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What does a business internship do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Vandana Rao Ph.D.
What does a business internship do

In a business internship, the responsibilities will vary by the directives given by the supervising staff. However, one of the primary duties as an intern is to perform support-related tasks for the department or office where they are assigned. An intern may participate in marketing research and analysis, devising sales strategies, producing progress reports and presentations, and even handling social media accounts for public relations, all while under the supervision of a more experienced colleague.

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Business internship responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real business internship resumes:

  • Manage BDC department and handle all inbound and outbound traffic from phone and internet leads.
  • Develop multiple macros in VBA to automate processes that allow reports to run more efficiently.
  • Manage a handful of the company's YouTube accounts in regards to judging if copyright infringement have been compromise.
  • Develop a database tool with VBA and SQL to automate the importing, archiving, and storing of client data.
  • Assist business clients with managing their wireless accounts; troubleshoot wireless devices and offer effective solutions to enhance their business.
  • Create dashboards in Salesforce and manage all relate documentation
  • Develop and implement process improvements to streamline payroll preparation, processing, and management.
  • Conduct market analysis and monitor competitive activities with CRM (customer relationship management) system.
  • Assist in start-up and implementation, business development and marketing for healthcare staffing business venture.
  • Maintain SalesForce customer relationship manager (CRM) by updating relevant contact information and interaction logs.
  • Maintain heavy communications with patients, referring physician and other faculty and staff regarding patient care and administrative responsibilities.
  • Used JIRA tool for reporting and tracking bugs.
  • Advise clients on private and public securities transactions.
  • Develop company social media accounts (Facebook and LinkedIn).
  • Used python to calculate and visualize the moving average of stock prices.

Business internship skills and personality traits

We calculated that 8% of Business Interns are proficient in Customer Service, Power Bi, and Visualization. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Business Interns that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Customer Service, 8%

    Team TrainerExtensive Customer Service OperationsTeam Coordination

  • Power Bi, 7%

    Collaborated with a team of 2 to develop custom reports using Microsoft Power BI for the billing and sales team.

  • Visualization, 7%

    Worked with business stakeholder to gathered business requirements of marketing research activities for data integration & visualization.

  • Data Analysis, 6%

    Conducted market data analysis to help explore feasibility of the client's business proposal for the establishment of an educational institution.

  • Project Management, 5%

    Supported all phases of project to upgrade an agency-wide asset management software system using modified agile project management principles.

  • Business Operations, 5%

    Represented Business Operations in game development team discussions with publishing teams to manage the planning and execution of operations.

Common skills that a business internship uses to do their job include "customer service," "power bi," and "visualization." You can find details on the most important business internship responsibilities below.

Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a business internship to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what business interns do because "management analysts must be able to interpret information and use their findings to make proposals." Additionally, a business internship resume shows how business interns use analytical skills: "created data visualization reports regarding warehouse usage; empowered management to make informed and cost appropriate decisions about construction viability. "

Communication skills. Many business internship duties rely on communication skills. "management analysts must be able to convey information clearly in both writing and speaking," so a business internship will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways business internship responsibilities rely on communication skills: "managed data entry and distributed communication materials to prospective students. "

Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of business interns is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday business internship duties, as "management analysts work with managers and other employees of the organizations for which they provide consulting services." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "applied my cashiering, customer service, organization, and interpersonal skills. "

Problem-solving skills. business internship responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "management analysts must be able to think creatively to solve clients’ problems." This resume example shows what business interns do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "performed financial analysis of all the major firms in the middle east to market our erp solution. "

Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in business internship job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what business interns do. Business internship responsibilities rely on this skill because "management analysts often work under tight deadlines and must use their time efficiently to complete projects on schedule." You can also see how business internship duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "applied dynamic strategic planning, prioritization, and project management skills toward consistently achieving critical deadlines while maintaining high quality standards. "

See the full list of business internship skills

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Compare different business interns

Business internship vs. Summer analyst

Summer analysts are people who undertake an internship within a banking institution. These professionals perform analyses of detailed financial and corporate information. They establish statistical exhibits analyzing comparative financial performance. It is their responsibility to create models illustrating projected financial results, which is of great value to the companies. The skills necessary for this job include knowledge of financial statements, equity, portfolio companies, and financial models. They should also develop due diligence, strong communication, asset allocation knowledge, and attention to detail.

We looked at the average business internship salary and compared it with the wages of a summer analyst. Generally speaking, summer analysts are paid $31,555 higher than business interns per year.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both business internship and summer analyst positions are skilled in data analysis, first hand, and python.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between business interns and summer analyst. For instance, business internship responsibilities require skills such as "customer service," "power bi," "visualization," and "project management." Whereas a summer analyst is skilled in "capital markets," "risk management," "reconciliations," and "java." This is part of what separates the two careers.

The education levels that summer analysts earn slightly differ from business interns. In particular, summer analysts are 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a business internship. Additionally, they're 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Business internship vs. Market analyst internship

When it comes to a marketing analyst internship, an intern primarily follows a senior or a more experienced officer's directives. Most of their tasks will revolve around processing paperwork, maintaining records and databases, participating in research and analyses, and assisting senior analysts in various projects. There are also instances where they can attend meetings, participate in social media handling, and even share marketing insights. Furthermore, as an intern, it is essential to learn and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.

A career as a market analyst internship brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a business internship. In fact, market analyst interns salary is $28,194 higher than the salary of business interns per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Business interns and market analyst interns both require similar skills like "data analysis," "project management," and "data entry" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real business internship resumes. While business internship responsibilities can utilize skills like "customer service," "power bi," "visualization," and "business operations," market analyst interns use skills like "powerpoint," "capital markets," "data collection," and "market intelligence."

Average education levels between the two professions vary. Market analyst interns tend to reach similar levels of education than business interns. In fact, they're 3.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for business internships in the next 3-5 years?

Dr. Vandana Rao Ph.D.Dr. Vandana Rao Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor of Business Management, Chair, Marymount Manhattan College

Software related to operations management, big data analysis for planning and forecasting, software for virtual collaboration -- all of these will be in high demand. There will be rapid development of more sophisticated tools - and all professionals will need to keep pace with the latest in tech.

Business internship vs. Wealth management internship

In a wealth management internship, an intern's duties depend on the directives of a supervising manager or staff. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around gaining industry insights while performing support tasks for the team, such as preparing and processing documents, answering calls and correspondence, organizing and disseminating files, and running errands as needed. They may also perform market research, assist in risk assessment procedures, and participate in developing management strategies. Furthermore, as an intern, it is essential to familiarize and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.

An average wealth management internship eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of business interns. The difference in salaries amounts to wealth management interns earning a $52,100 higher average salary than business interns.business interns and wealth management interns both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "financial statements," "market research," and "business development," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from business internship resumes include skills like "customer service," "power bi," "visualization," and "data analysis," whereas a wealth management internship is more likely to list skills in "client portfolios," "financial services," "equity research," and "morningstar. "

Most wealth management interns achieve a similar degree level compared to business interns. For example, they're 2.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Business internship vs. Business advisor

Business Advisors are consultants responsible for implementing business strategies to improve financial and operational efficiency. They are involved in preparing financial budgets, recommending a change in the operational process, identifying new business opportunities, evaluating a marketing strategy, and reviewing supplier and labor contracts. Business advisors also help to manage risk by performing risk analysis and consumer behavioral analysis. They are involved in report preparation and work to maintain open communication with different departments to implement change.

Business advisors average a higher salary than the annual salary of business interns. The difference is about $61,187 per year.While both business interns and business advisors complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like customer service, project management, and business operations, the two careers vary in some skills.Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A business internship uses "power bi," "visualization," "data analysis," and "first hand." Business advisors are more likely to have duties that require skills in "healthcare," "business strategies," "excellent organizational," and "process improvement. "In general, business advisors earn the most working in the technology industry, with an average salary of $92,206. The highest-paying industry for a business internship is the professional industry.In general, business advisors hold higher degree levels compared to business interns. Business advisors are 5.1% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of business internship

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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