Internship Interview with Amway Manager of College Talent & Candidate Experience:
Kevin Douglas, PHR, Manager of College Talent and Candidate Experience, answers several questions about internships with Amway. Amway runs on a low-cost, low-risk owner Compensation plan whereby participants sell Amway products to their individual roster of customers.
What does Amway look for in an intern:
Amway looks for individuals who have a well rounded background, are involved in student organizations, someone who respects different ideas and cultures, a person that has the ability to work in a team environment, and individuals who are more interested in results that benefit the company rather than themselves.
What types of internships does Amway offer students:
The main groups are R & D (which includes chemical eng, mech eng, biology,
chemistry), IT, supply chain, finance, HR, communications, and general
business. Each intern is given a mentor and a specific project to work on over a 12 week period. Each assignment consists of a "real world" project as
opposed to something just made up to fill the intern's time.
Do you offer any benefits to interns:
No. However, interns are allowed to join our on-site fitness center for $8 per month and they
can also buy products at our company store at a discount.
Are Amway internships paid:
Yes.... the hourly rate ranges from $14 - $21. The rate is higher for someone interning from a MBA
program.
What knowledge and skills would an intern gain from an internship with Amway:
Students work on real-world projects and they learn how to communicate and interact in a
professional business environment. Interns are also given the opportunity to make important decisions and have the chance to work with
individuals from a variety of different cultures.
Does Amway hire interns to become future full-time employees:
Yes, our goal is to convert a percentage of our interns to
full-time employees. Last year we converted 33 interns to full-time
employees within the company.
What kind of experience might a college student expect with Amway:
The interns are treated like full-time employees in that they are invited to staff meetings and encouraged to offer suggestions and ideas, the project is real.... and if they were not working on it, a full-time employee would be. Each intern is matched with a mentor and offered membership to Toastmasters speech club. Interns meet with a different executive every other week which exposes them to different perspectives in doing the work. Amway also holds a reverse career fair where interns meet managers from various parts of the organization to discuss their individual skill sets and the kind of work they hope to do.
