Chase Breaux ’24 — First, I would like to thank the Wabash Liberal Arts Immersion Program, Wabash’s Career Services, and the Graham Fund for making this summer internship possible. The WLAIP ensured that, as a freshman, I set my sights high for my first internship as a college student. Career Services’ Roy Kaplan assisted me in finding and applying for internships. Roland Morin brought my attention to the opportunity to intern with Stanton Chase: Executive Search & Leadership Consultants this summer and advocated on my behalf. The Graham Fund provided the resources for me to live in Washington D.C. for the entirety of my internship. Without Wabash and its many resources, this opportunity would not have been possible. So, thank you!
As a Research and Business Development Intern at Stanton Chase, much of my work revolves around conducting candidate searches to fill executive leadership positions in client organizations and businesses. Searches consist of researching clients, finding candidates, and evaluating candidates and their experience. This last component has proven the most enlightening thus far.
Evaluating candidates for executive leadership positions showed me the various pathways to achieving success. No individual’s journey is the same as the next, but their accomplishments are no less significant. However, there are clear commonalities between the best candidates for these positions. These are a strong work ethic, passion, and communication skills.
Regardless of their pathway to success, the best candidates exemplified a strong work ethic throughout their careers. These candidates have consistently overperformed in comparison to their colleagues. They put in the time and effort to produce better outcomes and stepped up when others failed to. Through their work and dedication, the best candidates proved themselves invaluable assets to their company and potential employers.
The best candidates also displayed a clear sense of passion. For some, their passion lay in their field of work. For others, it lay in their mission and the work that aligned with it. These candidates were authentic to their core, and, in conversation, it was clear they genuinely care about the work they were doing. When candidates were passionate, they put in the effort and time to achieve their goals because they saw their value.
None of this would matter if the candidates could not effectively communicate who they were and what they had to offer their potential employer. So, the best candidates could communicate effectively even when interacting with people with vastly different personalities. These candidates knew how to present themselves appropriately and advocate for themselves even under immense pressure. The best candidates understood that without effective communication skills, often, their qualifications and passion would not matter.
Working on candidate sourcing, reading job descriptions, and researching current and potential clients showed me that movements are fought in various ways, and everyone has a role to play. Several clients prioritized diversity when outsourcing prospects for executive leadership positions. In some cases, clients even asked for specific percentages of different demographics in slates, assuring we do our due diligence in actively seeking out diverse candidates. As a Black and Bisexual man in America, it is relieving to see that some corporations, small business, and organizations are doing their part to transform the racial power dynamics in America.
Researching the talent pool also revealed candidates leveraging their power to force corporations to meaningful positive change. Most millennials and Generation X employees say they seek companies that commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion and are likely to stay at those companies longer. So, to remain competitive in recruiting top talent, companies must implement strategies to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
This summer internship showed me that I could achieve success through hard work, everyone has a role to play in creating a better society, and I have the power to create meaningful chan
