Intern Feature: Anthony Battista

This past summer I interned at Salesforce in San Francisco, CA on the Finance & Strategy team. The team is responsible for financial planning & analysis and my particular role was on the Infrastructure Finance team. I completed several projects that contributed to process improvements and increased forecasting accuracy. 

HOW DID YOU FIND THIS OPPORTUNITY?

I networked with multiple UMass alumni to learn about career opportunities at technology companies. Eventually, I connected with an alumnus at Salesforce who informed me of the opportunity and helped me secure the internship. 

WHAT DID YOU DO AND WHAT DID YOU LEARN

I had an incredible experience at Salesforce. The internship program was top notch and I was able to see first hand why Salesforce is consistently ranked as one of the best companies to work for in the country. The company culture, dubbed "Ohana," is the foundation for everything the company does and this resonated in the internship program. I built relationships with a lot of great people and developed a clear understanding of core FP&A processes and the cloud/SaaS business model. 

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STUDENTS?

To other students, my advice is to relentlessly pursue opportunities that you are genuinely interested in. Even if your path is not "traditional," do not let this discourage you from going after an opportunity you are passionate about. I recommend starting early and focusing on gaining knowledge by networking and building professional relationships. Be genuine, ask for and be appreciative of help, and approach your career search with the mindset that you will do whatever it takes to get what you want.