As an intern at Koch Industries, you don’t fetch coffee, unless you’re grabbing a cup for yourself. In fact, Koch interns are allowed ownership of their roles and decisions from the get-go.
This year, the Koch Summer Internship Program hosted 341 interns in 25 locations throughout the country. The success of the program is credited to the dedication of the Koch College Recruiting (KCR) team and the nearly 700 employee volunteers who strive to create an intern experience that is challenging, rewarding and fun.
“I chose to accept an internship with Koch because I connected with the culture from the interactions I had on campus with Koch employees,” Dallin Scruggs said, a summer intern from Brigham Young University who recently accepted a full-time offer as an engineer with Koch Pipeline.
At the completion of the program, a majority of interns receive full-time offers to kick-start their careers at the second largest privately held company in the country*. More than 1,400 interns have been hired since 2008, representing more than 130 universities nationwide. In past years, around 80 percent of interns received full-time offers, and Koch estimates similar numbers for 2015, though the official stats won’t roll in until mid-September.
“I accepted a role at Koch because I felt valued by the company and the team I was working with valued my work and my input,” Scruggs said.
The schedule, expectations and responsibilities are those of a full-time employee, with a few added perks. Interns are offered paid summer holidays, opportunities for talks with senior management, and a question and answer session with Charles Koch.
“I knew I’d gain a lot of experience going into my internship, but I got to do a lot of things I didn’t think I’d get a chance to do as an intern,” said Anna Haugen, a senior at North Dakota State University and tax intern for Koch Company Services.
KCR also organizes sports competitions, trivia nights, a Habitat for Humanity build and the Innovation Challenge that encourages creative thinking.
“The KCR team played a big role in the enjoyment of my internship,” Haugen said. “I had a great experience as an intern and I am very excited to be coming back as a full-time employee in January!”
The summer program has come to a close, but the KCR team isn’t stopping, as the majority of the college recruiting process occurs during the fall semester. Koch is committed to making their internship program a recruitment tool to identify future leaders, something the KCR team is dedicated to delivering.
*According to Forbes magazine.