Why don’t we start with Exxon? How did you originally get that internship?
Well I tried and failed, so I tried again. I interviewed with them that first month of junior core. At that point, since you don’t have any experience yet, you just want them to hire you because they like your personality. And, Exxon did like my personality. They said that I was one of the top interviewers that year, but I just didn’t have any experience. They told me to do a summer internship and then talk to them again. So, I did that.
I also kept in contact with the ExxonMobil recruiters. Once at a career fair, this huge guy from Exxon yelled across the career fair, “I’M MARRIED TO YOUR SISTER’S BEST FRIEND.” [Laughs] So, I made connections with him and other recruiters. Then, I just periodically sent them emails. I would just let them know what I was learning through other experiences, that I was still really interested, and that I hoped they would keep me in mind.
They came back the next year, and I went through the recruiting process again. I kind of knew that I was in a good spot because they came to campus and they greeted me with hugs. [Laughs]
How did the interview go?
That interview was interesting. It was a normal behavioral interview, but the last question they asked was: “Why do you think that you’re a good fit for ExxonMobil?”
It actually seemed like I felt the Spirit in the interview, and I ended up saying that I thought that I could be a better wife and mother for working at ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil is a super family-friendly company. It feels like a family, which is cool because it’s a huge company. But, you feel like you’re at home and taken care of there. That’s something that I love.
So, I just had this strong feeling that that’s something that Heavenly Father needs and wants me to do: to be the best wife and mom that I can be by working with ExxonMobil. To me, it’s still sort of a mystery how that will happen. But, apparently that stood out in the interview. I even got the spot offer (offer that the recruiter extends during an interview) from them that year.
What was useful in preparing for that internship?
Association for Information Systems (AIS) has made me part of a community. Because I felt like a part of that community, I felt a belonging and a confidence to learn and grow there. Really, if AIS didn’t exist the IS Program would be a skeleton of what it is. It’s the community feeling that really strengthens the students and gives us the confidence to network with each other.
Did you visit your career advisor?
Reid! Reid is so good. I talked to him quite a few times. Reid is phenomenal at preparing your resume. He helped me multiple times with my resume. That has blessed generations. [laughs]
I taught my husband what Reid told me and now he meets one-on-one with chemical engineering students and teaches them how to improve their resume.
It’s not only preparing the resume, it’s also this principle where he crosses out something and then will ask “Why?” or “So what?” So, the takeaway is being able to communicate why something matters.
Were there online resources from the Marriott School that you’ve used?
At the career fairs, I used the Bridge heavily to get contact information for the different recruiters. That’s really helpful because that information is available before you meet the recruiters. So, you can go in with this sort of secret weapon. You kind of know who you’re talking to a little more. You know their name. You can look them up on LinkedIn. You can do a little bit of background research before.
I’ve also used CareerLaunch a little bit. I’ve looked at a lot of the articles you guys do, about the success stories and things. It’s fun for me to see the unique paths that everyone is taking.
What advice would you give your pre-junior core self?
- I’d say, first, just continue to enjoy the friends in junior core. They have been my dearest friends through this whole program. I’m now in the second year of the masters. And we all met right then.
- I would say to quit fearing asking questions. I am such a chicken at asking questions sometimes. Where I’m at now, I see so much value in asking questions. Even if I’m talking to the VP of ExxonMobil IT, I will ask questions because that prompts actual learning. I wish that I had been better at that throughout school. I remember certain times when I did ask questions in class, and I could just feel myself learning better. You can kind of feel the nods of people around you saying, “Thank you for asking that.”
- Also, I was really nervous to voice that I don’t plan on having a normal-looking career. I plan for my family to be a number-one priority. Early on in the program I was afraid because I thought that I would come across less technical or less invested because I wasn’t going for a full-time career like most of my class mates were. Going into the internship with ExxonMobil, one of my main purposes was to see how I could make a career and family work there. I talked to a lot of women who were there. Some were LDS, most were not. Some had strong family values, some didn’t. But, it took some guts on my part to express my stance and to hold true to that. I told myself to be open withother people about what I wanted out of school and work. I think that allows for truer relationships. When people know what you want, then they might help you get it.
What are some things that prepared you for the internship?
There was a particular class that I took and while taking it, I didn’t do a great job at understanding its value. But then I got to the internship and that class was exactly what I needed to fulfill my responsibilities. I learned to have confidence in what I learned in the classroom. At the internship I was the only person on my team, that had any sort of data science background. And my background was only one class.
Written by: BYU Business Career Center
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