Industrial & Systems Engineering Internship Story: Trane Technologies

Emily Glaze

Industrial & Systems Engineering

What company did you intern with and where are they located?

I interned with Trane Technologies at their technical sales office in Birmingham, Alabama.

How did you identify and apply for your internship? Are there any specific resources you used to find the opportunity (i.e. Handshake, career fairs, other recruitment events)?

I heard about Trane Technologies from another student at Auburn and was able to send my resume to a regional general manager that sent me more information regarding internship opportunities. From there, I was able to sign up for an interview time slot through handshake, and I interviewed with three representatives from the Birmingham office just a few days after the engineering career fair.

What was the application process like?

In order to apply for this position, I had to submit a copy of my resume, and then I signed up for an in-person interview with three people from the office I was applying to work in. From there, I was selected to be one of three interns for the summer.

Tell us about your internship experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?

My internship experience was unique because I was doing something different each day on the job. For example, some days I would be on company wide Zoom calls with interns across the country learning about Trane Technologies, while other days I would be with an account manager from the Birmingham office on a job site. I enjoyed the internship because of the variety of tasks that needed to be done and the ability to learn all aspects of the job/company. I also got the opportunity to complete a project with two other interns in the office which focused on saving energy in the office we worked in. I enjoyed this project because I was able to communicate with several different employees and learn from each of them to complete the project.

In what ways did this internship help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?

This internship helped me prepare for my next destination after Auburn because I was able to learn what it takes to be a hard-working employee and communicate with people at each branch of the company. I gained sales and technical knowledge which will help me in job interviews and in future careers.

In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for your internships? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?

My coursework at Auburn helped prepare me for the job because I feel like I had a deep understanding of problem solving which helped me complete various projects for the company. For example, when I was working to figure out ways to save energy within the office, I had basic calculations to do, but the problem-solving skills I had helped me understand the steps I needed to take to reach my project goals.

Do you have any advice for other students looking for internships like yours?

The best advice I would give to Auburn students looking for internships like mine is to never be afraid to apply/interview for an internship because you never know where it could lead you. Also, while in the job interview, it is important to ask the interviewer questions as well so you can learn about the culture of the company/office. I enjoyed working with the people in the Trane Technologies office in Birmingham, and I learned that they had similar values to me while I was in the interview. It made my internship experience so much more enjoyable, and I was able to learn from and ask many questions from the people in the office all summer because of our connection.