Stephen Schlecht gives us insight into the life of a Case IH intern. After working in the finance department with Case Construction for a summer, Schlecht opted to try out the High Horse Power Tractor Marketing internship this summer. Stay tuned to the Be Ready blog for more posts from our interns. And, if you or someone you know is interested in applying for a Case IH internship, visit www.campusconnect.cnh.com to view available positions.
Walking into my first college career fair, I was overwhelmed by the seemingly infinite amount of booths set up from various companies. As I walked past the booths, the Case IH booth caught my eye. I instantly recognized the brand and gravitated toward it because of my passion for agriculture stemming from growing up in some of the richest soils of America’s Corn Belt. After speaking to a Case IH recruiter, I was offered the opportunity to interview. The interview process was unlike any other that I had experienced in the past. They truly cared to know what I was interested in and looking for in a career and matched me up with the most fitting internship.
I started off in Finance for Case Construction my first summer and loved the company so much that I decided to come back. I wanted to try another department out this summer, so I joined the Case IH team as a High Horse Power Tractor Marketing Intern.
The great thing about Case IH is that they have allowed me to choose the direction of my internship. Going into the internship, I had three goals: 1. Become deeply versed in the technical competitive advantages of our equipment; 2. Communicate effectively to address the needs of customers; and 3. Be able to analyze data from the field and strategically offer recommendations of change for the future.
I was given all of the tools I needed to succeed. I asked if there was a way I could have more interaction with the customer to communicate better with training dealers for the upcoming Red Power Experience. The following week, I was on a plane to Memphis, Tenn., to demo new equipment with farmers planting rice and cotton, something I had never been exposed to before. I was able to have face-to-face contact with customers testing a brand-new piece of equipment that hadn’t hit the market yet. Also, it allowed me to have a better understanding of an industry because it was a hands-on experience. You ask at Case IH, you will receive.
Out of the many projects that I was tasked with, one of my favorite and most rewarding projects was doing a SWOT and market analysis on our Case IH Magnum™ tractor versus the competition’s equipment. I came up with a list of compiled data from product specialists, dealers and customers in the field. From that data, I found strategic threats and opportunities to use in my recommendation to the business for possible change.
My summer at Case IH has been exceptional. From the resources they provided, it has allowed me to accomplish all of my goals and more. From the high-level meetings they allow you to attend, to the large amount of responsibility that they allow you to have, it has been an amazing and fruitful summer.
