What I learned on a summer intern business trip

Everyone is constantly visiting customer sites to figure out clients’ needs and the best possible solutions. During my three months here, I’ve seen people travelling all over the United States and beyond to countries such as England, Australia and Brazil.

As a developer, I’m used to working behind the scenes. Within my department, my job is to develop internal programs. However, because I’m in Hyland Services, I also get to see how the client-facing side of the business works. And while I entered the job expecting to be in the office every day, I ended up getting the invaluable opportunity to shadow a business trip!

> Learn more | Explore Hyland opportunities across the globe

Learning on the fly

I flew down to Oklahoma City with two other Hylanders (Patrick O’Donnell and James Eller) where we worked with a major healthcare provider to test its implementation of our software. For one week, I got to see why Hyland’s 13,000+ customers enjoy working with us.

We spent a great deal of time talking to people, understanding their needs and wants, and coming up with solutions. Through our talks, we came to know our clients very well both professionally and on a more personal level. Every day, we’d take a break from all the business talk and go out to lunch with our client’s team members.

Fresh Oklahoman mashed potatoes and steak, anybody?

By building these professional business relationships that involve friendly banter and an establishment of trust, I saw how Hyland Services and its clients have incredibly open and constructive discussions that help get things done more effectively.

Engaging in thought-provoking discussions — in and out of the office

Each night after work, we’d have some free time to explore the city. I’ve never been to Oklahoma City before, and by just being there for a few days, I got to experience quite a bit. Driving around, trying out different foods and visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial were my favorite experiences. The Memorial, which honors those affected by the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, was especially moving, and I’m glad to have gotten a chance to see it.

During my visit, I found there’s a lot to gain both professionally and personally on business trips: Meeting new people, seeing new places, and facing something new every day is exciting! With customers in 69 countries, there are hundreds of cities that employees in Services get to see — both in the United States and internationally.

My months at Hyland have shown me there is a huge variety of jobs out there that I could find a fit with. Before working at Hyland, I’d always anticipated your typical Silicon Valley developer job — now, I’m seriously considering consulting or another Services position as something I would like to do out of college. Working with different clients provides a fresh experience each week, and travelling is something I’ve always enjoyed.

Lucky for me (and anyone else that may be interested in a services position), Hyland is quickly growing and there are several consulting positions available as I write this! If you’re interested, check out Hyland’s career or internship pages.

This was an invaluable experience. It taught me how to engage with clients to get the most out of the relationship on both ends. And I’m glad to have gotten the opportunity to travel.

Pretty good for an internship, I’d say!