Workplace awards, product announcements, industry recognitions, and well-deserved time off have made the summer of 2022 one to remember for Collibrians. Another great achievement for us: we welcomed our first cohort of summer interns. It was our privilege to host this talented group of future leaders who chose to spend their summer learning, collaborating, and contributing to Collibra’s mission.
Sam Mensah and Dorottya “Dori” Kovacs interned with our Business Development Representative (BDR) team. Here they share details of their internship projects, what they enjoyed and learned in their internship, and advice for future interns.
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Sam Mensah
Intern, Business Development Representative – London, UK
What project work did you work on this summer in your internship?
The overall goal of my intern project was to facilitate Collibra’s Business Development Representative (BDR) team in prospecting to each of their respective accounts. A large part of our work involved reading through annual reports, recent newsletters, and articles to find the most relevant information about the company’s data strategy, upcoming projects, and relevant data-related position openings. Collating this information into a document allowed us to provide the team with enough insight to have an understanding of the company before they would reach out to them through phone or email. Leveraging valuable information gave the team the best chance of success in creating an interest in Collibra — with the aim of the company choosing Collibra as their data intelligence solution.
What is your favorite thing about the team or project you are working on this summer?
The most important thing to me, prior to taking a role, and what made me choose Collibra, was the fact that while working as an intern I would be able to generate actual value. There are many other intern roles out there where your contributions might not be of much significance and can even be discarded at the end of your internship. At Collibra it was very apparent how the work I would be doing would directly facilitate the overall success of the team and generate value for the company — giving me a sense of pride in every piece of work that I produced. This has made me very proud to be a part of the Collibra intern experience.
What is the top thing you’ve learned from the internship or project so far?
One of the most important things I’ve learned from my internship — apart from the work-specific skills — is the people skills that I have developed. As a Business Development Representative, a huge part of the role requires you to have client- and relationship-building skills, which is something that was very new to me. Over the course of my internship, I developed confidence in reaching out to people without any former relationship and building a rapport with them. I strongly believe that this is a very valuable skill for anyone regardless of the career that you are pursuing, as the ability to build strong relationships — and quickly — is one that is very rare and will be sought out by any employer.
What advice do you have for other students interested in an internship?
The main piece of advice that I would give to any student starting out an internship at Collibra is to try and get involved as much as possible. The workplace environment here at Collibra is very warm and friendly, and almost anyone is willing to give up their time for a quick chat, especially if you’re a new face. Try to reach out to people beyond the team you are placed in, even if it’s simply to understand their role, as there are so many interesting personalities and great people here. And lastly, enjoy it! Your time here will fly by, so make sure to make the most out of every day that you have here and get the most out of your internship. I promise it will be one of the best early career experiences you can get.
Dorottya “Dori” Kovacs
Intern, Business Development Representative – London, UK
What project work did you work on this summer in your internship?
As an Intern with the Business Development Representative (BDR) team, I worked on account searches that helped the day-by-day job of the BDRs. I investigated and created reports on clients and businesses that Collibra is prospecting and provided the information to the BDRs to give them a base that they can build their strategy on. After a month, I also started making calls connected to an event that I had to promote. I felt like I was a real BDR doing real BDR work — because I was!
What is your favorite thing about the team or project you are working on this summer?
I absolutely love working together with the whole BDR team. They made me feel welcome, and I got tasks that absolutely created value for the company, so I felt useful. My favorite project was calling people on the phone. Even though it could be tiring at times, having a good conversation and getting insight into another business is extremely interesting and eye-opening from an overall market and commercial-awareness point of view.
What is the top thing you’ve learned from the internship or project so far?
I learned that our business development efforts always do show and have an end result eventually — whether it be good or bad. As a BDR, most of your work can be presented in numbers. And numbers never lie.
What advice do you have for other students interested in an internship?
Collibra is an absolute dream workplace. Your work is valued, you become part of a team, and your feedback and unique perspective is always heard. During my internship I was always excited going to the office, meeting new people, and sharing my experiences with the team. At the end of the day, that is most important. The atmosphere of Collibra is perfect for someone early in their career who wants to evolve and gain new skills — and of course experience what it’s like to work at an international company (for me) in the heart of London.
Thank you to Sam and Dori for sharing their experiences, and thank you to all our 2022 interns for bringing your curiosity, creativity, and drive to Collibra this summer.
Want to learn more about working at Collibra? Check out our careers page to find open jobs, our commitment to diversity and inclusion, Collibra benefits, and more.
