Marcel Gani Internship Program - Host Company Information

Overview | Host Information | Traditional Internship | Student-Initiated Internship | Self-Hosted Internship

Benefits of Hiring a Ross MBA Summer Intern:

A Ross MBA intern gives a start-up company the extra resources that will help it establish operations, strategize for growth, and secure funding. Over the summer, interns have full access to the valuable business information maintained by the Kresge Business Administration Library to help them succeed at their internships. Students are also assigned a reference librarian who provides assistance tailored to the specific needs of the specific internship. Whatever information that an intern needs to identify new markets, survey the competitive landscape, and uncover information that will improve current business planning, they will find it with these resources.

After a host company submits their interest form to hire an intern, the Zell Lurie Institute will provide full access to the student resume database at no charge, a service that normally costs $350. Host companies can search this database to identify the best student for the company and contact them directly for an interview. The Institute also hosts an invitation-only reception for representatives of the company to meet interested students and discuss the internship in more detail. After a student is hired, the Institute provides a 50% reimbursement (maximum of $6,600 for the entire summer) to the company to defray the cost of hiring an intern. The recommended total weekly salary for an intern is $1,100 though students and host companies may negotiate the appropriate compensation.

Host Company Requirements:

Eligible host companies must be in the early growth phase of business development, preferably with less than 50 employees and secure financial backing through outside funding or internally generated cash flow. A venture capital firm that invests in early stage companies may also serve as a host company, though students should perform work for the firm itself and not for the portfolio company.

The focus of the 12-week internship should be based on the host company's goals and identify how the student will help the company achieve those goals. The work performed by the intern should give the student a significant opportunity to contribute to the success of the host company while developing her/his entrepreneurial skill set. Internships with venture capital firms should provide the student with an investor's perspective of entrepreneurship.

Hiring process:

Fill out the internship form for a start-up company or a venture capital firm. The first part of this form asks questions about the host company's financial situation and entrepreneurial history to ensure that the company is a good partner with the Marcel Gani Internship Program. The second part of the form will be uploaded to the job database for students to review. Instead of asking for the specific job duties that students will work on, the form focuses on the near-term goals of the host company and the general work that should be performed to achieve those goals. In this manner, students will have an idea of the kinds of projects they will be responsible for but host companies are not pressured to anticipate the details of them months in advance.

Internship forms should be submitted to rachelul@umich.edu as soon as possible in order to be among the first set of companies to garner student interest. Host companies that send the forms by January 16 are automatically invited to the reception for company representatives to meet students interested in the Marcel Gani Internship Program to discuss the details of the internship without pressure to interview or hire. January 16 is also the deadline for companies to receive a guarantee of the 50% reimbursement. Interest forms are still accepted after January 16; however, those companies will be invited to the reception, space permitting, and will be granted a reimbursement on a funds-available basis.

Companies entering the process will receive more detailed information and guidance on interviewing, hiring, required documentation, deadlines, etc.

For further information, contact Rachel Ulrich at rachelul@umich.edu.