Our Philosophy
Intern Program Guiding Principles
A number of years ago, we decided to start a summer intern program at our firm. In order for this to be a meaningful endeavor for us and our interns, we established five guiding principles that have served us well over the years.
They are as follows:
Deliver An On-Boarding Meeting
This ensures that everyone starts on the same page and that our interns understand our organizational purpose of challenging organizations to discover who they are, understand what business they are actually in, and confidentially articulate their why. This effort really seems to pay off as the summer progresses.
Provide Real Work Assignments
Providing real work is the most important principle of our program because it gives interns a true sense of what a job is going to be like once they graduate from college. That’s why we call our intern program Your Thoughts Count.
Encourage Client Interaction
The real work mentioned in point number one often entails client interaction. Our interns almost always have the opportunity to showcase their work in front of our clients. They are sometimes nervous prior to and during these presentations, but the confidence they gain during these exchanges is unbelievably valuable for them going forward.
Facilitate Team Interaction
Our interns hit the ground running from the very beginning. They are included, and encouraged, to participate in all internal team meetings, as well as those client meetings where their involvement is on-going.
Deliver Feedback
Our official feedback process is called Hang Time. We aim to give our interns ongoing encouragement and feedback along the way, and we also conduct Hang Time with them at the end of the summer. We focus on two important questions: let’s discuss your areas of greatness, and let’s discuss areas, that if worked on, would make you even more spectacular.
Investigation
Visualization
Realization
Collaboration
Quotes from Our Awesome Interns
How would you describe what it is like to intern at NextLevel Thinking?
“It feels like a work family. I enjoy the size of our team, and it allows us to develop relationships with one another. The relational foundation of our firm facilitates open and effective communication. We engage with each other honestly, whether that be through constructive feedback or rejoicing in each other’s achievements. It always feels genuine.”
“It’s like joining a family where everyone loves marketing just as much as you do! The NLT team constantly works to bring their clients to the “Next Level,” so it motivated me to think at the next level too.”
“I would describe working at NextLevel Thinking as a goal-oriented job. Client success is always their top priority. The amount of thought and hard work that goes into everything they do for their clients shows how they work intentionally and with 100% effort. I think that working with NLT has taught me how important it is to not only just get work done, but to really understand the client and listen to their needs.”
“NLT provides unique experiences that aren’t typically offered in standard internships. This includes participating in leadership discussions with clients, handling significant tasks, and playing a role in crucial decision-making processes.”
