Although this year’s fall internship was anything but ordinary, we had a great and exciting eight weeks with our 19 interns.
Our Talent Development team worked hard to deliver our people-first culture, as interns worked diligently from home. From leadership panels to professional development to community service, interns got a feel of what it’s like to be a team member.
“Some of the most cherishable experiences from my internship stemmed from the interaction and collaboration I was able to have with my supervisors as well as my fellow interns. A big part of this was the weekly check-ins with Joanna and Chelsea, and the professional development panels they put together. They did a phenomenal job working with the restraints COVID has put on being able to bring everyone into the office and managed to make this unorthodox internship super special despite the many limitations,” said Rachel W.
Throughout the internship, interns attended leadership panels to get an understanding of the holistic perspective of the business. Leaders from merchandising, brand marketing, logistics and more offered words of advice and created a networking opportunity for these young professionals. Our team members were excited to get to spend this time with our interns, while answering questions and learning more about them.
Interns also attended professional development sessions to further prepare them for the workplace. Our Talent Acquisition team took them through resume, LinkedIn and interviewing workshops – the interns also got to participate in mock interviews with our corporate recruiters, where they received tips on how to excel in their interview – and the group also heard from Regions bank about personal budgeting.
Giving back is an important part of our culture. The interns learned about the importance of community involvement by working on a community service project in the Knoxville community. They wrote cards to brighten people’s days and sent them too many local charities around the area.
Here’s what two of our interns had to say about their experience:
“These past 8 weeks with Pilot Company have allowed me to meet numerous great people and learn many fascinating things! When the call was made to move our internship to the fall, of course we were disappointed, but I’m glad to say that it turned out fantastic in the end! If it weren’t for Pilot’s passion for their internship program, it’s likely that we wouldn’t be here this fall, and I’m beyond grateful for everyone who made it work! My favorite experiences throughout the course of the internship have been getting to know my wonderful team members, as well as hearing from numerous people in other areas within Pilot during our professional development sessions. These connections, along with the valuable work experience gained, are my biggest takeaways from the last 8 weeks. Making these meaningful connections and learning so much about Pilot is what made this work-from-home internship as valuable as its in-person counterpart!” –Tucker M.
“My biggest takeaway after interning with Pilot Company has been two-fold. Not only have I achieved a greater understanding of just how large of a company they are, but I witnessed first-hand the caliber of the people who work here. Being a big company, you would think the number of team members would be just as great, but it’s really quite the opposite. They run pretty lean, and each person carries a big portion of responsibility, but being here, you can see that this isn’t really a problem. Each person wants to do more and wants to do more for the company, because the company is truly a people company. Taking on a role within the company, you realize how much each individual contributes to the success of this company. There is a reason the Pilot Company holds the reputation it does, because the people, the culture here is truly like no other, and when you have that quality, you don’t need quantity. People may be busy at work, but you will be hard-pressed to find anyone who isn’t willing to sit down with you for a couple of moments and answer any questions you may have or tell you a little bit more about what they do for the company. As one of the few interns who was able to work in the office, it was a truly remarkable experience to be a part of that culture and is something I’ll carry with me wherever the future takes me.” –Rachel W.
We are going to miss seeing our interns and we can’t thank them enough for their hard work over the last eight weeks. We wish them the best as they finish school and further their professional careers!
