Taylor B.

Campus Recruiting Program Manager

It's National Intern Day! Today celebrates interns’ invaluable contributions to the workforce and recognizes the world’s future leaders. 

My work includes managing our global programs for early career professionals and those returning to the workforce. This gives me many opportunities to engage with emerging professionals regularly, and to help them develop their career paths. Their refreshing energy and perspectives keep me energized!

Interns motivate all of us by challenging us to think from fresh perspectives. They’re on a mission to accomplish ambitious goals, and as they navigate new spaces, they push us to join their quests. This keeps us sharp and ever evolving. 

At Toast, we run the gamut – we have internships, co-ops, returnships, externships, and an MBA/JD program! Collectively, they are shaping their careers while helping grow Toast in every facet of our business.

We also have interns continuing to shape their careers and Toast, years after their internship, by returning as a full-time employee. When Sam L. came to Toast in 2018, they joined us as a co-op, and in 2020, they returned as a full time Toaster! Today, they’re a Marketing Operations Manager on our Demand Generation team.

“In a previous life I wanted to be a restaurateur but ultimately put that dream down for sake of stability,” they said. “But being able to directly support that industry, to support my could’ve-been self, is a fulfilling opportunity. And doesn’t hurt that some of the best people I’ve ever worked with are all here with me.”

A breakdown of the career-shaping opportunities at Toast:

Internships are 10-12 weeks of summer work experience for students looking into the industry.

Co-ops are semester-long internships that are attached to students’ academic careers that last four to six months.

Returnships are 16-week internships for those who have been out of the job market for at least 2 years, typically due to caretaking responsibilities, and have at least 5 years of relevant industry experience.

Externships are temporary job training programs that allow students to experience the workplace through shadowing or volunteering for a short amount of time.

MBA/JD internships are for students currently enrolled in an MBA program.

The Toast Intern Experience

The student experience isn’t solely focused around the traditional work students and returnees are doing. They also attend customer panels, go out into the field to Toast restaurants, and participate in professional development and social activities.

Before the pandemic, those based in Boston would have more in-person experiences, like going to a Red Sox game or bowling, but now in a heavily remote environment, we’ve switched gears to hosting virtual experiences throughout our programs. This is a great way to bond with fellow interns and have fun!

Growing the Team

The goal ultimately is to give these students and early career professionals the opportunity to learn more about the industry, explore career paths, and determine where they see their careers developing. In order to do that, we have to continue to be creative and innovative, and give early career individuals hands-on experiences.

“I remember feeling like a trusted member of the team because I was handed some meaty projects,” Sam said. “I wasn’t showing up and standing in front of the copy machine and stapler all day. I was brought in to metric reviews and brainstorming sessions and actively asked for my input.”

Here are five ways you can help your current – or future – intern thrive at Toast.

1. Remind yourself that they are an intern/co-op -- while we want to provide them impactful projects and opportunities, they will need clear guidance and support throughout
2. Encourage curiosity and question-asking
3. Help them network with members of the team and other Toasters
4. Encourage them to take part in different programs across the business to enrich their experience 
5. Be thoughtful and prepared
   
   

Check out this advice from former interns to current interns:

Eva B., Software Engineer

"I decided to come back because I truly had the best experience at Toast. The company, the people, and their values are unmatched by any other working experience I've had. It is a very collaborative and encouraging community that I was eager to come back to. My best advice to future interns would be to fully immerse yourself in the experience. Attend all the events, participate in meetings and ask lots of questions!"

Samantha V., Senior Project Specialist, Total Rewards 

"I would tell future Toast interns to think big and find out what type of work makes you happy to get out of bed in the morning. Once you figure that out, you can work with our fabulous talent acquisition team to try to find your dream job right here at Toast."

Maegan W., Software Engineer II

"Of all my internship experiences, Toast made me feel the most valued to the team. I was fully integrated into day-to-day work and at no point felt unsupported by my immediate coworkers. My advice to future Toast interns would be to not hesitate to ask all sorts of questions about what you're working on, what other people are working on, everything - the sky is the limit! Learn as much as you can while you're here and meet as many people as you can!"

 

Do you know a student who is a Toaster in-the-baking? Check out our careers site for open positions this fall!