Aileen BeVard

2018

Applied Economics: Finance & Accounting Concentration

Management Studies

Vector Marketing, Newtown Square, PA

During the Fall semester, Aileen BeVard interned at Vector Marketing in Newtown Square, PA. She had worked with the company before, but she had to go through an interview process for the internship in their Leadership Development Program in which interns get to actually manage their own office. She was recommended by a friend, and received a letter in the mail to apply. During her time at Vector Marketing, Aileen was required to do various tasks, including making phone calls to recruit potential representatives and running interviews and training seminars. The senior also had to manage expenses such as the lease to her office, cost of receptionists, and other extraneous costs. Aileen’s favorite part of the internship was having the ability to help young people grow personally and professionally. “It was great to see how the responsibility that they were given through the job impacted them even outside of the business,” Aileen said. The most challenging part for her was learning to manage time, people, and money all on her own.

Active listening, management of finances, negotiating, management of people, sales, and the ability to motivate others were the skills that Aileen utilized during her experience. Interning at Vector Marketing taught the senior how to better manage her time and be more self-sufficient and self-motivated. She believes that her sales, negotiating, and management skills have already proved to be helpful towards a future career since they are excellent talking points in interviews and great to have on her resume.

“The management staff above me made a huge difference. The sense of community at Vector Marketing is what persuaded me to open my own branch office because I knew that people would have my back if I needed it. Vector Marketing is a great example of a company whose goal is to improve every person both personally and professionally, no matter what it takes. The connections I have made through Vector Marketing are extremely important. They are connections that I know I will be able to use for the rest of my life.”

Aileen feels more prepared to face adversity as there were many challenges that she had to overcome. The experience improved her professionalism and desire for personal growth. It also made her a more goal-oriented person since she found that it was much easier to succeed with clear, specific goals set in place. Overall, Aileen learned that opening your own business is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding things to come out of a lot of hard work, time, and effort.

The coolest part of the experience was when Aileen offered a young man a position with the company, and, having been so frustrated with his job search, he burst into tears with appreciation. “It was really awesome to see how something that might seem so small to some people can have such an impact on others,” explains Aileen.

Aileen advises to pursue an internship that will challenge you and allow you to problem solve on your own, and she would definitely recommend this internship to anyone with a similar area of interest.