The WHR Intern Experience: Part Two

by | Oct 9, 2018 | News

Editor’s Note: We asked two of our 2018 summer interns, Alexis Harris and Joe Plantier, to write about their experience and work at WHR Group.

After interning at WHR Group Inc. this past summer, I can certainly see why this company is considered a leading employee relocation company and has been voted a Top Workplace in Milwaukee for five consecutive years. The paternalistic culture provided by WHR has surely impacted me in my short time there.

First Couple Days

Looking back at my first day at WHR, I had very little idea what employee relocation means. After a thorough week of training, starting from the ground up, I now have a much greater understanding of the global mobility world.

The training consisted of a few pieces:

1. The Employee Handbook

The first piece was going through the employee handbook with our Human Resource Manager, Janessa Penneau. I felt this training was necessary and extremely helpful because it provided insight on how WHR became the extremely successful company it is today. In addition, by learning more about the background of WHR, I was able to connect with the core values on both a personal and professional level.

2. “Relo 101”

The second major piece of training was called “Relo 101.” This training is set up to give new staff members a rundown of the processes regarding employee relocation. Relocation is a very complex process, so this was a lot to take in all at once. However, Sean Erner, the Inside Sales Supervisor, did a great job turning complex terms into simple concepts for the new hires, including myself. “Relo 101” touched on a variety of topics within the relocation process, some topics that were covered included inspections, listings, appraisals, buyouts, household good services, and much more.

The SHRM Conference

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) annually hosts the largest human resources conference in the United States, with upwards of 16,000 people attending the latest conference at McCormick Place in Chicago. WHR’s sales team was amongst the exhibitors and they did a great job establishing connections and creating relationships over the course of the conference. They were able to bring back hundreds of new leads for myself and the other summer intern, Alexis Harris, to pursue over the next few weeks.

Alexis and I developed two unique campaigns to follow-up with the new leads from SHRM. Instead of using the classic sales technique of emailing each lead, we chose to make our first contact using personalized video messaging. The video software we used specializes in short videos that are meant to stand out as a new way to follow-up with leads on a more personal level. With the increase in automation, less companies are choosing to use truly personalized messaging, which is a shame because the response rate we received on these videos was truly astonishing. The leads who were sent these personalized videos seemed to really appreciate the classic style of face to face communication.

The next form of communication we tried was a calling campaign where we reached out to the leads over the phone. This campaign was very successful right off the bat. WHR is unique because we have programs specifically designed for companies of all sizes.

The last form of communication we used to follow-up with leads from the SHRM conference was in an email campaign. Alexis and I spent a few days developing an enticing series of emails with the goal of booking a meeting. We created a total of seven emails that were sent out over the course of a few weeks.

Moving Forward

I feel I’ve taken full advantage of all the opportunities that WHR has provided me. WHR has also done a great job with providing the necessary information/instruction that has allowed me to grow as an individual and as a professional in the workplace.

I would recommend this internship to any college student seeking summer employment!

Joe Plantier

Joe Plantier

Business Analyst Intern

Joe interned with WHR Group during the summer of 2018. He is currently pursuing a degree in Finance at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and expects to graduate in 2020.

Join our team today

The WHR Intern Experience: Part One

by | Oct 2, 2018 | News

Editor’s Note: We asked two of our 2018 summer interns, Alexis Harris and Joe Plantier, to write about their experience and work at WHR Group. Read Part Two by Joe Plantier here.

My name is Alexis Harris and I’m going into my senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. I am double majoring in Marketing and Journalism, as well as Advertising and Media Studies, with an emphasis in Public Relations and Advertising. I will also obtain a certificate in International Business.

I became an Intern at WHR Group Inc. (WHR) to explore the sales industry, as well as to learn more about the niche market of employee relocation. Prior to my internship at WHR, my professional experiences were within the public relations, promotion, sponsorship, and customer service industries.

WHR has provided me with the sales experience that I will carry with me throughout my professional career. Seeing as the sales industry was so new to me, I really didn’t know what to expect.

The First Few Weeks

During the first few weeks at WHR, I began to learn the ins and outs of employee relocation, while also getting to know the Sales and Marketing Team. It was interesting to learn more about the employee relocation process.

I also loved learning about the Sales and Marketing Team, such as their education backgrounds and professional careers. Personally, it’s always beneficial when people are willing to share their professional journeys with me. During this time, a lot of information was thrown my way. Although the internship was sales focused, I was also able to assist marketing with various projects (like this blog post).

Our Project

While assisting the Sales and Marketing Team in their day-to-day activities, the interns were also tasked with creating a campaign from start to finish. The campaign was to coincide with the SHRM Conference, which was held in Chicago earlier this year. Once our Business Development Team returned from the conference, the interns divvied the potential leads and compiled our book of business. This campaign included video messages, calls, emails, and booking meetings. The entire process took about three weeks to complete.

Along with the SHRM campaign, I was able to help with WHR’s benchmark study and responses to RFPs. The remainder of my time at WHR will be focused on generating business with the continued use of video messages.

What’s to Come

The opportunities that I’ve experienced have been incredibly influential to my professional development. The skills and knowledge that I’ve received have helped me expand my career search and opportunities after graduation.

Aside from the professional aspect that WHR has provided, the company culture is unlike any other company I’ve worked for. Sometimes when working in large corporations/companies, you feel like just a number, or do I dare say, an average intern? But WHR has assured me that my contributions are valuable, and not just busy work. Each task that was assigned to me always had a purpose.

Another great thing about this team is that they care about my internship experience. They encourage questions, suggestions, and have been a genuine asset during my learning experience.

In short, the word “community” has an entirely different meaning at WHR Group.

Stay tuned for Part Two! Joe Plantier will share his WHR Group internship experience next week!

Alexis Harris

Alexis Harris

Business Analyst Intern

Alexis interned with WHR Group during the summer of 2018. She is now in her senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and will be graduating in May of 2019 with a double major in Marketing and Journalism, and Advertising and Media Studies.

Join our team today