Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

What was the most important skill Jordan Barber learned during his time as an intern at Amway?

The finer points of research? Nope.

How to develop a department wide SharePoint site? Nada.

During his six months at Amway, Jordan Barber’s most valuable lesson was time management.

Jordan said that learning how to organize, prioritize and be proactive were among the best lessons he took away from his internship. Planning an entire project from start to finish takes plenty of organization and Jordan had to learn how to be reliable to himself and to his team.

A Ferris State University alumnus, Jordan began his internship at Amway in the Consumer Market Insights department. He conducted hours and hours of research for reports, projects and general data. His main project included creating a “Competitive Intelligence Knowledge Management SharePoint site.”

It’s ok. I said “Huh” too.

This site was used to compile and organize reports, data, and presentations for the entire CMI department.

After three months in CMI, Jordan began working with the Digital Marketing team and was able to learn from others in a different field. One of his projects in Digital Marketing was to run a support team for a global Amway management conference and managed the conference’s Facebook page.

Because of his work in Digital Marketing, an internship quickly became a full-time job at Amway. Now a Digital Marketing Associate, Jordan is working on projects such as mobile tagging platform strategies and digital touchpoint analysis for various countries.

So, Jordan’s lesson to all? Buy a calendar and make some friends.

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

What could possibly go into sponsoring an event in downtown Grand Rapids? Planning. Coordination. And a serious amount of Amway products.

January 29 marked the first-ever 131 Showdown, where the basketball rivalry between Grand Valley State University and Ferris State University drew a crowd of more than 5,000 fans from around the community. Check out the video featuring behind the scenes footage and the Amway-sponsored Half Court Shootout (I don’t want to ruin the video, but a year’s supply of Amway products were sent home with a winner!)

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

Former intern, and managing editor of this blog, Leah Zuber reflects on her experience at Amway.

Miss me?

Thought so. Sam, the new managing editor of this blog, asked if I would write a post about my life since interning at Amway, and I said, “of course!”

I received a job at my alma mater about 110 days ago. Although I truly miss Amway and the people I worked with, I love my new job in higher education public relations. My responsibilities include writing for different publications, managing and monitoring online content, and keeping in tune with digital media trends and networks.

As a former Amway intern, the list of skills, behaviors and values I learned is endless, but I’ve highlighted four that really stand out, and ones that I believe have helped me get to where I am now:

• Connect. Connect online, connect in person, connect anywhere. Make an effort to meet people outside of your normal circle. And once you make a connection with someone, build that professional relationship.
• Converse. If there’s one thing I’m always trying to improve upon is effectively contributing to conversations and sharing my ideas. When I began my internship it was difficult, but once I became more comfortable, I learned that people are very open to new ideas and suggestions, even from the “newbie” or intern.
• Always strive. To do your best. To ask questions. That list is endless.
• Be interested. If you have a passion and are truly interested in something, then success will follow. Ever hear that saying?

Ok, I lied. There’s one more.

• Listen. Listen. And listen some more. This behavior becomes very important in a professional setting where ideas and opinions are being shared on a continuous basis. I’ve learned that some situations just require open ears and attentiveness.

These are behaviors, skills and tips I picked up on during my time at Amway. What are some you learned during an internship or at a job?

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

I love Facebook. I love the ability to share my memories, my photos, my thoughts, and I love the ability to keep in touch with (okay…stalk) friends.

But, I’m not the only one who loves the opportunity that Facebook gives to find out personal information about someone I have never met — employers enjoy that feature, too.

Companies and future employers are constantly searching for applicants. While employers expect you to have friends and to be social, they don’t want to find the evidence of your latest win in the 2011 Flip Cup Championship, or the “creative” home made costume you made last Halloween.

Today’s lesson: If you can’t show your grandma, you can’t show your employer. Clean it up, and make your profile presentable to anyone who could be checking you out.

Once your profile is sparkling and ready for employers to see, search for companies that interest you. Businesses are showing up on Facebook in greater numbers and using the social network to reach their customers, and prospective employees, in a new way. 

Amway is one those companies. Recently, four new global pages for Amway , Artistry , Nutrilite , and eSpring joined existing pages created by Amway affiliates.  The global pages are a starting point for anyone who wants to learn about the company or its brands.

As an intern, seeing these pages and following them allows me to learn more about the company. The Amway Talent Acquisition  page also keeps me connected with current, past and future interns.  Businesses related to the Amway family also have Facebook pages, like eCoupled , the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel  and the JW Marriott-Grand Rapids.

I can view pages of companies I might work for in the future, and Facebook can be used to search for possible intern or full-time positions.  

Facebook is no longer just a form of procrastination, but rather, a career tool. So use it!

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

I hate being the new kid. I’m sure everyone does. But hey, you can’t be the regular, until you’re the newbie, right?

So that’s me – the new kid. I’m Samantha Bourque, the new public relations intern in corporate at Amway and now, it’s my turn to manage this blog.

Let me introduce myself. I hail from the East Side of Michigan, in Novi, and I used to think there wasn’t much past Lansing. That is, until I arrived at Grand Valley State University. Three years later, I have fallen in love with the Lake Michigan shoreline, the city and oddly, the lake effect snow. I’m a television addict, avid sports fan, and outdoor enthusiast.

I once heard that it takes more muscles to frown than smile. I’ve never longed for a strong muscular face, so I try to smile as much as possible and help those around me smile, too. I hope that during my time here that I can make you all smile too. Feel free to comment once in a while, and let me know if I am succeeding – I’d really appreciate it!

This blog is my first ever, so I am determined to catch on quickly and really start to expose Amway. I, along with other interns, will continue to research, report and fill you in on what it’s really like to be an intern at Amway. We will take you behind the scenes of this mile-long campus, and make sure you know Amway inside and out.

So help us out, what do you want to know about Amway and being an intern? Let us know and we will make it happen!

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

Franco Silva, project manager, shares his post-internship experience at Amway.

“The sky is the limit.”

Growing up I heard that saying quite a few times. My grandfather used to tell me that when referring to chess games and the number of possible moves.

About a year and a half ago I had the opportunity to join Amway full time. Like many of those who post on this blog, I also interned here, through a graduate internship program. Wow… was that only a year and a half ago? So much has happened since then its almost hard to believe.

Since joining Amway, I’ve had the chance to: work with GREAT people who have amazing stories, learn from some AMAZING mentors with much to share, travel and collaborate with our international affiliate colleagues in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, California and Dubai (if even only for a day!), present/debate/discuss/challenge and partner with executives, interns, management and consultants, and the list could go on and on.

I’ve discovered a great deal about myself, corporate culture and global/international business. Every day I am challenged to work with people of all walks of life, to think beyond what I (think I) know and required to stretch myself to develop new solutions. If anything, Amway makes you grow and allows you the chance to challenge yourself.

When I first came to Amway I was told “the sky is the limit here”, and its true. It can be tough at times, and especially after some 2 hour meeting goes absolutely no where, but in every day and around every corner there are lessons to be learned and ways to improve. As long as you challenge yourself, get involved, be curious about anything and everything and remove fear from your career, it is my belief you can reach your goals, no matter far fetched they may seem.

Hope you also have the chance to explore what Amway has to offer. If you do, take FULL advantage of it. Ask the tough questions, allow yourself to develop unique and strong relationships with everyone you encounter, you never know what may happen!!

Best of luck!

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

Hello Amway! My name is Andy Aupperlee. I presently work at The Boeing Company in Seattle, WA, but prior to that, I worked as an intern at Amway in Project Management during the summer of 2005. Having grown up in Ada, I’ve always been appreciative of the philanthropic attitudes and actions of Amway and its employees. That’s why I was very excited when I was asked to blog about my involvement in Movember.

That’s right, last month was Movember (the month formerly known as November). If you’re not familiar, Movember is a month-long celebration of everything mustache. Participants start with a clean shaven face on Movember 1 and let the “MO” (Australian for mustache) grow out through the remainder of the month. The point of all this is to raise awareness and funds for men’s health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer. Since everyone loves a good mo, it’s a great conversation starter.

“Andy, are you trying to grow a mustache?”

“Absolutely. What do you think?”

“Well, you don’t exactly look like Tom Selleck, but nice job!”

“Thanks, I’m growing a mo to support Movember. I’m on a team and we’re all sporting mustaches to raise money for prostate and testicular cancer.”

“Cool. How can I donate?”

Movember partners with LIVESTRONG Foundation and The Prostate Cancer Foundation to make sure the funds get put to good use. This is important considering that:

• 1 in 2 men will be disagnosed with cancer in his lifetime
• 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime

To make Movember a little more fun for everyone, I put some photography resources together and directed the MOPLOSION photo shoot. Last month in Seattle, we got about 20 MO-Bros and another dozen or so MO-Sistas to ham it up for the camera. Plenty of hilarious stuff and you can check out the results on my blog.

I also shot, directed and edited a short video to generate interest in the photo shoot.

While all of this has taken a considerable amount of time to plan and produce, I love doing it because the cause is important to me. I’ve also recently undertaken a substantial effort to improve my own health, and my participation in Movember is a natrual extention of that.

Thinking of joining the MOvemenet next year? Feel free to email me (andy@explosion5000.com) for information. Knowing the passion that people at Amway have for helping their community, I’m sure we could start a strong West Michigan chapter for Movember.

Thanks for your support!

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

Hello, everyone!

My name is Megan Peters and I work in Digital and Experiential Marketing.  I interned for two summers at Amway, and then had the privilege of coming on as a full time employee in September 2009.

In my very short career I have had the opportunity to see several sides of the business.  When hired in, I was offered to partake in a pilot rotational program.  This combined with the internships have allowed me to work in Procurement, Project Management, Artwork Development, and Marketing.  Needless to say, I’m a “jack of all trades, master of none.”

In addition to exploring the company through rotations, I’m very involved with a new group here called the Early in Career Group [EiCG].  The group is dedicated to promoting retention, driving acclimation, and providing networking and growth opportunities to Amway employees who consider themselves to be early in their career.  For me it’s been a great way to network and see sides of the business that otherwise I would not have seen.

All in all, my experience at Amway has been a whirlwind, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it!  My advice to you is be open and willing to explore; you’ll never know where you’ll end up.

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

Former intern, Samantha Izzy, is now an associate scientist of nutrition investigation for supplement product development at Amway’s Nutrilite division. Read her story to find out how she landed a position after her internship.

“Take a chance, you might get lucky,”  I thought to myself when I saw an opportunity for an internship at Nutrilite in southern California. I was a junior at Purdue University, terrified because I figured there would be a million applicants, but went out on a limb because I had nothing to lose. With the blink of an eye, I was a twice returning intern at Nutrilite with an opportunity for a full-time position upon graduation.

The lessons I learned during my internships were more valuable to me than anything from a textbook. On one hand, I developed a much deeper appreciation for what I was learning in school. I was able to actually see that all the studying and memorizing was actually being applied somewhere in one way or another. I went back to school each semester more eager to learn and ready to take that information to the professional world. On the other hand, I got valuable exposure to corporate life and was able to see first hand the endless possibilities awaiting me after college.

Having the opportunity to work closely with a my mentors in the professional world was eye opening for me, as they taught me valuable lessons about work, school, and life. These people became such role models for me, and really inspired and encouraged me to reach my full potential. They pushed me to try my hardest and go above my limits, while giving me the tools I needed to be successful in my time here. The internship program was so rewarding for me because I was actually given projects and assignments which were valuable to the continuing success of the company. I was essentially thrown into a situation where I was treated the same as any other professional, forcing me to learn the ropes of the business and to continue to broaden my education.

After such a strong experience, the transition to a full-time employee was only that much easier and more exciting. I moved across the country, straight out of college to start a brand new job, and I had no reservations. Not only am I continuing to learn and gain valuable experience, but I am developing close relationships with some of the most admirable and inspirational people that surround me everyday. My biggest lesson of all, however, I will share with any college student that comes my way from now on – continue to take chances because, like me, you may get lucky!

Editor’s Note:  This post was originally published on the Interns Expose Amway blog.

All good things have to come to an end, right? You know the saying, and today it applies to me.

Today is my last day as a public relations intern in the Corporate Communications department at Amway.

It is a sad day. But it’s a good day, too. The reason I’m leaving is because I received a position at the university I graduated from in May, Grand Valley State University. I will be a communications specialist for the university’s communications office.

Reflecting on my six months here, I met and worked with very intelligent people, who involved me in their projects and taught me the ins and outs of corporate PR. In addition to managing this blog, I practiced and developed my writing skills, applied PR strategies and theories I learned in school, helped with the marketing plan for a new website, and touched on many other aspects of PR. Oh yeah, and I got to travel across the country, twice (c’mon, how many interns get to say that?!).  

In addition to thanking the incredible people I worked with in Corporate Communications, I want to thank you, too. Thank you for reading my blog posts, for sharing my thoughts and experiences, and for bearing with me as I developed my video producing skills.

Like Ryan said in his last post, this is not goodbye, but simply a “See ya later, Amway” sort of goodbye. I like that.