Name: Arthur Horner

Year: Sophomore

Major(s): Economics, Political Science

CFS Class: Business Field Studies

Employer: DHR International

Working at DHR International I found the work interesting and important, but I would be lying if I said I enjoyed the actual work the best. For me, the people are what is pulling me back to DHR this upcoming summer. I quickly realized how easy it is to fall into a rut in the Northwestern bubble. Exams and papers sometimes feel like the most important thing. During my CFS experience I had the privilege to meet some of the most driven, exciting, and friendly professionals I had ever met since I moved to the Chicago area. I got to connect and collaborate with all of my coworkers, and I now have valuable corporate connections I know I can tap in the future.

A little background about DHR, it is an international executive search firm that works all across the globe. The firm is split up into different teams that specialize in different industries (retail, private equity, real estate, etc). As an intern, I made a personal goal to try and work with as many different teams as possible before my opportunity expired. In doing so, I had the ability to meet tons of different associates and partners. With each search there were high levels of coordination and communication which really helped me to get a lot closer with a lot of my coworkers. I got to enjoy not only the successes with my coworkers, but I also got to learn from the mistakes. Eventually, I got to know my coworkers on a more personal level which ended up awarding me even more responsibility in my roles.

Ultimately I believe my greatest success during my internship was connecting with other associates as well as I did. I think the easiest way to develop rapport is simply conversing about topics that aren’t related to the work. I spent a lot of time trying to get to know my office neighbors outside the context of executive search. Not only was it personally gratifying, but I believe it implemented an extra layer of trust which allowed me to take on more substantial projects. Also, as I continue on my career path, I have gotten to know a couple of executive recruiters very well – which will likely be insanely helpful for my career growth in the future.