Inside the Internship | What It Takes to Be a Digital Strategy Intern at Humana
Changing careers can be daunting for MBAs — even those with the most enviable credentials. That’s why for many the internship process is a critical stage in their MBA careers. First, it plays a role in deciding if the career move is the right one, and second, it helps gain that important hands-on experience required to make the leap to a different role or industry.
Now that many first-year MBAs have settled into the timbre of classes and extracurriculars, we are taking the next few weeks to highlight members of the WeSolv platform who successfully pursued and navigated this critical part of their MBA careers with a little grit and a lot of determination. The first WeSolver in our Inside the Internship Series is Ade Adeyokunnu, UT-Austin McCombs School of Business ’19. This former public sector technology consultant spent his summer as a digital strategy intern in a completely different industry — healthcare. Learn how he got is foot in the door at Humana (even without the company recruiting at his school) and how being a member of the third-place team in WeSolv’s Salesforce Product Marketing and Competitor Analysis Case Challenge helped him navigate his internship process.
Ade, you have a unique background, both personally and professionally! Tell us more about the path that led you to pursue an MBA degree?
I was born in Nigeria and migrated to the US when I was 10. Since moving to the US, I’ve lived most of my life in the DC metro area. I obtained my Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and thereafter, obtained my Master’s Degree in Information Technology.
Prior to business school, I worked as a technology consultant in the public sector — two of the Big 4 firms. The decision to pursue an MBA stemmed from my desire to develop my business acumen and gain the necessary knowledge to run my own firm in the future.
Why did you select Humana for your internship?
I chose this program because it had the perfect mix of technology and strategy. It integrated my previous experience with a new area of expertise that I wanted to gain more exposure to. Furthermore, it’s within the healthcare industry, an industry that I’m passionate about.
Tell us more about the interview process for this role.
I started by networking with recruiters from Humana at two career fairs, as the company doesn’t recruit at UT McCombs. I then had an initial interview with one of the recruiters, followed by a video interview, where I recorded my responses to questions prompted by a software program. I was then invited to Humana’s Super Day event in Louisville, which consisted of multiple interviews with various business groups and functional areas.
Give us a brief summary of what you encountered on a typical day as Humana intern.
There really wasn’t a typical day within the digital strategy group. Most days, I would have a touch point with my group in the morning to get up to speed on the status of current projects. After the status meeting, I would follow up with any action items that stemmed from it, such as checking our acquisition dashboards to monitor the conversion rates of our marketing campaigns. Then, I would meet with our UX researcher and designer to brainstorm ideas on how to improve our rates via a retargeting campaign involving new landing pages, display ads etc. Other days included coffee chats with other interns and the leadership team including the VP, CFO and CEO of the firm.
What was the highlight of your internship experience?
The highlight of my experience has been getting to learn a lot about Medicare and the intricacies of pharmacy, such as how drugs are priced, the need for prior authorizations and many more intriguing topics. I also enjoyed getting the chance to explore the city of Louisville where I got to attend my first horse race at Churchill Downs and visit a few bourbon distilleries.
But most importantly, after this experience I’m even more motivated to pursue a career in digital strategy.
Does Humana provide any resources for employees of diverse backgrounds?
Humana has several network resource groups that focus on empowering diverse employees. I was a part of the IMPACT NRG, the African American group. As a member of this group, I had a chance to attend talks such as one given by Sheri Riley, a prominent author and motivational speaker. Her talks was very inspiring and relevant to both my career and personal life.
Your team placed third in the WeSolv Salesforce Product Marketing and Competitor Analysis Case Challenge. Did this experience play a role in helping you navigate your internship?
The Challenge was my first introduction to marketing, which was a big part of my internship role. During the Challenge, I learned how to properly conduct competitive analysis and propose strategic and tactical recommendations based on my research findings, which came in handy during my internship.
Any advice for MBAs who are interested in pursuing an internship in marketing and at Humana?
My advice would be to learn as much as possible about digital marketing and how Medicare works, as most of Humana’s customers are Medicare customers. I would also suggest staying up to date on recent healthcare news and policy changes.
Want to join Ade and other talented MBAs across the country making big career moves? Join WeSolv and gain first access to upcoming Case Challenges from companies like Salesforce and Discover! Have any questions? Leave them in the comments below!
