Applying for internships can be a stressful process, especially as the pressure increases for college upperclassmen to determine their plans for life after graduation. Not only are students looking for internships that provide hands-on learning opportunities, but they are also hoping to find a program that fosters their own professional development as they evaluate what to pursue in their first job.
Many large companies have well established internship programs that act as a pipeline for their early career talent. If you are looking for a purpose-driven company that provides interns with real-world experience, look no further.
Elevance Health is a health company dedicated to improving lives and communities – and making healthcare simpler. Previously known as Anthem, Inc., Elevance Health is utilized by 1 out of every 8 Americans. The company has over 100,000 employees, 71% of which are women and 44% are minorities. Elevance Health was recently featured on the Forbes Best Employers for New Graduates List. This year’s WayUp’s Intern List received over 400 nominations and recognized the top 100 interns. Two Elevance Health interns, Aashish Balani (Business Analyst Intern) and Katelyn Mueller (Documentation Analyst Intern), made the top 100 intern list.
Recently, WayUp spoke with four former (and some still current) interns who shared about their internship experience. In our conversations, we learned about Elevance’s inclusive and welcoming culture, the meaningful projects and real work experience gained, and the mentorship opportunities as a part of the program.
First, it was obvious from our conversations how much the interns genuinely loved their time working at Elevance Health. Not only were they eager to share about their experience, but they also spoke about how grateful they were for the real work opportunities, which helped them determine more of what to pursue in a career. As one of the greatest indicators of the value of an internship, many acknowledged how they would love an opportunity to join the organization full-time after graduation.
A few key takeaways were the value of mentorship as a part of the program and how that helped interns grow professionally and personally. The strong company culture and mentorship equipped them with skills and resources to become hopeful about their own career opportunities and trajectories. Beyond the program itself, interns spoke about the intrinsic value of the work and how the mission aligns with their desire to develop initiatives to help communities.
Q: What did you like most about working at Elevance Health?
As mentioned previously, Elevance Health provides hands-on learning opportunities to interns as a part of the internship. Whether it was reaching out to providers for data collection or checking for data accuracy and inconsistencies, Allie worked to support the Provider Relations department. Additionally, the Solutions Analytics department incorporated Chris’ interests in automation technology to support larger company goals to ensure Elevance is on the front-end of AI.
In any given summer, there are 200+ interns working at Elevance Health in offices across the country. Notably, Elevance has a regional presence in all 50 states. The projects the interns worked on throughout the summer varied based upon region needs and department initiatives, but each project was meaningful and applicable to the day-to-day functioning of the organization.
Q: What was your favorite project? What kind of work did you do?
The work itself is integral to any internship program, but the company culture has a significant impact as well, especially as it relates to the interns’ overall experience. It is one thing for a company to say it has a strong culture and it is another to live it out. The former interns at Elevance shared how obvious it was that Elevance really cares for their employees – not just as a buzzword but in how it lives out its company values.
The culture was described as inclusive, welcoming, and a team atmosphere. From sharing constructive criticism and feedback to offering certifications and learning, Elevance invests in the ongoing improvement of their employees. Interns described the warmth of relationships and how colleagues would ask about their projects and offer support for anything they were working on during the internship.
Q: How would you describe the company’s culture?
After reading their experiences, you may be thinking, “I want to work there!” We also spoke with the former interns to understand their own interview process and what helped them stand out. Networking, self-confidence, and passion were the greatest recommendations for landing the internship.
One former intern shared about their own goals and how they could bring diverse ideas into a space. Their interests aligned with Elevance’s mission, which helped fuel a sense of mutual purpose into the internship experience. Others mentioned taking advantage of all the professional opportunities and networking engagements throughout the internship. For some, they were even offered to extend their internship past the summer and are still working there today.
Beyond the strong company culture, a theme that emerged from the interns was how much they felt supported and valued even as interns. The internship program hosts an Intern Summit where interns from all over the country travel to meet and network with other interns and professionals. A few of the former interns highlighted that trip as a memorable experience to meet with the recruiting team, executives, and engage with others in the office. Not many companies offer an experience like that for their interns.
Elevance Health offers a rich experience for interns across a variety of practices and departments. If you’re wondering how to apply, you can learn more about Elevance Health’s internship program and work opportunities on their WayUp profile!