Elliot Shevitz

2019

Applied Economics

Media & Communication Studies

Sirius XM Radio, Washington, D.C.

This past summer Elliott Shevitz did an internship at Sirius XM Radio in Washington, D.C.! The senior had to go through an interview process in order to obtain the opportunity. He found this internship by networking and talking to friends in the area who had connections with Sirius XM Radio. Elliott worked with the Finance team where he reviewed and formulated financial summaries based on contracts for different departments within Information Technology. The senior looked over each contract for hardware and services to find discounts, errors, and adjustments that should be made. Elliott then communicated this information to the head of each department in order to construct a summary which reflected each department’s needs. His favorite aspects of the experience were being able to do hands-on work and learning how to communicate effectively in a corporate environment. The most challenging part was having to be precise and consistent with all of the financial summaries since they were reviewed by the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of the company.

Financial analysis, data analytics, communication, Microsoft Office, and Oracle Financial were skills which the senior utilized at Sirius XM Radio. He feels this opportunity provided him with new skills and improvement upon old ones. “This internship taught me about the depth of corporate structure and the amount of information used to run a successful company. I was able to learn about the “bottoms-up” approach within the Finance team” explains Elliott. The senior believes these skills will help him in his future career. According to him, becoming accurate with the information that is relayed to other employees is the most important skill he gained from the experience. Elliott also learned by working in a large city and corporate environment, one gains knowledge about the culture and business strategy.

“My supervisor was extremely helpful and provided me a framework of what skills are necessary to fulfill the role in Finance. Seeing how he conducted himself in meetings taught me how to be effective with others and how financial statements should be presented” states the senior. Elliott would consider asking the people he worked with for recommendations or use them as references. According to him, the connections he made in the workplace are extremely important because they allow you to learn about the transition into a new job and the people who will provide insight into what can set you apart from other potential employees. Working with Sirius XM Radio provided Elliott with incredible networking opportunities and showed him how important it is to use networking to obtain jobs in the future.

Elliott feels more prepared to work for a corporate entity after being in Washington, D.C. with Sirius XM Radio. This internship changed him personally more so than as a student since learning how to make connections and how to conduct oneself within a corporate environment are things you don’t necessarily learn in a classroom. Overall, the senior learned about the competitiveness of the industry and that there is a constant drive to improve and differentiate from others as a company. After he graduates from Ursinus, Elliott plans on working for a company that can expand his knowledge in the Finance or Data Analytics field. The senior felt confident in the work he was able to present to his boss.

The coolest part of the experience was living in Washington, D.C. since the city life was truly unique.

The senior advises to be yourself. “At the end of the day, companies want someone who will do the work assigned to the best of their ability. If you are able to learn as much as possible over the course of the internship, and portray that during the interview process, then companies will want you” says Elliott. He would definitely recommend this opportunity to anyone with a similar area of interest!

Clubs and Activities on Campus

• Men’s Lacrosse

 

Written by Faraha Rathad ’19