“Schwan’s Interns You Need to Know” is a new series of stories featuring some of the interns who help make Schwan’s Company and its subsidiaries a great place to work.
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| Cassidy Corrigan joined our team in Salina, Kansas, for a summer internship. |
Corrigan steps onto the manufacturing floor to gain real-work experience before graduation
Aug. 8, 2018 — Looking for experience in a fast-paced, large manufacturing facility, Cassidy Corrigan sought to join Schwan’s summer internship program as an associate production supervisor with SFC Global Supply Chain, Inc.
She secured the position; while here, she says she is gaining valuable experience that will help her in her career — no matter the size of the facility.
“I started out very overwhelmed at how big the facility was and the amount of people that worked there, but it forced me to step out of my comfort zone and do things I had never done before, which has ultimately helped me to develop as a person,” Cassidy said. “I also wanted an internship that would put some of my leadership skills to practice, and after going through the interview process, I knew that this would be a good fit for me.”
Cassidy is a senior at Kansas State University and one of several members of this summer’s intern class.
During her time with Schwan’s, Cassidy spent most of her days out on the production floor interacting with line employees to ensure quality of products manufactured at our pizza facility in Salina, Kansas.
Cassidy recently took some time to tell us about herself and her work at Schwan’s:
Q: Tell us something about you that most people would not know.
A: I am graduating college with a bachelor’s degree in just two-and-a-half years after graduating high school.
Q: What have you learned so far this summer?
A: So far, I have learned just how important it is to have a good relationship with your teammates. As a supervisor, you are the leader of 40 to 60 people on a daily basis. Establishing trust and a relationship in a way that still allows you to have order in your area can be challenging.
I am also learning how important it is to pay close attention to what you are working on. If your production line happens to bring out the wrong ingredient for the slightest moment, it will cause you to discard all of the wrong product. The smallest mistakes can be costly ones.
Q: What do you like best about your work?
A: The thing I like best about my work at Schwan’s is the fast-paced work environment. There is something new going on every day, and learning to adapt to whatever situation is present, has been critical.
Q: What are your thoughts on our culture?
A: From my experiences this summer, the culture at Schwan’s is really engrained in each thing we do every day. A lot of steps are being taken to ensure that culture is No. 1. I was impressed at how active the supervisors and upper management teams were to really take action and make changes to issues at hand. Overall, the culture at Schwan’s is really good.
Q: What would you tell a friend considering an internship at Schwan’s?
A: I would encourage a friend to pursue the opportunity. At first, it seemed really overwhelming trying to learn everything, but in the end, I feel like I have been exposed to such a big facility and there are so many other opportunities that I can explore.
Q: What is your greatest take away from your internship?
A: I’ve learned how to develop good relationships among a team. It’s important that you have these relationships established on a line to ensure that things will run as smoothly as possible. Healthy work relationships also help retain good staff.
Q: How do you think your internship will impact your future career?
A: My internship will definitely help me in my future career. I have learned so much over the course of the summer that will stay with me wherever I end up. It will also be helpful to go back to school in the fall and have this internship under my belt. I will be able to apply what I learned this summer to my future studies.
As for a full-time job, I have been exposed to positives and challenging situations this summer. I will take those experiences with me and grow from them to develop professionally.
Q: What do you hope to do after you graduate?
A: After graduation, I don’t have any definite plans at this point. I would like to get a job in a manufacturing/supply chain facility that is a fast-paced environment.
Right now, I am in the process of starting my own little online business on the side. So between school and a full-time job I am excited to see where my future will take me.
