HNI Corporation

Manufacturing Engineering Intern

May - August 2023 • Muscatine, IA

What I liked

I loved my time at HNI and really felt like I made an impact on the company. I had the opportunity to tour many of the manufacturing facilities and connect with members on all levels. HNI did a great job at giving their interns room to grow and network with a lot of different VP and CEO as well. Working in Muscatine was a great experience and very valuable to be able to be so close to all the other plants too. No matter which location you were placed at, there were opportunities to explore all the other locations.

What I wish was different

I loved HNI and would not have changed anything about my internship!

Advice

I would definitely try to network as much as possible from the start. At first, I was nervous to ask questions, but the community is incredible at HNI and everyone wants to help you grow.

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Manufacturing Engineering Intern

June - August 2022 • Muscatine, IA

What I liked

I enjoyed how quickly I became a part of the team. They treated me as a valuable member with important contributions to make. The project I worked on was part of a big reorganization and actually had an impact on the company. They were happy to answer any questions I had and provided adequate guidance for a first-time internship.

What I wish was different

Advice

Embrace being uncomfortable. There might be a lot you're unaccustomed to or don't have experience with. Be patient with yourself and the learning process.

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Internal Audit Intern

June - August 2022 • Muscatine, IA

What I liked

Their company culture, networking opportunities, and willingness to help you explore your interests

What I wish was different

I wish they gave me more feedback on my work and that it was a bit more collaborative

Advice

Ask lots of questions and get to know your coworkers!

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Data Analyst Intern

June - August 2021 • Muscatine, IA

What I liked

I liked the autonomy that I was given to choose the projects that I worked on complete them in my own time. Everyone there was super friendly and always willing to help. The company culture was awesome, and you could tell that everyone genuinely enjoyed problem solving together.

What I wish was different

I wish that my role was a little bit more structured, in the sense that there may have almost been too much autonomy. As a second year, I think I would have benefitted from a little more direction. However, the hands on learning and trial and error practice that I received taught me how the real working world is like early on in my educational career.

Advice

Ask questions, even if you don't know what to ask, tell them that and they will help you go from there. They will try and help you in the best way possible without giving you the direct answer, because they want you to feel like you can take ownership of your success, when you finally do get it right. But if you don't ask questions, they will never be able to give you the specific help that you need. Also, your first question should always be "Why I am I doing this?". After you are given an assignment, it is vital to know what direct impact you will have, and the problem that you are tryin to solve.

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Sales and Marketing Specialist Intern

May - August 2018 • Muscatine, IA

What I liked

The people I worked with were amazing and gaining real world sales experience was awesome

What I wish was different

Nothin

Advice

Be ready to be put in situations where you don't have all of the answers. This internship requires critical thinking and the ability to ask good questions.

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Human Resources Intern

May - August 2019 • Muscatine, IA

What I liked

I liked the ability to work in a professional and modernized team environment.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have gotten more core HR experience throughout my time. The special projects given were great, but I don't think I learned very much about working specifically in HR.

Advice

Take initiative and do your research before you go to the interview. Try to understand what parts of the HR functions you are most interested in. Take the chance to explore the plant environment and the Headquarters environment.

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Product Development Engineering Intern

May - August 2019 • Muscatine, IA

What I liked

The internship program was amazing. There were weekly (paid) lunch-and-learn sessions, facility tours, opportunities to network with leaders in the company, and other fun events for the 70+ interns. The company provided housing at the local community college. Interns were given real, valuable projects to work on. The people and culture were also great.

What I wish was different

I was assigned to a long-term project, so I did not get to see the results of my work during the summer. I wish I had been given a project like most interns that I could have seen to completion.

Advice

Do not disregard an internship opportunity with HNI because of the location! Working and living with 70 other college kids is a blast, and the company provides a great experience.

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