This week our Featured BuckyNet Intern is Jessica Milatz. This summer Jessica is working with Badgerland Financial as the Credit Intern. Learn more about her internship, the skills she has gained, and the advice she has for students who are interested in a similar field.
Major: Agricultural Business Management
Year in School: Senior
Internship Title: Credit Intern
Company/Organization: Badgerland Financial
1) What is a typical day like for you as an intern?
As the credit intern at Badgerland Financial, I have the opportunity to perform many different tasks. I get to sit in on customer meetings, help prepare balance sheets and credit presentations, and watch the entire loan process from the beginning to loan closing. Another great aspect of my internship is that I get to ride along on a lot of farm calls with the different credit officers. We might just stop at a few farms to prospect future customers or stop to get loan papers signed. I am able to see many diverse agricultural operations that Badgerland Financial does business with. Another benefit of my internship is that I get to travel to different offices and work with many different people. This is great because I get to know the different diverse areas that Badgerland services and the employees who work in these different regions. However, my internship is not specific to the credit department. I work with crop insurance specialists, appraisers, and several other departments. This is great experience because I am becoming very well rounded in what Badgerland Financial does. In addition to farm calls and loan papers, I do have several projects that I get to work on over the summer.
2) What is your favorite aspect of your internship?
My favorite part of my internship is being able to work with a large group of people within the company. Not every person does the job the same way. It is really great to work with these different people and their customers. Wisconsin’s agriculture industry is very diverse. I love being able to travel to different regions of the state and learn about a variety of farming operations that Badgerland serves. Coming up, I am hoping to go to our north western territory to visit some cranberry operations. The opportunities my internship offers are great!
3) How did you find your internship and what was the application process?
I found my internship when Badgerland Financial held an informational session for CALS students during my sophomore year. To apply you need to send in a resume and a cover letter. You will interview once or twice and need to submit references when asked. You can also watch for openings on Badgerland Financials website or look for them at the career fair.
4) Are there any skills you have learned in your internship that you haven’t learned in the classroom that have prepared you for the professional world?
I have learned many skills from my time interning with Badgerland Financial. School gives you the base knowledge; internships give you experience and allow you to refine your skills. Being able to adapt to many different programs and softwares that Badgerland uses is a great skill I have acquired. I have also sharpened my communications skills by interacting with customers. I never saw myself as a person that would enjoy selling or promoting products, but I have definitely improved in this area since working for Badgerland. In addition to professionalism skills, I learned the loan process for Badgerland Financial from when the customer stops in to request a loan all the way to loan closings. I have also learned about life insurance and crop insurance in addition to other services Badgerland Financial offers. I am becoming a very well rounded intern with the skills I have learned while working for Badgerland Financial.
5) Do you have any advice for students who are interested in finding a similar internship?
It is never too early to start looking for an internship. I found out about my internship in the beginning of my sophomore year and didn’t get hired the first year. They gave me some things that they wanted me to work on in order to gain more experience. I did those things and got hired only ten months later as the tax department intern. Make connections early with potential future employers and they will remember you. An Association of Women in Agriculture alumni connection helped me to obtain the tax department internship position where I worked this past spring. My other words of advice are to use the alumni resources from student organizations. They are great resources for us as college students. My internship in the tax department was a great stepping stone to interning in the credit department as well. A foot in the door is all it takes!
