Marketing Internship Experience

Trevor Shah, 2011 Kraft Marketing Intern
Queen’s University

About the Marketing Intern role: “I had a fantastic experience as Marketing Intern at Kraft this past summer. I was fortunate to have a wide array of projects for the summer - touching on both brand activations and influencing brand strategy.  My main project for the summer was managing the day to day execution of a marketing program. This ambitious goal was achieved through a robust communication program covering social media, iMedia, and TV spots. I managed the entire campaign which involved daily interactions with our agency, managing production to ensure new packaging achieved distribution targets, and working with the consumer promotions team at Kraft.

In addition to managing this holistic program, I was also given the opportunity to put together two deep dives to assist in developing the 2012/2013 strategy for my product category. These deep dives were invaluable in teaching me how to tell a story; something I wasn't taught in school. I had to cull through copious amounts of data and pull research that would help me build a story. The deep dives were without a doubt, the best learning experience I’ve had to date. As marketers it’s quintessential to be able to manage programs AND think strategically about evolving your brands.

However, my work didn’t stop there. My manager fervently encouraged me to work on a project outside my day to day responsibilities. As a passionate environmentalist, I decided to research forms of eco-packaging that could be implemented on products to reduce our carbon footprint. After consulting numerous experts at Kraft and conducting external research, I put together a comprehensive presentation on four viable eco-packaging options. I presented these four options to my work team; comprising of over 20 marketers!”

To hear first-hand about Trevor’s experience at Kraft, email him at trevorshah@gmail.com.

About the Marketing Intern role: “As a marketing intern at Kraft Foods, I was responsible for the brand marketing of one of the company’s snacks category. The greatest part about being an intern is that you are truly valued by your team members, are given the same responsibilities as full-time employees and never actually feel like an intern. The experience was a true depiction of what a full-time career at Kraft would be like. As a result of my summer internship, I was responsible for the launch of a new product, executed a back-to-school campaign and initiated the innovation of new future products. In addition to my responsibilities, I had a wonderful work experience since Kraft has a special corporate culture that is both collaborative and fun. I would recommend a summer internship with Kraft to anyone who has a passion for marketing, is collaborative and enjoys working in an ever-changing and challenging work environment.”

To hear first-hand about Laura’s experience at Kraft, email her at laura_d_davis@hotmail.com.

Finance Internship Experience

About the Finance Intern role: “My summer internship with Kraft Canada was a very fulfilling and rewarding experience. As an MBA student I had reservations about the type of projects I would be assigned in an internship program also for BBA students. However, at our very first meeting, my Manager made it clear that she wanted to assign me tasks that would really utilize all I had to offer. She gave me larger projects that were of importance to the department and the larger finance team. The projects and tasks worked well with my education, background and career goals. I was able to truly “act like an owner” in several of my projects and this empowered me to do my best work. They pushed me to learn, to be timely, to go beyond the surface and apply myself to the tasks and projects.

My projects ranged from those with a more technical finance emphasis- data validation and interpretation, to larger projects- process revamp and efficiency improvements. Overall, each project allowed me to utilize different skill sets while all the while adding to the overall discussions of my department and the company.  It was very satisfying to see my work carried through the organization and up to Kraft’s Leadership Teams. To think that projects I have worked on and the results I had produced added to the conversation of the company and possible decisions made was a very fulfilling feeling.

As a company, Kraft truly emphasized the work-life balance. Outside of the work assignments, Kraft allowed us to contribute to the community and I was happy to get an opportunity to lead the Kraft Intern Community Event. This allowed me to work closely with interns from other roles, preparing, organizing and liaising with our Community Event site; all culminating into a gratifying and fun packed day.

Overall, my Kraft internship - the people, the assignments and the overall experience - made my summer delicious.”

To hear first-hand about Alecia’s experience at Kraft, email her at alecia.burgess@gmail.com.

About the Finance Intern role: “My summer experience with Kraft in customer finance was absolutely fantastic. In the time span of four short months, I worked on various projects to support the sales team and drive the company’s top-line growth. Through completing a series of challenging tasks, I was able to strengthen both my technical and soft skills while expanding my knowledge base in different business areas. Having several projects at the same time required me to prioritize my tasks and focus on efficiency. I much enjoyed working with the finance and cross-functional team, and felt really rewarded to see my projects adding value to the business. One of the projects I worked on, for instance, which was creating a common sales reporting tool for customer business teams, improved the company data efficiency by more than 60%. Throughout my internship, I was treated not just as an intern, but as a full-time employee and a partner to the firm. Everyone within the office is extremely approachable and supportive, which makes Kraft an enjoyable place to work. Based on my personal experience, I would highly recommend this internship opportunity to anyone who loves challenges and is passionate about learning!”

To hear first-hand about Katrina’s experience at Kraft, email her at katrina.fang@gmail.com.

About the Finance Intern role: “The internship at Kraft Canada has been a great milestone in my professional career in finance!  It is well structured and highly competitive with meaningful work that all participants will benefit from going forward into the future.  As a Corporate Finance Intern, I was involved with perhaps a more technical area of the company; nevertheless it was both challenging and rewarding at the same time.

During the 17 weeks of the program, I was involved with Financial Statement Analysis, Corporate Tax Reporting, Internal Audit, and Pension Management.  The learning curve on these projects was steep, requiring extensive knowledge in accounting regulations and financial concepts.  However, the fact that these very same projects were of key interest to our executive team gave me a great sense of accomplishment.

If you are an interested candidate or applicant, I’d like to share an encouraging thought with you – your Kraft internship experience is only what you make it.  I gave my role a 200% effort this summer and was thus able to make a meaningful contribution to the Finance function.  If you give the program your best, you too will be rewarded with a truly outstanding experience.  Coming to Kraft for my internship was definitely the best decision that I could have made!”

To hear first-hand about Albert’s experience at Kraft, email him at albert.zou@hotmail.com.

Sales Internship Experience

About the Sales Intern role: “Throughout my experience at Kraft last summer, I worked as a sales representative in grocery stores, mass merchants, as well as drugstores. During my first 3 weeks at Kraft, I had a complete training; the one that every sales representative receives when they start working at Kraft. I worked with 7 sales representatives which allowed me to learn about different ways of achieving the same goals. Then, I replaced 8 permanent sales representatives while they were on vacation. It allowed me to visit many different territories and clients and learn about their similarities and differences.
 
As a sales Intern at Kraft, I performed many tasks such as taking cookies orders, selling booking sheets, ensuring that Kraft innovations were in place, merchandising, and creating different displays to put Kraft products in areas that would increase sales.
 
I learned a lot about organization, planning, but also about customer service.  Building long-term relationship as well as establishing a win-win outcome to negotiation with clients was part of my daily activities.  Adapting to the needs and wants of different customers were a part of my daily activities making my days far from repetitive.  I also developed skills to be results-oriented in order to face the different challenges as well as sales objectives which made my experience really motivating!  Also, there is no cold calling involved because clients need you and you are always welcome because you offer a service they need.
 
Kraft also gave me the opportunity to spend 3 days in Toronto in order to visit Kraft’s head office, attend enriching conferences about Kraft as well as visit a Christie cookies warehouse!
 
Moreover, voluntary work is really important to Kraft. Actually, we spent a day at Moisson Montréal in order to sort out perishable foods.
 
Finally, it was a really enriching experience; they make you feel your work is important! I recommend the Kraft Internship because what we learn in school and what the reality is are very different. The Internship gave me the opportunity to apply the skills I had learned in school - I discovered what ‘sales’ really is!”

To hear first-hand about Janie’s experience at Kraft, email her at j.a.n.i.e_@hotmail.com.

Human Resources Internship Experience

About the Human Resources Intern role: “Talent Management is a 360° process of activities integral to the success of Kraft. As a Human Resources Intern this summer, I contributed to developing our talent at Kraft Canada by working on a number of special projects within the Talent Acquisition, Organizational Design and Operations groups. These projects ranged from Recruitment Metrics where I developed my Excel coding knowledge to a Front Line Leader Training Program where I worked with internal Training & Development experts to fulfill the development needs of first time people managers. I also honed my technical skills when creating an Onboarding Site to equip new hires with information & tools to make their experience of starting a career with Kraft both comfortable and exciting – just like it was for me!

Working with different client groups gave me exposure to senior business leaders across the organization from the very first day of my internship, and helped me better understand how all the specialized departments within Kraft work together to achieve the same strategic objectives and business goals that are set each year by our Executive Team. One thing that all the different business units I worked with have in common is the capacity to grow and excel in a fast-paced environment. At Kraft Canada, business systems and organizational structures are constantly evolving to meet new demands, and one of my main takeaways from this summer was learning how to be a change champion whilst still holding true to the Kraft values that have made this organization one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2012!

Kraft Canada offers a number of truly exceptional perks for full-time employees that are luckily also available to summer interns. I participated in a variety of social activities from wellness classes at the on-site fitness facility to attending cooking classes with the wonderful chefs and experts at the Kraft Kitchens. Interns are also encouraged to create opportunities for themselves. With eleven Kraft-owned manufacturing facilities across Canada, I was able to request job shadowing opportunities at two plants and experience the difference between a manufacturing and corporate working environment.
 
For the reasons mentioned above – and many more – the Kraft Canada Summer Internship Program is truly different to any of the other summer internship programs I had considered for my coop placement. The evaluation structure and opportunity to convert the internship into a full-time role was transparent and clearly explained from the moment I joined the company, which made it easy for me to understand the corporate culture and work towards achieving the competencies that Kraft Canada looks for when recruiting for talent.”

To hear first-hand about Meher’s experience at Kraft, email him at mez239@gmail.com.