It’s awards season here at Handshake, and every year, we look forward to announcing the winners of the Handshake Early Talent Awards (or ETAs for short)—considered the creme de la creme of employers for students and grads to launch meaningful careers. But don’t take our word for it! Ahead, you’ll hear from real Handshake users who’ve worked for some of the employers on the winning roster.
Their experiences highlight exactly why these employers have been awarded our highest honor—in some cases, two years in a row—and will make you want to submit your application ASAP. And don’t worry, we’ve got you there: here’s where you can follow this year’s winners on Handshake to get notified when they post new jobs and internship opportunities or will be attending an event at your school!
So, what do students and recent grads love about working for ETA winners?
Flexibility
For many students, finding an employer who will respect your academic schedule is top priority. Many students who’ve worked for our 2022 ETA winners mentioned flexible scheduling as a perk they enjoyed about their employer.
“Initially, I was drawn in by the prospect of remote work and the nice pay that iD Tech offers, as well as the flexibility in scheduling. The recruitment process was pretty simple! It’s a fun job that makes use of skills that I am proud of. The pay is good, and the flexibility makes it a great job to do while in school.”
Bailey, Online Instructor at iD Tech
Money
Employees of ETA winners also consistently note pay rate as a major plus. Being paid — and paid well! — during internships is a huge plus that Handshake jobseekers cite as a major motivating factor for applying to our roster of winners. Want to find a paid internship of your own? Check out these tips and be sure to keep an eye on the full list of winners for new opportunities that you’re qualified for!
“I enjoyed the work but enjoyed working with the team and participating in the internship program even more. The pay was good and equivalent to full time hourly wages.”
Andrew, former intern at EY
Learning and development
Internships are always meant to help you learn and grow, but some organizations are especially great about helping develop their interns and new hires. Many reviewers spoke about the important exposure and training opportunities they received from ETA winners.
“Super fun and very intriguing. [The company] gives you a very good sense of agile methodologies, as well as startup culture. Lots of room for promotion or lateral mobility. Really helped with my public speaking and we did lots of presentations and projects with our schools in mind.”
Tiffany, former intern at humanID
Mentorship
Mentors are a meaningful way to find guidance, inspiration, and support throughout your career. Identifying employers who prioritize mentorship opportunities for their interns and entry-level hires can be one of the simplest ways to connect with a more experienced person to serve as a mentor in your own life; just ask these students!
“I just kept coming back every time because of the people… I met my mentor when he was my manager at GE.”
Dremere, three-time GE Aviation intern
Industry insight
Internships in movies get a bad rap, often showcasing new professionals who are relegated to performing coffee runs and office busywork while getting limited insight into the career field. Our list of ETA winners look nothing like that! Past interns credit these employers with exposing entry-level hires to the ins and outs of their chosen industry, organization, and path.
“It's a great opportunity to enter the cybersecurity/information security world. The internship lets you shadow a few different positions in the company to give you an overview of the reactive and proactive sides of security.”
Khang, former Cyber Summer Associate at Aon
Fulfilling work
There’s nothing better than a job that doesn’t really feel like a job, and we heard from several students that their internships with these ETA winners was challenging, fun, and fulfilling. A winning combination!
“My experience as a Summer Analyst with Accenture was nothing short of amazing. The 10-week program was packed with so many activities and I was able to learn so much from amazing people across the company. The exposure I have been able to get as an intern has been so fulfilling. Interns had the opportunity to not only work with people across Canada and the US, but to also rotate in different lines of business and get a feel of what my peers were doing.”
Amira, former Summer Analyst and incoming staffer at Accenture
Company culture
Pay and hours only go so far without a great company culture! That’s why so many of our reviewers focused on the culture they observed while interning for these ETA-winning companies; a company’s culture speaks volumes about how the organization will treat its employees.
“Deloitte is just really a really diverse and accepting place. Through the whole recruitment process, I think they really embodied that personal touch to embrace diversity, whether it’s race, gender, sexuality, religion; they've just been super nice. I didn't feel like there were any barriers between people, whether you're a partner or you're a senior manager or an intern… it doesn’t really matter, everyone's cool and interacting with each other. You wouldn't be able to tell what position they hold; you might talk to someone and be surprised!”
Anson, Audit Intern at Deloitte
Full-time offer potential
Let’s be real: most interns are gunning for an offer to come back full-time after graduation! Many of our ETA winners have an excellent track record with handing out full-time offers to interns who perform well during their program.
“Crowe has treated me extremely well. My first internship was completely virtual during the summer of 2020. They went above and beyond, on short notice, to make our experience still valuable. Since our intern group lost out on a 'normal' internship opportunity, they immediately offered each of those summer interns an additional internship, or a job offer. I was offered a job, and I happily accepted. Crowe has continued to impress me throughout the additional internship I did while finishing school and I look forward to starting my career there in the summer of this year.”
MaKayleigh, former Tax Intern and incoming staffer at Crowe
Now that you've gotten a taste for why employers like these have won ETAs, go check out more on the list and give them a follow from your Handshake profile. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and TikTok for glimpses into top employers on Handshake, cool job alerts, and more!
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash