Interview with Jenny Floren from Experience, Inc.

In a recent interview with Jenny Floren, Founder and CEO of Experience, Inc., she began the interview by saying that when she first started Experience, Inc. twelve years ago - internships were a nice thing to have but not a necessity. Today Jenny believes that internships are a must for all students. “Employers today are much more sophisticated on how they utilize their interns,” says Jenny, “and internships have become standard practice for employers of all sizes and in all industries.” Jenny discusses her view of today's college student and offers employers helpful tips on how to maximize on their potential.

“It is a known fact that many employers use their internships as a recruitment tool and a way to assess potential new hires prior to extending an offer for full-time employment." Some employers feel that this generation is very needy and somewhat presumptuous and they tend to hold inflated expectations on what to expect on their first job. Jenny sees it differently and believes that this generation can, and more importantly believes they can, do more and that their motivation comes from a true desire of wanting to contribute.

“There is a huge gap in the element of expectation between employers and students today.” Jenny says that she hears this from employers who are voicing deep frustration between the reality in the workplace versus the expectations and/or perceptions of college students and new graduates. “In my opinion,” says Jenny, “many employers perceive the students’ perspective through their own set of filters.” Jenny points out that this generation is very different from past generations and their behavior and responses may be wrongly interpreted by employers.

According to Jenny, this generation approaches their career almost in a way that can be likened to ‘the old school’; where they not only want a good job and benefits, but are also very interested in achieving work life balance. They want it all; a good job, good pay, benefits, and a life outside of work. They want it all and they want it NOW! Learning to channel and direct that energy, gumption, and assertiveness can be a really powerful experience, provided it doesn’t cross the line.

It must be remembered that this generation grew up in a much different world than previous generations, forcing them to expect and receive instant gratification. Everything they have experienced up to now has been made available to them instantaneously. Employers who have learned to channel this energy through mentoring programs and constructive feedback, are seeing the biggest successes. This type of responsiveness from employers genders a feeling of loyalty from members of this generation and is a key component to bringing out the best in today’s workforce.

According to Jenny, "This generation definitely embraces and expects guidance, feedback, challenge, structure, continued growth, and actively seeks out successful role models."

Actually one of the concrete ways Experience, Inc. has changed over the past 5 years; has been in the development of the “Entrepreneurial Associates Program”. In the past, Experience, Inc. always employed interns who would start in an entry – level customer service position and then gradually move into other areas of the organization. “Based on what we were seeing, we designed a more formalized program that we felt would appeal to today’s college student,” Jenny said. We have been very lucky to recruit some amazing candidates which have acted as a pipeline of talent throughout the organization.

Students now begin their internship working in a generalist position for approximately 6 months as part of the client services group and then for their second 6 months they are assigned to various departments throughout the company. After completing a few projects, they identify which areas of the company feels like a good fit and eventually that’s the track they will enter. This process allows for flexibility and encourages students to try a number of new and challenging areas prior to making a decision.

As a company we are looking to connect and assist students, new graduates, alumni, and employers with the hiring process. In addition, we have found it beneficial to help employers get their corporate message across since in the past many have had a hard time communicating with college students. Helping these employers get their story out, goes a long way in identifying skilled interns that will best meet their needs. This approach also helps students identify potential employers who currently offer opportunities that match their skill set.

For example, Jenny says, “ TJX has a fantastic merchandising program. It is just phenomenal!” One of the challenges both employers and students face is that many students don’t even know what merchandising is. We encourage TJX to reach out and expand their message utilizing resources such as websites, newsletters, and emails. We have definitely noticed more of a need in recent years for bridging this gap between interns and employers.

Recommendations for the Future

Doing anything that really emphasizes the importance and benefits of internships and the role they play in further training and developing the future workforce.

Employers can step up by offering guidance through mentoring relationships and immediate constructive criticism. I do believe that students have huge expectations but they really want to do a good job. Give me more… is my impression of what they are saying and they shouldn’t be misinterpreted by employers as being demanding or difficult.

I’m hoping to develop an awareness amongst employers to use the talents of this generation and make an effort to become more creative in helping them achieve success. These efforts will help utilize the knowledge and skills these students possess and help them to develop to the highest of their potential. This investment by employers will create a win-win situation for both students and the organizations in which they work as they work collaboratively to ease this next generation into today's workplace.

New Exciting News for Experience

Experience, Inc. has just begun an exciting expansion of the site, with a Green-focused channel (green.experience.com) and dedicated to environmentally-focused internships and career guidance. For each person who joins, Experience will plant a tree in his or her honor to reduce CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. On Earth Day, Aprill 22, 2008, a press release went out announcing that; "this online community, sponsored by Chevrolet Fuel Solutions plans to hire interns for various service organizations nationwide that support environmental protection and the development of clean energy sources."

Experience, Inc. recently published a white paper entitled, “How to Recruit for and Manage an Effective Internship Program: Interns are a Strategic Pipeline for Recruiting Today’s College Graduates.”

See Jenny on You Tube, sponsored by Cheezhead.com.