Throughout April, CSCR is sharing tips and information to highlight the benefits of internships for National Internship Awareness Month. Learn more about Nicole Heiser and her experience as a Smeal student. 
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Nicole Heiser and I am a current senior at Penn State studying Supply Chain and Information Systems. I will be graduating this May, but returning to PSU in the fall to obtain my Master’s in Business Analytics. I am from Princeton, NJ and will be home for the summer working remotely for Collins Aerospace as a supply chain intern.
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities at Penn State?
I am currently an active member of Sigma Chi Mu Tau, the Supply Chain Management National Honors Society. As a member, I attend meetings and events, participate in various case studies and interact with Penn State Supply Chain facility and alumni to network and discuss relevant topics.
In addition, this past year, I was selected to be one of the Senior THON Chairs for my sorority, Gamma Phi Beta. As a THON Chair, I had various duties and responsibilities to ensure our organization was actively involved and engaged throughout the entire year. I planned and executed fundraising events and communicated directly with our Four Diamonds families to coordinate engagement with our Chapter. I also had the privilege to dance in THON 2022, which was truly one of the most memorable and best experiences of my life.
Describe your internship. What were your main responsibilities?
Last summer, I was a supply chain intern at Innophos Incorporated which is headquartered in Cranbury, NJ. As a supply chain intern, I met with cross-functional business partners (e.g., Sales, Logistics, Planning, Finance, etc.) in Innophos’ US and Mexican subsidiaries to understand how the organization collaborates to procure raw materials, manufacture and distribute essential ingredients and innovative phosphates to customers. In addition, I entered and managed customer data notes and templates in the Innophos Enterprise Resource Planning System (JD Edwards). One of the long- term projects I was tasked with involved creating graphics of the entire order process flow from customer creation to product delivery including all communications between Innophos, customers, warehouses, and external logistics.
How did you prepare before starting the recruiting process?
When starting the recruitment process, I ensured my resume was current with my education, work experience, honors, extra-curricular activities and involvement. In addition, my resume was reviewed with various individuals from the Business Career Center in order to confirm it looked professional with no grammatical errors. I also attended the Career Center on campus to participate in mock interviews and gain insightful feedback to improve my interviewing and networking skills.
What was the general recruiting process like for you?
Since this was my first internship experience, the process was all new to me which created a challenge. I had interest in several companies and applied to a number of summer internships, but would only receive a few interviews. However, this internship experience greatly prepared me for a successful future such as the job I received for this summer.
What were some of the key takeaways you learned from your experience that you could apply to future opportunities?
Penn State’s in-person career fairs are the best and definitely will help you find internship, co-op, and full-time opportunities. After attending the one in-person this year, I received multiple offers and had the privilege to network with many PSU alumni who are working at these companies full-time but started in our shoes. Before attending the career fairs, however, I recommend your resume is current and looks professional. I also would practice interviewing at the career center because they will help improve your poise, confidence, and communication skills tremendously.
One of the reasons I chose to attend PSU was for the myriad opportunities available for all students and all the alumni engagement. PSU has a ton of resources with regards to the recruitment process and I definitely recommend taking advantage of all that are offered!