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AGCAREERS.COM
AG & FOOD CAREER GUIDE
I
nternships: For many college students,
they’re an important step on the road
toward their desired career path in
agriculture. For some, internships are
a way to discover new roles and see
if a certain industry is a good fit for
them. Although landing an internship
is an exciting moment, getting there
can be difficult for first-time applicants,
especially when trying to choose the
right internship for your interests
and goals.
Robin Thomas knows quite a bit
about internships; as Syngenta’s early
talent and university relations manager,
she works with college students and
recent graduates seeking internships
and early career opportunities at the
company. She says internships at
Syngenta — and across agriculture in
general — cover several fields
of interest.
“We have all kinds of internships,”
Thomas said. “We have a production
and supply development program that
we hire six to eight associates for each
year. They pull from a broad variety
of interns, from health, safety and
environment interns, financing interns,
logistics, procurement.”
when to begin
Thomas says the time to start looking
for internships is at the beginning of the
school year.
“I would start as a freshman,” she said.
Whether you have a clear career
path in mind or you’re still figuring out
what you want to do after graduation,
Thomas says internships are a great way
to find out what works for you.
“You have to approach it from the
standpoint [that] you’re looking for your
best fit and where you’re just going to
click and be happy,” Thomas said. “And
it may not be your first internship. You
may say, ‘Wow, this is not for me, I don’t
want to do sales.’… But you have to
approach it as a three-month interview,
the company interviewing you and you
interviewing the company too. The
more internships you have, the more
you can fine-tune what your interests
are and what your best fit is by the time
you graduate.”
Do your homework
The two-way interview also applies
to the internship discovery and
application process. At career fairs
or other opportunities to speak with
recruiters, Thomas says it’s essential to
do your homework.
“Even if you’re just browsing through
a career fair and you see the company,
and you’re like, ‘I wonder what they
do,’ step around the corner and Google
them and see. Know what they do when
you come up,” she said.
Involvement in clubs and
organizations like FFA can help you
stand out to recruiters. However,
Thomas says it is better to invest time
and effort into those clubs rather than
joining just because “it looks good
on a resume.”
“If I see club member for 12 clubs,
it doesn’t mean as much as club
president, vice president, secretary,
committee leader for two or three
clubs and organizations,” she said. “It’s
more depth of engagement rather than
breadth.”
According to Thomas, what is even
more important is knowing what you
want to do.
“Sit down and think about, ‘What do
I like doing?’” she said. “’Do I want to
be inside or outside? Do I want to work
independently, or do I want to be part of
a team?’ Those types of questions can
really help you narrow down what type
of position you want to go into.”
seek advice
Asking recruiters and other
professionals about their career paths
can also be an excellent way to gain
insight into what you are interested in
and if a company would be a good fit for
you as an intern.
“Ask people what roles they’ve had
and what they liked about the role, what
was the most difficult,” Thomas said.
“Everybody loves to talk about their
career journey and about themselves.
You can interview the folks at the career
fair. Or, if somebody’s visiting your club
or organization on campus, make sure
you come with an arsenal of questions
for them.”
If you’re still unsure what career
path is best for you, Thomas says to let
HOW TO CHOOSE THE
RIGHT INTERNSHIP
by Dene Dryden, Freelance Writer, National FFA Organization
Photo by Kate_sept2004, vm, and Dejan_Dundjerski
on gettyimages
Thomas says the time to
start looking for internships is at
the beginning of the school year.
“I would start as a freshman,”
said Robin Thomas, Syngenta.
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