Internship Spotlight: Maithili Shah, Honeywell Houston, TX

Maithili Shah BSBA ‘24 (Finance) was a Future Finance Leaders Intern at Honeywell in Houston, Texas.

What was the process for getting this internship, job, or summer experience? 

I went to the Eller Career Expo and gave Honeywell my Resume and told them that I had done an externship with them in my freshman year. A few days later they scheduled an on campus interview with me at Eller. I felt pretty confident about the interview and was soon called for a second round interview. Both interviews went really well and a few days later I got a call from the FFL Program Manager and she told me I was chosen for the Internship. The trick to doing well in the interviews is being yourself, applying everything you've done in classes, past internships and group projects to the behavioral questions and being enthusiastic about the job position. 

What was a typical day like?

I worked in Honeywell's Performance Materials Division in Houston, Texas. I was part of the Business Analysis and Planning team and would usually need to report to work at 8am 3 days a week. I would start my day with a morning meeting with my team to discuss what  we have planned for the week. I would then check my emails and reply to any messages I received. Following that, I set up a meeting with my manager to discuss my projects and the progress I've made in the models I was building. I would then take a lunch break with all the interns and then spend the rest of the day working on my summer projects. I usually left the office at around 4-4:30pm.

What was your favorite part of the experience?

My favorite part of the experience in Honeywell and as part of the Future Finance Leaders Program was the amount of exposure I got to leaders and upper management. I had the opportunity of networking with so many people from the company and learning about the work and different opportunities that the company has to offer. I also enjoyed working on projects and building revenue models that would help the company make better forecasting decisions for the future.  

What did you find most challenging?

Honeywell is a very big firm. It can be challenging to work in a conglomerate with so many different divisions and sub divisions along with memorizing acronyms for almost everything. It is also a fast paced work environment and requires a lot of hard work, dedication and diligence.

What advice do you have for other students looking for a similar experience, or advice for future students to be successful? 

The advice I have for students looking for a similar experience is to find part time jobs related to your field. I work as an accounting assistant on campus and that really helped me gain experience that I could talk about in interviews along with class projects and volunteering opportunities I did through the years. Being involved on campus is important to facilitate a good network of people to help you in building your career. Working with your career coach is also very crucial in creating a good resume and cover letter for jobs.