Kelsey Rosen
- Director of Foundation Development
- FinOps Foundation
School Information
School: Michigan State University
College Major: Business
Years at College Works: 2010
Career Information
Working For: FinOps Foundation
Title: Director of Foundation Development
Industry: TechnologyWhat Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?
I won a National Team Selling Competition for MSU in 2011 and competed in a few individual competitions across the country on behalf of the university during my college career. Also, after graduation I was hired as the first woman to work in a team of 30 and was able to negotiate my salary $15,000 higher than what they were willing to offer me which was awesome.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
College Works Painting was the best internship I had and I learned so much about running my own business and managing people.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
College Works Painting was a great thing to have my resume and opened up some great conversations in interviews. Every interview I’ve had since college has asked me about the internship and has been impressed with how the internship was set up and the experience I as able to gain while in college.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
I learned a lot about time management and how to interact with people, especially when things didn’t go the way you thought they would.
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
I was great at the selling part and getting clients to agree to use College Works Painting but had zero experience with painting or the prep work involved in painting so that was a challenge for me when it came to production. Know your strengths but also your weaknesses and don’t be afraid to ask for help with what you don’t know. I was in Sherwin-Williams so many times during my internship asking them questions that they offered me a part-time job in the fall afterward the internship ended.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
You have to love working with people because that is all this job is. We are essentially the middleman in placing candidates with companies. As an account manager I deal with the customer and the recruiters deal with the candidates but it is a people orientated business.
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
The social events we would do across the state every few weeks. Some of my closest friends from college are people I met through the College Works Painting internship. Although it has been years and we all live across the country from each other, we still stay in contact.
Last words of wisdom?
There were so many times during the internship that I seriously questioned why I was even working for College Works Painting because the hours were long, and there were days where nothing went right. However, when I reflect back on my college experience, the College Works Painting internship taught me so much about business and people that I am so glad I did it. Everyone that I know who did this internship that I stay in contact with are all doing very well in their careers. This internship will set you apart from your peers and will be something that stands out on your resume.