Liberty student shares his advice on how to apply and secure a summer internship

Securing a summer internship can be a daunting process for many college students as they try to establish a job position in their field. With a lengthy application process, lots of interviews and what can feel like unlimited competition, summer internships can almost seem out of reach. One student who has successfully triumphed the application process is Evan Shock. 

Shock, a junior business sales and marketing major, transferred from Michigan State University. Last summer, Shock worked as an intern at NetSuite, a large company owned by Oracle, that primarily markets its software to small and medium-sized businesses. During his time with NetSuite, Shock actively helped integrate new full-time employees into the company’s organization and promoted sales. 

This summer, Shock will be working as an intern at Amazon’s sales program and will coordinate with various sales teams to help find marketing opportunities. He will also be working on three sales projects throughout the internship and a final project report. 

“The aspect of meeting a customer, finding their needs and finding a solution for their needs, just like the whole process … is something I’m super interested in,” Shock said. 

Although the dynamics of both internships are different, with NetSuite being more hands-on and the Amazon internship being more of a project-based, training program for students, Shock feels that both are beneficial for his future vocation.

For the Amazon internship, Shock explained that after submitting the application, applicants need to complete a “critical-thinking exam,” which depending on how well the exam goes, can lead to the possibility of acquiring a spot with an interviewer.  

Shock stated that it is incredibly important to be able to set yourself apart when trying to attain an internship and recommends connecting with mentors in the same field to help. Shock’s mentor, Haley Gottshall, a Liberty alumna, who works in the sales department at Amazon for non-profit companies, was able to connect Shock to one of the intern organizers at Amazon. 

“Internships are really, really important, especially as a business student,” Shock said. “You need to take that first step, you need to send that first email, you need to reach out to that first person.”

“The first, most important (thing) is to trust God, that you’re not going to get every opportunity or sometimes you might think you did really good in an interview and you’re not going to get that job offer, and at the end of the day you just have to trust God that this happened for a reason,” Shock said.

Shock believes that networking with people and seeking out advice from professionals in various fields is important when applying for internships. Being proactive and pushing yourself are other key steps to attaining internships. 

“Taking that first step to apply … that first step to send a message to somebody … is super important,” Shock said. 

Even though Shock hasn’t gotten every internship he’s applied for, he has always made it a point to keep his focus on God and trust that God has a plan. 

As Shock begins his new internship this summer, he desires to be a light to others and “be a steward” to his fellow colleagues, using his internship to share the Gospel. Shock also has plans to start a Bible study with other interns and get involved with the nearby church. 

“ (I) just want to be a light in darkness … (and) keep sharing the Gospel,” Shock said. 

Davis is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion