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Amy, Co-Op Student, Finance Dept., Northeast Region
Please realize that each job opening for which Getronics hires is different, so the duties of anyone profiled herein may not correspond to those of another person with the same job title.
In 2004, the US Careers division of Getronics instituted a co-op program, and now also offers academic course credit internships. As student work opportunities at Getronics expand into different departments and become available to students from any accredited college or university, we spoke with Getronics’ first Finance Department co-op student and her co-op supervisors at Getronics: Norm, a financial analyst and Sandra, department director.
Q: How did you find out about this opportunity with Getronics?
Amy: Northeastern University's Co-Operative Education program has a dedicated web site for student internships and jobs, featuring many co-op listings. The active co-op system is a big attraction of Northeastern. The school was voted #1 by U.S. News & World Report for their internship program.
Q: What factors appealed to you about Getronics vs. other co-ops you were considering?
Amy: The co-op had everything I was looking for: location and pay were great, a real Finance focus. With graduation coming, this would be my last co-op, so I wanted something challenging. In my interview with Sandra, I said I wanted to be challenged. I got the feeling I wouldn't be sitting by a copy machine. It's been a great experience.
Q: What initially gave you the sense this co-op would contribute towards your career goals?
Amy: Sandra showed me the book [monthly forecast package for North American financials] that I would be working on. At first I gasped, but it showed I would be doing something meaningful toward my career; I'd be a team player. That excited me. I came home to my parents and friends who shared my enthusiasm.
Q: What did you do to prepare for your co-op?
Amy: I realized I needed to learn more about Getronics, so I used it for a class assignment. My Corporate Finance class had a project to profile a company's financials, do background on the company, forecast stock price, etc., and present your findings to the class. This project was due before the co-op started. The professor, who also works as a corporate CFO, pushed me to work hard to get more information, both because he knew I was a hard worker and because it would help me get a head start on my co-op. He also gave me advice for my job interview with Sandra.
Q: How did your classwork tie into your Getronics experience?
Amy: For my project, I used the balance sheets and forecasts from Europe where Getronics is headquartered, which are different from North American financial reporting. Fortunately, North American operations' finances were more familiar and easier for me to understand. When we used familiar tools such as a SWOT analysis for a presentation at Getronics, I noticed the lessons [my Corporate Finance class] taught me at Northeastern were very useful and applied to the real world. Actually doing the work is what teaches you. Now I better understand forecasting, components of EBIDTA. I need numbers to match, and you can't really learn the importance of that in class.
Sandra: As soon as Kevin Roche [General Manager of Getronics North America] found out we hired a Northeastern University co-op student, he asked me to be introduced to her, because he started at Wang as a Northeastern co-op student himself over 20 years ago.
Amy: We talked for a while; he's a cool guy.
Q: You've had several co-ops, each at a different company. What's important in choosing a good co-op experience?
Amy: Know who you're working with. While interviewing with Sandra, I could tell she was someone who'd listen to me. You can learn a lot by how people interview you: do they cut you off, ask insightful questions? You can never be fully prepared for the work, but if you're happy with whom you work for and with, that makes a big difference.
Q: What went into selecting Amy's co-op supervisor?
Sandra: We picked Norm as her immediate supervisor because he's a good instructor, has a lot of patience, and guides you toward independence. He's very organized about how he doles out assignments.
Amy: He's a great teacher, and very patient. Like a father, he's taught me many life lessons. He also teaches the simple things, like being careful driving in the snow, to "leave now while it's still light outside." He told me not to be afraid about changing careers; you'll probably do it five times. Norm's been doing finance for 33 years and he's insightful. And funny--he jokes around and cracks me up. We'll be doing serious stuff, and he'll tell a humorous story from his past. If you're stressed out, he'll tell a story to calm you down. He's also the [department's] bagel man; buys them each week for the office.
Sandra: I gave her the cubicle right next to Norm's office, located in the center of the department so she'd actually be in the middle of things. New people can feel less connected to the team being physically segregated. That wouldn't work here.
Q: What makes for a good Finance co-op student at Getronics?
Sandra: A Finance co-op needs very strong familiarity with Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint. But Hyperion and SAP you might not be exposed to. It's up to us to walk them through the system. So a willingness to learn is vital.
Norm: Coming on board, I saw Amy possessed the fundamentals of Microsoft applications and those apps she didn't, she grasped right away. I asked if she knew macros, and she said no, but she took the initiative to learn and did it. Amy is a quick learner. One of the most difficult things about the job is someone coming from a classroom--or any company different than ours--adapting to get a good understanding of all our financial systems. In giving out assignments, I don't like to say "this is what I want to do." I prefer to walk a person through the assignment, try to go through the steps. I want you to learn my way, and then you can do it any darn way you want if you can find an easier or better one. I wrote some procedures that were lacking, and Amy's writing is building on that, which will help the whole department, not just future co-ops.
[Profile continues at top of next column]
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Amy, 2004 Finance Dept. co-op student (right) and her supervisor, Sandra (left)
Q: What are your primary duties at Getronics?
Amy: We each have a package [of reports] to prepare and print at the beginning of the month. If someone is busy with a deadline and doesn't have time to compile part of his package at that moment, I'll step in and make their life a little easier. That's fine with me because I know others would do the same for me.
Sandra was honest in the beginning, saying you might have to work late hours. This encouraged me. I've never had the responsibilities at a job to stay late; that was good. I had a PowerPoint document to work on late one night before a presentation, and others came to me to offer help. You can't leave a team member hanging. I like to help out and step in where I can. Teamwork is very important here.
Q: What other initiatives has Amy worked on during the co-op?
Sandra: She took over the whole capital approval process. She has to interface with every individual and organization that submits a capital requisition [funding request]. If any criteria aren't met, she has to go back to them. She has no problem with that. She started sending an email reminder for each upcoming capital approval deadline to insure a smooth, timely process. That's new; Amy started that. Amy developed other improvements, such as adding Excel links to other relevant docs that speed this process up, as well as print macros that help with a new package we're rolling out. She's contributing; she's working like a full-time employee. She takes every assignment and adds value.
Q: So it sounds like she has real responsibility…?
Sandra: Our group has a very heavy workload. We must work as a team. Amy stepped in immediately. But I've given her more responsibility because I have confidence in Amy; I trust her. I know if she doesn't understand, she'll ask the right questions so she will understand. That's indicative of how Northeastern approaches the co-op program: Northeastern offers courses that relate directly to how we work. They provide the basics for someone coming into a position like this.
Amy: Most of my professors have held jobs that relate to what they teach; they bring real-life experience to the classroom. Students also bring their real-life work experience into classes. Many courses have a case study component. Together with your research on companies, these contribute significantly to my learning. And while it's [Northeastern] certainly competitive, they encourage group work, which helps with communication skills.
Q: What else have you learned on this job?
Amy: If you want to build your resume, what I've learned in GVU and on-the-job skills using Hyperion [Getronics' corporate financial consolidation system software], Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint helps a lot, along with some exposure to SAP [a leading financial management software package].
Q: What's it like interacting with Getronics employees here in the Northeast and around the world?
Amy: It's very interesting. I like forecasting, looking at the numbers, where we're going. In the process of my job, I help them do their jobs. Most people hate capital work requisitions, but I enjoy it. People could be rude to me as a student intern, but they haven't been. People listen to me. I like that about this job. Learning how to relate with people is an important part of working at Getronics, too. You have to read people on the phone: if they're stressed, you can't take it to heart. At the beginning of the month, it's more stressful in Finance, so you have to understand that.
Q: What do Getronics employees say about Amy?
Sandra: Amy's been an ideal Finance co-op. Amy is very ambitious, which is the type of individual we're looking for, who's serious about an assignment. It's a win-win for us and the school's co-op program. She's responsible. Her work ethic is great; she comes in and works the hours she's here. She's easy to get along with, takes direction well, very proactive. Her communications skills are excellent: not afraid to ask questions, she can ask anyone at any level for information. She's quick to pick up on everything we throw her way. Always willing to help and always looking for a new challenge.
We had a two-day seminar recently where everyone had to share opinions in a roundtable format. I got compliments on how she handled herself at that meeting. Her contributions were meaningful; nobody would've thought she was a co-op. We treat her like a full-time employee.
Amy: I do feel like a full-time employee. That makes me feel comfortable here.
Q: How has your co-op impacted what you'll look for in your next job?
Amy: I'm going to look for a boss who will be interested in what I say, who will give me opportunities. That's what I've enjoyed out of this process. I will look at how the people in the company interact. And what the job entails--what will I actually do?
Q: Do you have any final thoughts about Getronics for other students considering a co-op or internship here?
Amy: My first co-op was made up of basic, easy tasks, but not here. The big, well-known companies know that students will apply and will do the simple stuff. But jobs at lesser-known companies can be the best ones. If you're ready for a real job and if you want a challenge, co-op at Getronics. It won't be easy, but that's what makes it great. It makes you think, makes you apply your skills. People should look into it. It has helped me gain skills and confidence. I come home and say "I feel smart today" -- I applied my knowledge.
Norm: I try to bring the younger ones under my wing. It was a lot of hand-holding in the beginning, but now I can turn her loose on projects. She's one of us.
To learn more about co-op or internship positions for summer or an academic term at Getronics, please visit www.GetronicsCareersUSA.com/students as we may offer student positions not yet listed on the web site.
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