Husker Internships: John's Analytics Intern Experience

College of Business Author

11/26/2024 Added

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John Trilling, economics and finance major from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, talks with Assistant Dean Rachel Larson about his analytics internship experiences at Lutz in Omaha, Nebraska, and Brooks Running in Seattle, and how the College of Business at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln helped him get them. Trilling minors in business analytics, which is now offered as a major from the College of Business. After graduation, he plans to return to Minneapolis to work for Target. strengths coach relationship building skills.

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[00:00:00.540]Hello, my name is Rachel Larson,
[00:00:02.400]and I'm the Assistant Dean
[00:00:03.450]of Academic and Career Development
[00:00:05.070]at the University of Nebraska
[00:00:06.300]Lincoln College of Business.
[00:00:08.010]Part of my role is to work with students
[00:00:09.720]in their career paths, and I just love hearing
[00:00:11.760]about students' internship stories,
[00:00:13.530]and that's what we're gonna do today.
[00:00:15.270]I'm joined here with John Trilling,
[00:00:17.010]who's gonna tell us a little bit
[00:00:18.240]about his internship experiences.
[00:00:20.100]Welcome, John.
[00:00:20.933]Thank you for having me today.
[00:00:22.020]So tell us a little bit about you.
[00:00:23.550]Where are you from?
[00:00:24.383]What's your major?
[00:00:25.260]Yeah, so I'm a senior economics and finance major
[00:00:28.380]with a minor in business analytics,
[00:00:30.210]initially from just outside of Madison, Wisconsin.
[00:00:32.970]And I know business analytics
[00:00:34.560]is a new major for us as well.
[00:00:36.300]So you started on that path a little early with the minor.
[00:00:38.940]Yeah, yeah, it's just something
[00:00:40.410]that really piqued my interest and so I shoot for it,
[00:00:42.780]and I've really loved it so far.
[00:00:44.250]Excellent.
[00:00:45.083]And I know you've had a couple internships
[00:00:46.800]that are associated with business analytics as well,
[00:00:48.990]so tell us a little bit about those.
[00:00:51.150]Yeah, so the first internship that I got
[00:00:53.100]related to business analytics
[00:00:54.570]was data analytics intern with Lutz,
[00:00:57.630]which is an accounting, or initially an accounting firm
[00:01:00.000]based out of Omaha and Lincoln.
[00:01:01.980]And through that internship,
[00:01:03.090]I was really able to kind of like work
[00:01:05.220]with such a wide variety of clients
[00:01:07.410]and do so many different like tasks for them
[00:01:09.360]related to data analytics.
[00:01:10.860]Mostly, it was companies that couldn't hire
[00:01:13.290]a data analyst internally,
[00:01:14.640]so it was a lot of outsource business analytics work,
[00:01:17.310]and I really enjoyed working that
[00:01:19.080]with that such wide range of clients.
[00:01:21.870]But then this past summer, I had the opportunity
[00:01:24.150]to work with Brooks running out of Seattle, Washington.
[00:01:28.350]The initial plan of the internship
[00:01:30.150]wasn't necessarily supposed to be fully centered
[00:01:32.490]around data analytics,
[00:01:33.480]but because of my previous internship experience,
[00:01:36.450]I was able to bring a lot of those technical experiences
[00:01:39.960]that I learned at Lutz into Brooks,
[00:01:42.060]and I was really able to help them enhance
[00:01:44.160]some of their reporting processes
[00:01:46.740]and really help them look at data
[00:01:49.860]in a different perspective than they hadn't been before.
[00:01:52.530]And I think it was able to make that impact
[00:01:54.750]on such a large company was such a unique experience.
[00:01:57.690]Yeah.
[00:01:58.560]Well, and I know you said you're from Madison, Wisconsin.
[00:02:00.933]Yes. And you came here
[00:02:02.310]to school in Lincoln, had an internship in Omaha,
[00:02:04.920]and then an internship in Seattle.
[00:02:06.360]So you've kind of spanned the country
[00:02:08.520]a little bit with your internships.
[00:02:09.930]So what have you kind of learned
[00:02:12.420]and what locations have been really interesting to you?
[00:02:16.920]Like when I like approached like looking for internships,
[00:02:19.410]I really just wanted to like try something new each time.
[00:02:22.860]I had been going to school here in Lincoln,
[00:02:24.810]but like working here throughout the summer
[00:02:27.240]was definitely gonna be a completely different
[00:02:28.860]experience for me.
[00:02:30.030]And then when I just looked for my internship last summer,
[00:02:34.110]I just really wanted to try something new
[00:02:36.180]in a different area of the country
[00:02:38.340]and almost use it as like a study abroad quote experience.
[00:02:41.940]And that's what I did,
[00:02:43.260]and Seattle was such a beautiful city,
[00:02:45.600]and I would recommend anybody
[00:02:48.060]to kind of like expand like the range of where you look
[00:02:51.300]for internships because you're not tied down
[00:02:53.400]for like outside of that summer internship.
[00:02:56.640]So I think like taking the risk
[00:02:58.500]and exploring a little bit,
[00:03:00.090]it really pays off in the long run.
[00:03:02.190]So how did you find those internships?
[00:03:04.680]For me, I just did a lot of Google searching.
[00:03:08.970]It sounds like a bit weird at first,
[00:03:11.880]but I just took the time to do a lot of searching.
[00:03:15.930]I looked at companies in a certain area
[00:03:18.180]that I was looking for.
[00:03:19.860]At one point, I was looking in North Carolina.
[00:03:21.480]At one point, I went up of course to Seattle,
[00:03:24.990]and just looking on websites
[00:03:29.430]outside of your common like LinkedIn or Handshake,
[00:03:32.220]like going to the specific company websites
[00:03:34.380]is something that I found you're gonna see
[00:03:36.270]a little bit more options
[00:03:38.340]on those specific company websites.
[00:03:40.020]So that's kind of the route that I went,
[00:03:41.670]and I really wasn't like scared to apply
[00:03:46.290]because the worst thing you're gonna hear is no.
[00:03:49.080]And then you'll jump to the new one that you wanna look for.
[00:03:52.260]So kind of like stepping back from that imposter syndrome
[00:03:56.430]and just taking a chance
[00:03:58.500]and you're a lot better of a candidate
[00:04:00.750]than you initially think.
[00:04:01.590]And I think having that mindset allowed me
[00:04:03.480]to be successful in my internship search.
[00:04:05.670]I love you bringing up the imposter syndrome,
[00:04:09.240]'cause a lot of students just don't think
[00:04:11.520]that they're gonna get it so they don't apply.
[00:04:12.990]So how has the college of business,
[00:04:16.020]whether it's the classes,
[00:04:18.660]I know you're involved in some pretty great
[00:04:21.330]extracurricular activities here,
[00:04:22.980]so how has those experiences really developed you
[00:04:26.580]to succeed in your internships?
[00:04:28.740]I would say one of my experiences here
[00:04:30.810]as a student strengths coach
[00:04:32.100]with the Clifton Strengths Institute has really allowed me
[00:04:34.860]to enhance my relationship-building skills.
[00:04:37.590]And when you're having an interview with an employer,
[00:04:40.200]it's like they've got their list of requirements,
[00:04:43.080]but let's say you hit three of the five.
[00:04:45.450]If you're able to connect with them,
[00:04:46.890]if you're able to show
[00:04:49.110]like those core relationship building skills,
[00:04:52.140]I think they're gonna value that a bit more
[00:04:54.090]than making sure you check all of the boxes,
[00:04:56.640]because the point of internships is for you to grow,
[00:04:59.400]and they know that they're not gonna expect you
[00:05:01.080]to be perfect with everything going in.
[00:05:03.300]And so I think having those relationship building skills
[00:05:07.230]like enhanced through the strengths coaching
[00:05:10.800]has helped me a lot.
[00:05:11.970]Well, and I know that our students learn interviewing,
[00:05:14.520]especially if they're a strengths coach,
[00:05:15.990]but also through our professional enhancement program.
[00:05:18.870]So the College of Business has all of our students
[00:05:21.450]take four required classes to help them
[00:05:24.630]achieve and learn more about themselves,
[00:05:26.730]learn more about how to apply for internships,
[00:05:28.950]get their academic and job application materials
[00:05:31.890]up and running, and then how to succeed in life
[00:05:34.770]after college as well.
[00:05:36.330]They're called our prep classes,
[00:05:37.980]our professional enhancement program courses.
[00:05:40.500]So how have those courses helped you
[00:05:43.200]with finding internship opportunities?
[00:05:45.930]I would say, well, specifically the first one
[00:05:49.170]is that 111 where you kinda understand who you are.
[00:05:52.080]That's the most important thing
[00:05:53.280]when going into like an internship search
[00:05:55.740]is just having a core understanding
[00:05:57.750]of who you really are as a person.
[00:05:59.010]I think that is a great first step.
[00:06:01.140]But then 222 and 333,
[00:06:03.390]which allowed me to first like understand
[00:06:06.360]the wide variety of options out there.
[00:06:08.640]And I think that's when I decided
[00:06:10.530]to look in other places in the country,
[00:06:12.870]just like understanding how much is really available
[00:06:15.540]and how applicable the skills that I've learned
[00:06:17.640]in my classes are to a wide range of industries.
[00:06:21.030]But then I would say the most impactful one
[00:06:23.220]was BSAD 333 where we did a lot of resume,
[00:06:27.210]cover letter, and a practice interview.
[00:06:29.910]And I think just with that class,
[00:06:33.060]being paired with a student as almost like a resume
[00:06:37.170]or a cover letter coach, someone that you know has gone
[00:06:40.230]through the similar experience,
[00:06:42.849]you're really gonna take their word for it
[00:06:44.370]and they really help you change your resume and cover letter
[00:06:47.040]because that's the first thing to get in the door
[00:06:49.800]for these internships is having that quality resume.
[00:06:52.590]But then of course, having those practice interviews
[00:06:55.260]through that class with a real company
[00:06:57.720]and a real hiring manager helps you prepare
[00:07:02.280]kind of the type of questions and experiences
[00:07:04.470]on what an intern or an interview might feel like.
[00:07:07.650]Yeah.
[00:07:08.483]Well, and I know a lot of getting your foot into the doors,
[00:07:10.530]having the experiences to put on the resume
[00:07:12.960]in the first place or to talk about in the interview
[00:07:15.630]and you had a really great experience
[00:07:16.979]with what's called the Yeutter Institute.
[00:07:18.930]So tell us a little bit about Yeutter
[00:07:20.280]and what you do with them.
[00:07:21.300]So with the Clayton Yeutter Institute,
[00:07:23.730]it's based around international trade and finance,
[00:07:27.270]and it's a four-person cohort each year.
[00:07:29.850]And so first semester, we kind of like
[00:07:32.340]get a broad understanding of what international trade is
[00:07:35.580]and just like talking to a industry professional
[00:07:38.850]every two weeks and just picking their brain a little bit
[00:07:41.730]to understand what the ins and outs of the industry is like.
[00:07:45.390]But then second semester, we worked on a semester-long
[00:07:49.710]consulting project for a Belmont Industries,
[00:07:52.830]which is a irrigation firm out of Omaha.
[00:07:56.310]And I think just having the real life experiences
[00:08:00.030]through a project that I can just do
[00:08:02.430]through a student organization here
[00:08:04.260]was really beneficial to be able to talk on,
[00:08:07.680]to tell a company, to tell Brooks
[00:08:10.290]that I've worked for a company,
[00:08:12.048]like an international company like you guys before.
[00:08:15.480]So I think like specifically,
[00:08:17.160]the Clayton Yeutter Institute was such a beneficial
[00:08:20.250]experience for me in that sense.
[00:08:22.260]What is one thing that you think that you've accomplished
[00:08:24.570]in your internship, either with Lutz or with Brooks
[00:08:27.480]that you're the most proud of?
[00:08:29.610]I would say just seeing that what I did
[00:08:34.410]within my internship will have an impact after I left.
[00:08:37.890]And I think that pays dividends to how those two companies
[00:08:42.360]set up their internship programs.
[00:08:44.430]But both of them had me do real projects
[00:08:47.130]and work with the clients.
[00:08:48.510]It wasn't just a, like,
[00:08:49.987]"Hey, do some research for us on the side
[00:08:52.470]and maybe we'll take a look into this after you leave."
[00:08:55.320]I could work on projects
[00:08:57.210]that the second I left my internship,
[00:09:00.090]I knew that they were going to continue to use
[00:09:02.670]the work that I had done for them.
[00:09:04.290]So I think like having those experiences to speak on
[00:09:07.740]will not only help me in the future,
[00:09:09.210]but just knowing that I made an impact on those companies
[00:09:13.110]I think really made the experience that much more special.
[00:09:17.550]Now I know you've got some decisions
[00:09:18.990]to make about your future career after graduation.
[00:09:21.720]So what did you learn from your internships
[00:09:24.450]that you're gonna take in your future career?
[00:09:27.690]I would say the biggest thing that I took is two.
[00:09:32.430]It's a similar mindset that I went into
[00:09:35.490]my internship programs is being able to take risks
[00:09:38.610]and not feeling like you're stuck in one spot.
[00:09:42.600]I think that I've had that mindset kind of solidified,
[00:09:45.750]and it's something that I'm gonna continue to take with me
[00:09:48.870]and no matter where I end up in the following years
[00:09:52.380]or maybe even 10 years down the line,
[00:09:54.210]I think that's gonna be something that I hold true to myself
[00:09:57.060]because you're gonna mess up,
[00:10:00.810]but I think the biggest thing is like learning from that
[00:10:04.170]and like taking those experiences
[00:10:07.830]and then changing from those.
[00:10:10.170]I had someone at Brooks tell me that everyone's got
[00:10:13.500]like a stock above your head and that sometimes,
[00:10:16.410]you're gonna be green and sometimes you're gonna go red,
[00:10:18.420]but it's like a cycle.
[00:10:19.350]And if you go red, it's just like,
[00:10:21.000]what changes are you gonna make
[00:10:22.800]to make yourself go green again?
[00:10:24.240]And I think that I kind of held close to myself,
[00:10:27.300]and then I'm gonna take that with me into the future.
[00:10:29.490]Great, a growth mindset. Yeah, yeah.
[00:10:31.260]Excellent.
[00:10:32.093]Well, thanks so much for sharing your story
[00:10:33.750]and your internship experiences with us, John.
[00:10:35.790]Of course.
[00:10:36.623]Thank you for having me today.
[00:10:37.796](light music)

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Husker Internships: John's Analytics Intern Experience

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