For the last 11 weeks, I have had the privilege to intern with Stanton Chase in their Washington, D.C. office. Stanton Chase is one of the leading global executive search firms with a mission to provide the highest-quality executive search, talent mapping, succession planning, and executive assessment services to clients nationwide.
As a Talent and Business Development Associate at the firm, my day-to-day tasks varied dramatically. To describe blanketly, my job was to serve existing clients and continue to grow the company’s client base through relationships and outstanding executive management consulting services. I was responsible for conducting all aspects of research and candidate development processes, including identifying, locating, contacting, and qualifying potential candidates based upon specific position criteria and requirements. Through this responsibility, I was able to hold meetings with candidates and clients to effectively communicate and provide feedback regarding potential opportunities for them. In addition to the talent acquisition portion of the job, I was also able to create four marketing campaigns to generate new business in non-profit, healthcare, government, and financial service industries.
After being integrated into the workflow on day 1 of the job, it didn’t take long to realize just how valuable and applicable skills previously learned at Wabash would be. Seeing firsthand how co-workers interacted with clients and each other, taught me the importance of communication, problem solving, relationship building, and the ability to work with a diverse group of people. I also learned many times throughout the summer that networking plays a very important role in the business world. Stanton Chase Managing Director and Wabash Alumnus Jeff Perkins ’89 preached the importance of a good reputation and building great, dynamic teams.
I want to thank the numerous friends and donors of the Small Business Internship Fund (SBIF) and the Graham Fund, whose generous contributions have made internships like mine possible. Thank you to the Center for Innovation, Business, and Entrepreneurship (CIBE) and Cassie Hagan at Career Services for their help in preparing me to succeed in a professional work environment like this. Finally, I’d like to express my gratitude to Jeff Perkins ’89 and Abigail Corona for making this internship a reality. Without your hard work and generosity, I would not have had the opportunity to partake in such a meaningful and fulfilling summer experience.
