5 things I learned from McDonald’s Rotational Program
As a member of the Global Technology Rotational Program, Claire Contos shares just a few of her takeaways from her experience that has provided exposure to diverse parts of a tech organization.
by Claire Contos, Rotational Technology Associate
The feeling of walking into a college career fair, company booths lining the walls, is one full of excitement, intimidation, opportunity, and the beginning of a new chapter in one’s life. I was lucky enough to be standing in front of McDonald’s company booth at the Indiana University Bloomington career fair, as I readied myself to give my elevator pitch and best handshake.
Two years later, after one summer technology internship and a year into the McDonald’s Global Technology Rotational Program, I am confident to say accepting an offer from McDonald’s to work full-time post-graduation was the best decision I have made, personally and professionally, to propel myself into a successful career.
The Rotational Program is two years long and consists of three, eight-month rotations across technology departments and teams.
In my first rotation I was a Business Analyst Associate on the Global Data & Architecture team, where I facilitated global communications for McDonald’s restaurant performance yearly survey extensions for markets around the world. I also mapped web components to translation aids, so global market administrators understood web interactions.
I am currently working through my second rotation on the Marketing User Experience Accessibility Team, where some of my responsibilities include project management and identifying and communicating about critical accessibility issues with our technology to help stakeholders understand accessibility.
One of my favorite projects I have worked on is our journey to making Happy Meal toys more accessible and inclusive!
I still have another rotation to go, but I have already picked up diverse skills and lessons throughout my time in the program, and I thought I would share a few of the biggest takeaways so far.
1. Network Growth
Building a professional network early in my career has been important to me, and it is one of the major benefits of the Rotational Program. It’s afforded me the opportunity to work with three managers, in three departments, with three teams, allowing me to continue to expand my professional network. This has made a large corporate company feel smaller and more accessible.
I have had exposure to diverse parts of the tech organization that I didn’t plan to work in, like Data & Architecture, helping me better understand the business and organization, as well as challenging me to learn areas technology that I did not previously know.
As a member of a cohort, I had plenty of peers who rotated through assignments with me. My peers’ networks turned into my own, as we shared knowledge and connected with each other’s networks. In fact, this is how I was able to connect with McDonald’s Vice President of Data & Architecture, who I got to shadow and learn about a day in his work life, which was an invaluable experience!
2. Activities
Along with the benefits of having built-in work buddies through my cohort, there are a vast array of activities McDonald’s offers for professional, relationship, and career development. Once onboarded, Rotational Program associates can connect with C-suite leaders for valuable chats, giving us facetime to ask career questions while learning about the business.
The activities expand beyond Global Technology activities. McDonald’s has Employee Business Networks (EBN) forums that provide sources of mentors, role models, and opportunities for advancement, and so much more! I am on the leadership team for the Disability Inclusion Group EBN, where our mission is to create spaces of seamless representation and belonging within the McDonald’s community through the lens of the Social Model of Disability. I am also a part of the Young People’s Network, PRIDE Network, and Global Women in Technology Network.
Other activities I’ve gotten involved in include McDonald’s annual Burger Hack and the Technology Charity Golf Classic. There are also many Rotational-specific ways to connect, like the Rotational Corporate Beach Volleyball team league, group dinners, and baseball games throughout the year.
The most wonderful part is that I have come to appreciate that I always have a Rotational pal by my side when making these memories, having fun, and growing my network.
3. Driving Value
It is professionally empowering to know that at the end of my Rotational Program experience, I will have a diverse, unique set of experiences and skills, built from having a well-rounded experience in different departments and teams throughout Global Technology. At a company as vast as McDonald’s, with internal and external technology systems so intricate and complex, it is a privilege to have a program that grants individuals, like me, the convenience of trying out different roles, as well as the chance to bring a fresh perspective to projects.
After graduation, Rotational associates can leverage their new institutional and professional knowledge to help Global Technology push the limits of past ways of thinking and ways of working.
4. Adaptation
The unique part of the Rotational Program is that participants learn how to seamlessly adapt. By rotating three times into new roles, I have learned how to ask the right questions, organize my work, adapt to different team cultures, integrate into a new role quickly, work through the feeling of imposter syndrome, and document projects in ways that propel me professionally and set me up for success in the future. This is a skill that I believe can truly only be learned through switching roles every so often, which is why the Rotational Program is so special and rare.
5. Maximize the Experience
If you are interested in a project, ask how you can help. If you are interested in why something is currently done the way it is, ask the question. If you want to learn more about an individual’s role, reach out. The Rotational Program world can be your oyster if you let it. I have learned more in my time in the program than I ever imagined, and I still have some ways to go. Don’t forget to give yourself some grace while learning new skills and shifting into a new role and remember it always comes back to the humans behind the screens, email signatures, and handshakes; people are more than willing to connect if you show interest and kindness.
About the Program:
McDonald’s Global Technology Rotational Program is a two-year developmental cohort program, consisting of three eight-month rotations across the organization. It offers entry-level talent an opportunity to gain technical, business, and leadership skills. Rotationals learn and apply innovative digital capabilities and creative problem-solving and contribute directly to the continuous improvement of Global Technology’s capabilities and services.
Interested in applying to the Rotational Program? Click here.
