Intern Corner - From Financial Accounting to IT/Telecom Strategic Sourcing
When I began my internship at Source One Management Services, I was unsure what to expect. In preparation for my interviews I studied materials about procurement and strategic sourcing consulting, but I still wasn’t entirely sure what my day to day work would consist of. I knew from the interview process the majority of the work would be used through Excel and I felt confident in my abilities as a result of my previous internship experience and coursework at DePaul. Approaching my first day I felt eager to learn more about a previously unknown space.

During my first few weeks at Source One, my workload consisted of pulling invoices and data entry, and ultimately this work proved to be valuable experience in learning all of Source One’s different business offerings. It was a highly educational experience to apply what I’ve learned during my classes at DePaul one day to business decisions the next. The data collection tasks I undertook in my first few weeks provided first-hand experience in the main driver of Source One’s decision making. This experience, while mundane at first, formed an important base as I expanded my knowledge of sourcing and procurement.

As I gained a better understanding of some of the industries Source One’s clients operate in, I’ve been able to conduct supplier research. This is one of my favorite and most educational parts of interning at Source One.

I greatly valued these initial data collection tasks as they’ve exposed me to a wide variety of business segments, leading me to be placed on the Telecom/IT team. While Telecom uses the same overall Strategic Sourcing process, the content differs greatly. Working on projects in the Telecom team allowed me to expand my procurement knowledge into a previously unknown field. This came with a learning curve but as I’ve progressed I’ve been able to take on greater responsibility in these projects. I have found it incredibly valuable to stay with the same project for an extended amount of time as opposed to completing one off tasks for a variety of projects. Being able to use the information I had helped gather to reach out to suppliers, provided me with a deeper understanding of the Strategic Sourcing process. 

From my first day at Source One I felt welcomed by everyone at the Chicago office. Source One’s office culture is such that I’ve been able to work closely with everyone from Analysts to Directors on a number of projects. No one at Source One has ever been too busy to offer help in understanding the Strategic Sourcing process. A variety of social events such as the 2017 Kickoff Meeting at For the Win Chicago, reinforce a collaborative and welcoming environment. I’m now two months into my internship and couldn’t be happier with my opportunity at Source One. In this short time I’ve worked on a diverse spectrum of projects, gaining valuable experience in both consulting and strategic sourcing. I plan to continue a career in consulting after I graduate from DePaul. I hope to apply the analytical and technological skillsets I’ve developed at Source One to a variety of business problems down the line as I advance in my career. 
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