvy Alexandra L., an internship at Schwab was also an opportunity to build real world connections.
Alexandra has spent a lot of time building connections in the virtual world. In fact, she’s known as the LinkedIn Poll Lady, because every day she posts a poll on the social media platform to build her network, garner engagement, and attract the eyes of recruiters. And it works. She gets a steady stream of engagement and new LinkedIn connections, plus a daily data set to analyze and use to develop new tactics.
However, after 400+ consecutive online polls, and two fully remote internships, this summer Alexandra is intentionally bringing her connections into the real world with the Schwab Intern Academy. Based out of Schwab’s Indianapolis campus, Alexandra is part of a cohort of Customer Service and Support (CS&S) interns who are training to take basic inbound client calls like password resets, and studying to take the Securities Industry Essentials exam (SIE), a qualifying exam to become a registered representative with FINRA.
“My first two internships were back-office roles, and I didn’t get one-on-one interaction with clients,” explains Alexandra. “You get into financial services because you want to help the 33-year-old father of three. You want to actively be in the trenches helping people and having an impact. That’s why I applied for the internship at Schwab – we’re focused on clients.”
Alexandra acknowledges that she’s not providing financial consulting just yet, however she knows that making sure a client can access their account is the first step to ensuring they are taken care of. And she values the customer-facing skills she’s been able to develop as a result.
She’s also found value in the connections she’s been able to build working alongside her colleagues and fellow interns.
“I’m with 13 other interns. If I have a question about something, I just turn to the person next to me and get new insights about what we are studying and learning. It’s so much easier to build those connections and have those spontaneous conversations,” explains Alexandra. “I just had one of those spontaneous conversations with a director by the elevator.”
She’s even found a way to weave her LinkedIn polls into her intern experience, bringing her in-person and virtual connections together.
“I use the posts to reach out to my intern cohort to contribute to the conversation. It’s sort of like my personal branding and a fun thing to do to connect with everyone.”
So while she values the in-person connections she’s making, Alexandra doesn’t plan to give up her virtual connections. In fact, she has a goal to make it to 1,000 polls on LinkedIn. And while she previously had a goal of starting a career in financial services marketing, she’s found working directly with clients so satisfying, she’s now considering applying for Schwab’s service or financial consulting academies instead.
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