Roompact was blessed with three amazing interns this summer who helped out with our sales and marketing team. Some of them will also be returning this fall as well. Learn a little bit more about them and their summer experiences.
Jake Van Wyk
Major: Business Administration in Marketing and Sales Minor
Institution: University of Missouri
Hometown: Naperville, IL
Favorite Emoji: 💯
Why did you decide to do an internship with Roompact?
I chose Roompact because I wanted to work for a smaller company so that I could have a larger role than just being “the intern.” I wanted to be an important team member with real tasks as well as feel valued while at work. During the interview process, I felt like Matt would be a great person to learn and grow from, so he is a big reason why I joined Roompact. I wanted to learn about what it means to be a salesman in SaaS (Software as a Service) sales. I wanted to learn how to sell software as well as learn more about what the field itself looked like to make sure it was the correct field for me. I also hope to learn more about Roompact and the residence life field.
What did you learn during the internship?
Originally, I came into working at Roompact not really knowing much about the industry. However, I was able to learn a lot from the excellent staff here as they helped me grow my industry knowledge from the ground up. I also was looking to learn more about the SaaS industry and learn how to sell software through various techniques and practices. I also was able to do a capstone project where I was able to learn about our ideal potential partners that helped me gain knowledge about what people in the residence life industry find valuable about Roompact. Overall, it was a great experience and I was able to grow my understanding of sales and marketing and also as an individual.
Taylor Nash
Major: Business Management Entrepreneurship
Institution: DePaul University
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Favorite Emoji: 🐢
Why did you decide to do an internship with Roompact?
I decided to do an internship with Roompact because I felt like the company perfectly met my education and my experience. Having studied entrepreneurship and worked in student affairs the past few years, it was a cool opportunity to apply everything I have learned. I also haven’t had the chance to work in business specifically and wanted to build my sales skills. I have a passion for student affairs and understand a lot about the day to day of working in it, it is hard work! It is cool to get to work for a company that is meeting people in that and helping improve a lot of the parts of those jobs that are taxing or stressful.
What did you learn during the internship?
This summer I started out learning about the industry that Roompact works to meet the needs of. I learned about this company, where they came from and where they are now, how they work collectively and individually to make Roompact happen. I learned about the sales process used at Roompact and how to build relationships with our clients, everything from our initial outreach and discovery calls; to demos and implementation. As I shifted into the marketing side of the team, I learned how to improve my marketing and design skills, and to be able to take directions for something and run with it. All in all, I am very grateful for this opportunity to work at such a cool company and grow some of my previous skills in new and different ways.
Diana Piatek
Major: Business Administration and Management
Institution: Saint Xavier University
Hometown: Orland Park, IL
Favorite Emoji: 🥳
Why did you decide to do an internship with Roompact?
I decided to choose an internship with Roompact to broaden my marketing and sales scope. By working here, I will be able to learn about a new field and get to learn from the Roompact team. However, the company’s size and culture attracted me to do my internship here. Since it is smaller in size, it gives me the opportunity to work closely with everyone on the team. Roompact also makes it a priority to ensure everyone feels appreciated and enjoys working with the company, which was something very important to me when I was looking for my internship.
What did you learn during the internship?
Through my internship, the most valuable outcome was becoming a better salesperson. Although sales usually comes with a negative connotation, Roompact has given me the opportunity to see it as the complete opposite. My experience has taught me the importance of building relationships with partners, helping them identify their challenges, and efficiently solving them. In addition, Roompact has also taught me all about ResLife, which has been a whole new venture for me. Therefore, this summer I believe that I have received an exceptional understanding of sales as a whole and got to learn more about the exciting world of residential education in the process. Plus I got to work with and learn from an amazing group of people, which always makes an experience even better.
