Internships provide valuable experience that can either confirm career aspirations or nudge you in a different direction. For Kinneal Dickens ‘25, an internship on the sales team at Vinwood Caterers exposed her to new opportunities in the event planning industry and furthered her convictions that she was on the right career path. In addition to working on special projects like conducting a competitive analysis and gaining an understanding of how projects are executed from start to finish, the internship was also a lesson in customer service excellence. It taught her how treating every customer with care, as if they were your only one, offers an exceptional customer experience and made her proud to be a part of such a skilled and helpful team.
What was your internship & what were your primary responsibilities?
For my semester-long internship, I interned at Vinwood Caterers, out of Ipswich, Mass. At Vinwood, I was a part of the company's sales team. I mainly managed the company's inquiries, so I handled all the prospective clients. I worked off the company's central database and was the person who picked up any phone calls. These calls could be from new or current clients, and I was responsible for taking care of whatever needs and wants they had. I also handled client payments.
How did your internship relate to your major or career goals?
My time with Vinwood aligned heavily with what I may want to pursue as a career. Event planning is something I am interested in pursuing, and my time with Vinwood opened up many opportunities to experience how events are executed from start to finish.
Can you describe a project you worked on during your internship that you found particularly challenging or rewarding?
One of the most significant projects I worked on with Vinwood was analyzing the competition. In this project, I was tasked to reach out to several of our competitors to compare and contrast how each company handles new clients, how responsive each company was, and how their prices differed from ours.
What skills did you develop or improve during your internship?
One of the most significant skills I improved during my time with Vinwood was my confidence in customer service. After only a couple of days into starting, I was already working the company's phones, which forced me out of my comfort zone and taught me to be confident when speaking to the customers.
How did your internship help you understand the industry or field you're interested in?
Working with Vinwood helped me understand how small companies run versus larger, more prominent companies.
What was the most surprising thing you learned during your internship?
Working in the office at Vinwood helped me better understand how one job gets executed from start to finish. It opened my eyes and helped me to appreciate the company's hard work for each and every client. Seeing all the behind-the-scenes details that get put into creating a memorable experience for each and every customer made me realize how excellent the company is. The best part about learning this is that from a customer perspective, I could see how one would feel like they are the company’s only customer because of how closely the team works with each customer and how on top of things the company is for every client.
How did the internship environment compare to your expectations of a professional workplace?
The environment at my internship aligned with my expectations of a friendly yet professional and effective company atmosphere. The people I worked with were some of the best, most helpful, skilled, and successful co-workers who taught me many skills.
Did your internship help you confirm or reassess your career path or aspirations?
After completing this internship, I realized I may be even more interested in an event planning career.
How will this internship impact your future job prospects or academic pursuits?
The experience I gained at Vinwood will help me with my future job prospects because of the many skills I learned, professionally and personally.