6 Reasons Why Interning At Dow Jones Is The Perfect Way To Spend Your Summer (And Start Your Career)

Nearly everyone has heard of Dow Jones. Whether it’s for their prestigious publications like the Wall Street Journal or their world-class data and analytics services, the company has made its mark on the business world.

Dow Jones has also made its mark as an employer, especially with their internship program. In fact, they were named as one of 2019’s Top 100 Internship Programs. To get a little more insight as to how—and why—the Dow Jones intern experience lives up to the company’s reputation for excellence, we spoke to a few current and former Dow Jones interns.

Here’s what they told us.

1. Work In The Financial World—With A Creative, Collaborative Culture

“The best part about working here is the culture. People want to see you succeed here,” Brandon, a Media Sales intern, explains.

He’s referring, of course, to Dow Jones’s celebrated culture of training and internal mobility. Whether it’s training to help you transition roles or mentorship from managers, Brandon says, “there is a team of people here in talent development who are constantly putting on training sessions and webinars for people to learn more.”

While that’s an opportunity most people don’t get until they start their first entry-level role, Dow Jones offers these trainings to their intern team members. And that’s just one example of how Dow Jones blends the fast-paced finance world with the collaborative culture of a media company.

2. High-Stakes Projects And Responsibilities That Genuinely Touch The Business

Of course, with great training comes great responsibility. And that’s one thing that every Dow Jones intern emphasized to us: You get real work, right away.

“At the Dow Jones internship, there is no busy work or coffee runs. Interns are given real projects that directly serve their immediate teams and business areas,” Winston, a two-time summer intern, explains.

One intern shared her work on a data analysis project that affected all new hires for a fiscal year; another told us about a new solution he produced for the Customer Data Platform. All of this responsibility, of course, is only possible because Dow Jones interns are treated like real members of their teams.

3. The Capstone Competition

Chief among that business-critical work is your capstone project—and the subsequent competition.

“All interns are given the opportunity to develop a new event, product, or marketing campaign for the Wall Street Journal’s Student Memberships team,” Winston tells us. “These group projects are then judged in two rounds by senior-level managers with the hopes that the best idea can be brought to life and implemented by the company.”

Not only can you help drive the business forward, you can also network and build a lasting reputation for yourself at the company.

4. Intern Events That Connect You With Senior Leaders (And Are A Ton Of Fun)

A rich calendar of events is one of the key features of Dow Jones’s elite internship program.

“Dow Jones also organized an array of events for the interns. These events were extremely informational and most of them had participation from our executive committee, which was a great opportunity,” says Eesha, who started an intern and has since successfully transitioned to a full-time role at the company.

So whether you’re attending professional panels packed with c-suite executives—including the company’s chief executive—or you’re going on a social scavenger hunt through downtown Princeton, you’ll be finding yourself growing as a professional, and as a person alongside your fellow interns.

5. You’ll Learn From Successful Pros In A Hyper-Competitive Space

“The media landscape is changing,” Brandon explains. “And that makes it a great time to join Dow Jones, because new people at the company can be a part of the innovation in the media space.”

With prestigious brands like the Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch, Factiva, and Barron’s under the same roof, Dow Jones is responsible for a wide array of innovative and industry-leading business practices—and that’s something you can be a part of as an intern. Working alongside successful people in an industry that’s constantly shifting with the course of technology and consumer trends is the perfect way to practice for a fast-paced career.

“Dow Jones heavily invests in each intern to equip them with industry knowledge and professional skills to flourish in any setting,” Eesha says. “And one of the projects that help prepare me the most was analyzing pay data in the EMEA region and presenting that data to the VP of Recruitment.”

And the projects weren’t the only way that Eesha and her peers learned from experienced Dow Jones leaders.

“All of the interns were assigned a mentor for the 10 weeks,” Eesha tells us. “We discussed our not only our daily projects but also our career goals and path.”

6. Join A Culture That’s Diverse—In More Ways Than You’d Expect

With so many different business areas, diversity is a necessity for Dow Jones. As thought leaders in the diversity and inclusion space, they’re acutely aware of the business benefits that diverse teams can bring to a company—and what it takes to get there. That’s something that all of the Dow Jones interns noticed during their time with the company.

“The culture of Dow Jones encourages great people to be themselves. Each person is treated with kindness and respect,” Brandon says.

And that respect wasn’t just for differences in background or beliefs, it was a wider understanding that everyone’s unique skill sets and ways of thinking—throughout the company—contribute to the mission.

“There is a place for each person in the company whether they are in technology, marketing, newsroom, design, sales, etc. Each department and role is crucial to the success of the company,” he says.

Want to find your place in a diverse organization dedicated to your growth? Check out open opportunities with Dow Jones on WayUp!