In a competitive job market, interns hope to get practical knowledge, network with people in their field and learn more about what it takes to succeed in today’s workplace. DocuWare is a cutting-edge software company. We’re always on the lookout for smart, creative, self-motivated individuals to join us. Our paid internships help college students nurture these qualities, and ideally to return to DocuWare when they graduate.
Interns Coby Schaefer and Janik Mueller shared their experiences with us.
An internship confirms information technology is a good fit
Coby Schaefer is in his junior year at Marist College studying information technology (IT). Because DocuWare internships offer flexible hours, he can easily coordinate with his class schedule and spends three days per week at the company.
“So far, only one course I’m taking has applied directly to my internship. It’s a class on networking. It is designed to give students a clear understanding of how a network is set up in a corporate environment,” he said.
Coby has been at DocuWare for six weeks working under the direction of Joe Frank, Senior IT Administrator. In addition to responding to internal software support requests, his first major project was updating a network diagram. “If something goes wrong, we can see what the correctly functioning network looks like to pinpoint what needs to be fixed,” he said. “It was a chance to apply what I’ve learned in college and learn more about server configuration.
“The work I’ve been doing confirmed that I’m suited to work in IT. I enjoy troubleshooting and coming up with new solutions. There’s so much to learn, and there are new issues that occur every day,” he said. “Now I know I’m on the right career path.”
Highly motivated and well-traveled
Janik Mueller, a DocuWare intern during summer 2019, is a 22-year-old student in his senior year. He’s pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Management at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. Participating in at least one international internship is one of the requirements for earning this degree. Janik was already a seasoned world traveler before interning at DocuWare having spent time in Australia and China as well as during two semesters abroad in Glasgow and North Carolina.
Janik worked with nearly every department at DocuWare to get an overview of how the company functions. He said his coursework prepared him for some aspects of his internship. However, he found that there are certain things you can only learn by doing. “Bookwork gave me a foundation in accounting practices. Through the internship, I’ve learned that there's not just one way to get the work done,” he said. “You need to figure out how to interact successfully with people who have different work styles than you do.”
Janik enjoyed working with marketing on communication and social media. In addition, he had a chance to shadow DocuWare President Jim Roberts for a week. “I observed his management style and asked a lot of questions about the product. I learned that all employees should feel involved and enjoy coming to work. The corporate culture at DocuWare is what makes the company so good,” he said.
He also spent a day going on sales calls with a DocuWare Regional Sales Director, “I wasn’t involved in sales before. It was interesting to see the dynamic,” he said. “It also gave me a view of what I might do later. Sales is an open field with many opportunities.”
Janik said that an increase in self-assurance will benefit his career development going forward. “In the end, I value the confidence I gained by working toward a goal and finding that I could achieve it,” he explained.
The "why"underlying DocuWare's internship program
“Our goal is to provide our interns with a worthwhile and rewarding experience. An internship is not only a great experience for the intern, but for us as the employer as well," Vanessa Quiroga, Manager Recruitment & Talent Development explains. “We enjoy interacting with our interns and getting to know them – they bring a fresh and unique perspective that is invaluable to us.
“We view our internship program as a crucial component of our continuous growth as a global organization. Both Coby and Janik have been able to use their experiences in a way that will positively impact their futures, while at the same time building professional connections. We’re proud to have the opportunity to facilitate this,” she continued.
Everyone on the DocuWare team pitches in to make sure interns have a meaningful experience. We focus on making sure that interns gain the skills they need to be successful in the workplace. Because these interns have practical experience in their fields of interest, they require less training at their first job after college or university and have a better understanding of what is required to advance their careers.
To find out more about DocuWare internships contact us at Careers@docuware.com.
