Domtar Corporation
07/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/25/2024 08:11
Alex Johnson: A Domtar Internship Opened Doors for My Future
As we celebrate National Intern Day this week, we thought it would be interesting to follow up with one of last summer's interns to see how having a Domtar internship opened doors for a career with us.
Alex Johnson was one of three interns who shared their perspectives on the paper industry last summer. He has since graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in business administration and a minor in sales, and this month he started work at our Fort Mill corporate office as an inside sales account manager - the same focus area he had during his Domtar internship.
We recently spoke with Alex about his path since last summer and his reflections on the opportunities created through an internship with Domtar.
How does it feel to start work after graduating from college?
It's a weight off my shoulders to have a job, and not only that, but also to have one before summer is over. I know a lot of people my age are still looking for work after graduation, but I'm already settling into my new job, and that's a great feeling.
I also know from my Domtar internship that the company likes to hire from within, so I already feel like I have a future and a path forward here.
How did your Domtar internship set you up for success after graduation?
I had a great experience as an intern. I had some job experience before, of course, but it wasn't a corporate experience. In that sense, working for Domtar last summer was my first big job. Every company goes about things differently, but I really liked what I saw here.
During my Domtar internship, I had the opportunity to work on a project with meaning. I wasn't just running and getting coffee or grabbing things from the printer, like you see in the movies. They gave me a real project with a firm due date and an opportunity to present, not just to my team but also to other people in the organization. It was real work that had purpose and was something I could talk about as I finished school and in the future. I remember thinking if I could accomplish something like that in a short three months, what would I be able to do if I were here full time?
I met so many people and really felt like I had already started something, and now I can expand on that. My Domtar internship really opened the door for me to come back after graduation and apply with confidence.
What lessons did you learn during your Domtar internship that you can carry forward into your new job?
I studied business administration with a focus on entrepreneurship and business consulting. I also had a sales minor. So, working as an inside sales intern made sense with my minor. But what I didn't realize is that you learn a lot about consulting when you're working on inside sales.
There are hundreds, even thousands, of ways to solve a problem. As long as you get to the correct solution, you can find your own way of going about it. Sales may seem like a black-and-white field, but it's really not. You can face various problems or situations in any given day, and you have to figure out how to address them.
That's a lot like consulting, so the internship and now this job is giving me real, practical experience to hone my consulting skills while also navigating the inside sales world and learning what it takes to succeed there.
What are you most excited about as you start your new career with Domtar?
I feel like I was able to do well as an intern, but I had only short time to experience what it's like to work in inside sales. Now, I don't have the same limitations I did last summer, and I'm also coming into the job with some training and day-to-day experience under my belt. I still have so much to learn, of course, but I've had a taste of how things can be here, and I can't wait to see how much I farther I can go.