Getting your latte. Filling the photocopier. Printing out the minutes. Just a few of the jobs that interns at multinational lighting company Signify aren’t asked to do. “Our interns are full members of our team,” says Kelly Chen (IBA, 2020). “We don’t hire them to get coffee. And I think that works very well – especially for interns who truly want to learn and develop their skills.”

Being treated as a valuable member of the team from day one is working especially well for Chen’s current intern, Jana Elwan (MSc Strategic Management, 2024). “The internship was a new experience for me, but Kelly was brilliant and took all the stress out of it,” she says. “She introduced me to all the different team members, and they took time to schedule coffee chats with me and build a relationship, even asking about my outside interests.”

We don’t hire them to get coffee. And I think that works very well – especially for interns who truly want to learn and develop their skills.

Having regular catch-ups is hugely valuable, they both agree – and they don’t just talk about work but also about life, careers and how Elwan’s studies are going. “I try to encourage Jana to reach out to people, and I see her doing that proactively and offering to help with projects,” says Chen, who held the same internship in 2019. “She’s one of the best interns I’ve had, and that all comes down to her attitude. She’s not afraid of trying new things or talking to new people.”

Elwan says the challenging yet supportive atmosphere has enabled her to flourish, taking on projects such as research on deep-dive topics for the top management team and the vital quarterly competitive intelligence report that’s shared across the company. “I felt more confident because the office has such an open and friendly culture. For example, the first time I had to do a task, I was overwhelmed, because I couldn’t find some key information. And Kelly said that was fine. She pointed out that when you don’t have everything in front of you, try to make logical inference with what you have.”

Likewise, when Elwan was finding balancing work and study challenging, she sought advice from Chen, who arranged for her to have more flexibility. “We were happy to try to find a solution. The degree of flexibility we are willing to provide depends a lot on the person’s attitude and effectiveness. Because Jana has a proactive attitude and is super responsible, we were happy to offer as much flexibility as possible.”

So, what does the future hold? Elwan says that working on competitive intelligence has improved her analytical and critical thinking skills, and she’s eager to improve further. “I am looking for a job in consultancy after I graduate. I’m passionate about the process and the work of consultants, as it all aligns with my interests of conducting research, testing out hypotheses and crafting strategies.”

Chen has no doubt that Elwan has a great future ahead. “A lot of people are smart, and I believe a lot of people have the credentials on paper to do our internship, otherwise they wouldn’t pass through the first screening,” she says. “But among these smart and qualified people, what really makes someone different and stand out is their attitude, work ethic and diligence. It’s whether they have the perseverance and curiosity and eagerness to learn. Jana has all of this.” And Elwan is determined to pay her internship forward. “If I ever have an intern one day, I would like to think I would strive to have the same approach as Kelly,” she says.

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