Jacob Fernung ’19 SafeHiring Solutions – This summer I have had the honor of being a business development intern with SafeHiring Solutions. SafeHiring Solutions is a background screening firm that does everything from background checks to securing buildings with a visitor management software. It is based in Danville, IN, but also has an office in Crawfordsville. Because of this, I have been able to live on campus over the summer and commute to work. SafeHiring is run by Wabash grad Mike McCarty ‘90. Wabash grad David Brewer ‘90 also works there, and I was able to work closely with both Mike and David. Through this internship, it has been a blast to learn about security and also be able to connect and hear recanted stories from Wabash alumni.
Honestly, I could not be happier with the internship, everyone I’ve met and worked with, and just the entire experience. I have spent 8 weeks of my summer gaining extremely valuable workplace experience, and truly have been able to contribute to SafeHiring. A big key for me is bringing value to anything that I do. Through this internship, I most definitely have received lots of value by expanding my knowledge and being immersed in many different projects that have further strengthened my business experience. Because of all this value I personally have received, I have tried my best to return the favor and bring as much value to SafeHiring. Projects I have worked on include starting and maintaining social media accounts, client and other related research, leading live demonstrations for prospective clients, and speaking with clients as well as prospective clients over the phone. Additionally, I worked to start a weekly-posting blog that relates to the field of security and related SafeHiring products. I have been able to sit in on meetings, and tag along for on-site visits. Since the very first day of the internship, I was treated as a member of the team and was held accountable to perform as such.
There is no doubt the work that I have done through this internship has helped me not only in understanding more about business development, but really experiencing everything that goes into maintaining a business. My goals at the beginning of the internship were to get better with speaking on the phone, successfully give a presentation as part of a sales pitch, and help acquire at least one new sale. I was able to reach these goals thanks to my awesome coworkers and the great opportunities I was given through this internship. I would like to thank Mike McCarty, David Brewer, Roland Morin, as well as the Lilly Endowment for making it possible for me to intern with SafeHiring.
