An Intern's POV: Working at Mindful Snacks

An internship is one of the major experiences that is highly advised for undergraduate students. The best way to increase your employability, especially as a business student, is to gain work experience. I decided to intern in Canada for a portion of the summer after my second year at the University of Minnesota for this reason.

Let’s take you back to when you were still a student in college. As the summer approaches after another tedious year of classes comes to an end, many students (including yourself) find themselves at a crossroads about where they should be investing their time that summer. Most will look for the quickest, easiest position that they can get their hands on, and some solely target the largest hourly wage available, but there is also a group that looks for something that they are truly interested in. While I didn’t really see myself aligning heavily with any of these groups, I would have told you that my main motivation was the fortunate opportunity to leave the US and take up an internship in a different country. But as I learned more and more about the company and gain experience as an intern, I began to see myself truly interested in the company and what they stand for.

As an intern, I have learned many key skills and have also learned about the vision that Mindful Snacks firmly believes in. Some of these things were concepts that I learned while in school, while some were also learned through doing everything first-hand.

Here are some noteworthy ideas I have learned so far:

Network to Not Only Make Connections but Also Meaningful Relationships

One thing that upper education has taught me has been the importance of networking and creating connections with people. I’ve learned that by doing so you set yourself up for success in the future and open doors to more potential opportunities. While creating connections is crucial in the business world, one thing that I have taken away so far from this internship is the value of meaningful relationships that go beyond just a connection. I have been able to witness Mindful Snacks outdo much larger competitors simply by having a relationship with the clients. This relationship opens up many more doors than simply having a connection with a client and allows for both the company and its clients to benefit even more.

The Power of Having Good People on Your Team

Out of the many places I have previously worked in my life, only a handful have had incredible people on staff. These select few weren’t always particularly good at any specific aspect of their jobs but were genuinely good people. While working alongside people at Mindful Snacks, I can easily see the effects of what hiring these types of individuals bring. Not only do your employees represent your company and its values, but it also creates a workplace culture. Integrity is a trait that naturally follows good people and is a core value here at Mindful Snacks. These good people here have helped culminate integrity and selflessness in day-to-day activities. I hadn't given much thought to the idea of whom you hire and how it literally shapes your company but now can understand and appreciate it.

Bottom Line

I was able to learn more about the industry's operations and effectiveness via my internship at Mindful Snacks. I enjoyed developing and putting various skills I’ve learned over the past few months into practice with the team.?Everyone should seize the opportunity to do an internship, in my opinion. I enjoyed my internship experience overall, and I know I will put the abilities I picked up to use in the future.