Turn Your Internship Into Your Career At Van Meter

At a time when workers are sticking with their current employers no more than four years before choosing to move on, businesses are trying harder than ever to stop the job-hopping trend. Gen Z and Millennials are at the forefront of what’s being dubbed the “Great Resignation” because they are more likely to become bored or dissatisfied with their jobs. A recent Gallup report estimates the turnover of Millennials alone costs employers more than $30 billion a year.

Ouch.

Here’s what four former interns say made the difference for them at Van Meter, and why they’ve (happily) stayed put.

Don’t treat interns like interns

The strongest internship programs benefit both the student and the company, not just the latter. Today’s college students don’t want to be regarded as “just an intern” – they expect to be part of a team and bring value to the organization. Van Meter’s internship program attracts many of the same students for more than one year, like Aaron House, who worked all three of his college summer breaks in the automation department.

“I could just tell right away, even as a freshman, that Van Meter took its program seriously,” says House, who was hired full-time as a design engineer after graduating from Iowa State University in 2017. “They emphasized that my internship was intended to be a meaningful experience, which is something everyone says and hopes but I felt Van Meter followed through on.”

Going into a marketing internship for the summer, Kalese Sheldahl says it was important that Van Meter treated her like an actual coworker – not just a temporary student worker. She was relieved when she was included in all of the marketing team’s meetings. Learning about various projects that were impacting other departments and being asked to contribute to them made her feel valued.

“I truly was a part of the team,” says Sheldahl, a marketing program manager who has been with Van Meter for 11 years. “I never doubted that for a minute.”

Both House and Sheldahl say another surprise for them as interns came in the form of accessibility to Van Meter’s senior leaders. Based on stories they’d heard from friends in other internship programs, they knew having the president greet them by name in the hallway wasn’t typical at most companies.

Nor was being asked as an intern to provide feedback that was truly reviewed and acted on. But that was House’s experience at the end of his first summer. He recalls mentioning that more collaboration with other interns would be beneficial to the program, such as the chance to work on a group project. And then he got a call from an executive team member to talk about it.

“That’s how I knew my feedback was shared all the way to the executive level,” House says. “They were genuinely invested in our experience and wanted to make it meaningful. And when I came back the very next summer, they had worked my feedback into the program. I felt heard, and valued.”

Find leaders from within

One reason that Gen Z and Millennials leave their current employers is because they are chasing opportunities to grow their skill sets and advance in their careers. When given opportunities for personal and professional development, young employees are more likely to stay where they are, according to a report by the Department of Labor.

This begins with the recruitment process, because being mindful about hiring the right people for the right job will translate into longer, more loyal working relationships. At Van Meter, managers are expected to meet regularly with their team members to identify goals and how they can help achieve them. Internal leadership programs are offered to employees who express a desire to grow their skills in that area. And former interns are given opportunities to mentor new interns every year.

Tyler Thompson was hired full-time at Van Meter after a summer internship that turned into a part-time job his senior year. Thirteen years later, he’s a sales support manager who supervises a 21-member team. Thompson says the company understands how important it is to bring in the right people – and takes a direct interest in their ongoing development.

“It’s a priority here to grow leadership from within,” he says. “It makes it a lot easier for people to stay, yes, because with so many workers jumping around, Van Meter continuously proves that the talent they have is the talent they want to reward.”

Jackie LaFleur is an end user solutions manager who interned with the automation team at Werner Electric in the summers from 2005 through 2008, well before Van Meter acquired the Minnesota-based company last year. As longtime partners, both companies shared similar cultures, including people-centric concepts that worked to propel employees within the business. After participating in several leadership programs throughout the past 13 years, LaFleur now oversees a team of 10 people.

“At Van Meter, when it comes to training and growth, you are very rarely told “no,” she says. “If you work hard to be the best you can be in your role, they’re going to invest in you as an individual.”

Make the benefits make sense

According to the Society of Human Resource Management, companies more than ever must adjust benefit packages to meet the evolving expectations of Gen Z and Millennials in the workplace. Work-life balance, wellness programs and flexible work arrangements are high on their lists – perhaps even more than compensation (although they do expect to be paid fairly).

Each of our Van Meter employee-owners introduced in this article admit they may have been too young to fully appreciate the company’s Employee Stock Ownership Program when they were first hired. Some, like House, were surprised to hear older colleagues talk about how being an employee-owner changed their lives. As he learned more, House began to see what an enormous benefit it was.

“Being an employee-owner has really helped me believe in Van Meter’s long-term vision and feel secure in my financial future,” he says. “But even more than that, it just lends itself to an amazing culture. Since we’re all owners in this company, we do things the right way – the best way – because every action affects all of us.”

Adds Sheldahl: “ESOPs aren’t typically something on a young person’s mind. I didn’t know what it meant, but the longer I stayed the more I saw the value of it. To know you’re having a direct impact on how the company is doing and how that affects your retirement and everyone else who you work with . . . it’s just really motivating.”

One benefit that Thompson says he most values is Van Meter’s paid time off policy, which internally is referred to as TOTAL – Time Off to Appreciate Life. It gives employees the ability to manage their own time off, without being tracked, and Thompson says the company encourages them to use it. Other perks like hybrid and work-from-home arrangements plus generous maternity and paternity leaves demonstrate that Van Meter is more than keeping up with workplace trends, he says.

“As a young person in the workforce, it’s nice to be a part of a company that’s ahead of benefits that are popular in the world,” says Thompson, who has a three-year-old and a two-week-old baby at home. “There’s a nice balance here that gives flexibility to people to do their jobs and still have a life.”

For LaFleur, the benefits she values most are interconnected in a way that brings job satisfaction to a different level. Working for a company that’s committed to giving back to the community is important to her, especially when it encourages its employees to do the same.

“Work-life balance is important, sure, and of course I want to be paid fairly,” LaFleur says. “But I want my company to look at my overall wellness – allow me to volunteer, be with my family, invest in my financial future. Looking at it holistically is really critical to me. Van Meter gets it.”

Cut to the culture

Ultimately, a company’s overall culture will guide its employees’ decision to stay (or go). While many workplaces may offer “a lot of cool policies,” House says it only matters if they follow through with them.

“You have to know if the company walks the talk,” he says. “I use my friends as a gauge for how good I have it.”

When LaFleur talks to younger people looking to enter the workforce, she emphasizes finding a cultural fit first – even if it’s in an industry they might not have considered before.

“It’s more important to find a company that’s willing to invest in you,” she says. “When your job is aligned with your desired career path, that’s great. But if the culture isn’t one that prioritizes people first, I guarantee you won’t want to stay.”

For her part, Sheldahl says working at Van Meter has resulted in “high expectations” of what a company culture should look like – because she understands how hard it is to develop a supportive workplace that truly wants its employees to be their best both inside and outside of the office.

“It feels like we’re part of something special here,” she says. “When you have a culture like this, you don’t want to go anywhere else.”

If you are interested in applying for a 2023 summer internship with Van Meter, please apply on our careers page and reach out to [email protected].