Allison Becker is the HR Generalist at Becker Landscape in Indianapolis, and she oversees recruiting, hiring, employee issues, insurance claims and benefits. She utilized Indiana INTERNnet’s resources as a student and now uses the web site as an employer.
Indiana INTERNnet: Tell us why you love internships!
Allison Becker: Internships are wonderful because they offer so many new experiences for students that they don’t receive in a school setting. Students learn to adapt and think on their feet. My internships were vital because I got to work with a variety of people from different socioeconomic and geographic areas and learned how they see the world, especially the working world. For me, learning to interact with people is one of the most rewarding things.
IIN: What internships did you complete as a student?
AB: I completed internships with a nursery called CM Hobbs. I was a research aid for a semester for a project on Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in veterans. I also did an internship with my family’s landscape company working in HR.
IIN: What makes Becker Landscape internships a good opportunity for students?
AB: Our internships focus on building student’s experience from the ground up and creating a well-rounded employee. Our interns will choose a department to focus in, and they work with our employees in the field their first year and get the opportunity to shadow our supervisors a few times.
In their second year, our interns have the opportunity to work with our project managers and supervisor on a day-to-day basis or work with our sales team. Every year they can grow in that department or set their focus on another department, another part of landscaping.
IIN: How did you use Indiana INTERNnet as a student vs. how are you using it now as a recruiter for Becker Landscape?
AB: Indiana INTERNnet was helpful to me as a student because there are so many internships to choose from in Indiana, but sometimes you don’t know where to look for them. Indiana INTERNnet helped show me what was available.
Now, Becker Landscape uses Indiana INTERNnet to help identify students that may have an interest or background in horticulture and landscaping. That’s important because those students may not be going to college for horticulture and landscaping but still have an interest to pursue a career in our industry. Indiana INTERNnet opens up doors.
