Overview
State Farm's corporate headquarters is located in Bloomington, Illinois, with offices in other states and countries. The Bloomington-Normal area has many high schools and is home to Illinois State University, [1] Illinois Wesleyan University, [2] and Heartland Community College. [3] State Farm offers a highly ranked internship program. In 2012, it was ranked as one of the top 5 internship programs by Forbes. [1] Students (anywhere) in their Junior and Senior year of high school, undergraduates, and graduates are all eligible to apply for the position, so long they are a full-time student and hold the required 3.2 GPA. The program not only offers students real-world work experience before graduating, sponsorships are also offered for eligible interns to apply. Being such a large company, there is a broad range of positions at State Farm, [4] students do not have to be studying (or know anything about) insurance and finance to become an intern. The Corporate and Agency internships vary based on skill, interest, adaptability, and need for assistance in day to day operations of the company.
The State Farm internship is a great resume builder and possible stepping stone to a future full-time career at the company.
What to expect
The interview is your opportunity to share your interests, skills, and knowledge of the company. This will determine the area, or department you will be in. If there is an open position for a student to demonstrate the responsibilities wanted and expected from the team, an intern at State Farm is considered an employee.
The internship begins every summer, starting in June, and concludes before school starts again in the fall. On the first day, all interns – depending on whether in high school or college and which category (Agency, Research & Development, Systems, etc.) you are in – meet with the internship coordinator’s and learn more about the internship as a whole and all that it offers. Typically, one usually does not have a clue what job they are going to have until after they meet with their assigned manager. According to an article [5] by the Pantagraph, discussing the opportunities that come having business experience at a young age, Sarah Bergman described herself as a deer in the headlights when she began her summer internship at State Farm. The first week is valuable for new interns to meet their managers, teams, navigate the huge campus at Corporate, learn their job duties, and get an idea of what the State Farm environment is like. The first day is the scariest and most confusing so it is important to ask questions; the employees know what their first days were like.
Students graduating high school (seniors) and college students have the opportunity for a co-op position which allows you to work part-time while going to school. Visit the Qualifications and Requirements section of this page to learn more about co-op.
For more information, visit the College Internship Program page on State Farm's website: https://careers.statefarm.com/internship.asp [6]
Qualifications and Requirements
- Active undergraduate or graduate
- Must be returning to school in the fall
- GPA: 3.2 or higher
- Pay: $10-20/hour (based on level of education)
Most internship positions at State Farm depend on the field one is knowledgeable and/or majoring in. For example, some internships require you to be a junior or senior in high school while others require you to be pursuing a degree. However, in some cases, students can be in their earlier years of high school or following their associates/bachelors degree and still qualify.
For students in undergraduate or graduate programs at a Junior, Community College or University can qualify for a co-op position which allows the intern to work part-time while going to school and full-time for the summer internship. The requirements are the same as for the internship, and the co-op is determined at the end of the summer internship of the first year and at the end of each semester following, based on the team's need, interns ongoing success at school, and overall performance and development. Although State Farm provides co-op, it is understood by the intern and manager that school comes first and time spent at work can change when needed. In most cases, a co-op aligns with the position had through the summer internship, but transitions to other areas are possible but vary based on need and skill.
Summer Internship
The summer internship can be considered, to an extent, as a 3-month interview. Having experience and familiarity with the work environment and expectations, some interns do not have to reapply and can continue working summers as an intern, for the duration of their college education, and then have the opportunity to be hired as a full-time internal State Farm employee.
- Begins at the beginning of June, lasts 11 weeks
- Two paid holidays - Memorial Day, 4th of July
- Local housing available with relocation assistance (varies based on intern)
- Offers social and sports activities outside of working hours
Featured Internships
IT/Systems Intern
IT, Computer Science, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, MIS, CIS Majors
Actuarial Intern
Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science Majors
State Farm Bank Business Analyst Intern
Finance, Business, Economic Crime, Legal, Criminal Justice Majors
State Farm Bank Analytical Intern
Business, Finance, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Engineering Majors
State Farm Bank Process Analyst Intern
Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Business Majors
State Farm Bank Technical Analyst Intern
Computer Science, Computer Information Systems Majors
Life/Health/Mutual Funds Intern
All Majors
Research & Development Center Intern
All Majors
Benefits
The internship offers many advantages for students;
Interns get most of the benefits that current employees have and State Farm offers many employee-centered functions: an exclusive water park with a lazy river, tennis courts, mini golf, soccer and softball fields, support channels for balancing work and home, and most importantly, they focus on the overall safety of its employees through dedicated security support. Interns can (optionally) start their retirement funds as well as acquire health and other insurance.
Over the summer, interns get to tour departments like the Emerging Technology Lab, at Corporate South, and the Research & Development Center in Champaign, Illinois, and are encouraged to job shadow areas that might be of interest. There are also and extracurricular activities and discussions that bring interns together with the Bloomginton-Normal community, State Farm employees, and fellow interns.
The internship is a great resume, skill, and opportunity builder. According to Joe Palumbo, chief claims officer and director of business development (at the time), “Right now it is tough for kids to get jobs but if they can come in and put in a year and a half of work and put it on their resume, they end up with really good jobs.”
Application Process
To apply for the internship, a student must provide a resume, an online application, and also write a one-page essay about the student's goals or thoughts on the internship program. Click the link below to learn more about the application process for a State Farm internship.
http://www.statefarm.com/about/careers/internships/howtoapply.html [7]
Sources
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/05/08/the-best-internships-for-2012/ [4]
https://careers.statefarm.com/internship.asp [6]
http://www.statefarm.com/about/careers/internships/howtoapply.html [7]
