Taylor Vanfleet, a senior Finance major with a minor in Professional Sales Leadership, interned for Virtus Investment Partners over the summer with the internal sales desk. She obtained her sales internship by connecting with a company recruiter at the Sales Competition event in Fall 2015. The Sales Competition event is a class event open to students in MKTG 3452, Professional Selling, and MKTG 3454, Sales Management and Leadership.

As an intern at Virtus, Taylor helped prepare reports for the internal desk and reports that analyzed Virtus’ product offerings that were used as sales aid in calls with clients. She was able to sit in on training sessions for various products offered by the company through their affiliate boutique investment firm to better understand what is being sold. Her Professional Sales minor was extremely beneficial in understand the techniques used by the team. Her internship solidified the skills Mary Caravella and Bill Ryan taught in their courses.

Taylor’s favorite part of the internship was the connection between her studies in finance and sales. She was able to experience first-hand how active versus passive management, a big discussion topic in finance, was affecting Virtus and their peers’ businesses. Her extra experience in sales has landed her interviews for full-time positions because the ability to communication in a professional and persuasive manner is extremely valuable. Though a sales position may not be for her, Taylor said she has learned valuable skills to use when looking for/choosing a full-time position.

Taylor’s advice: “Keep an open mind when looking for experience and make sure to take everything in during your internship. Take notes, listen to people, ask question, and go above and beyond. This is the few times before you begin your career where you get to fully understand the field that you want to go into. It is important to make sure you get the full picture in order to be better prepared for the future.”