International Trade Center Intern
The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center at the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago (ICNC) is accepting applications for a part-time (up to 30 hours per week) intern for the fall-winter semester. ICNC is a not-for-profit economic development organization founded in 1967 and located at 320 N. Damen Avenue, about two miles west of downtown Chicago. ICNC represents businesses in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor and has government contracts to advise new and existing businesses from the entire Chicagoland area.
ICNC is seeking interns to work in its International Trade Center to assist businesses in the areas of export development and market research and to respond to new business challenges and opportunities. The ITC is headed by a full-time director.
The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center
The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center works with established small to mid-sized businesses to help them begin or increase exporting. The ITC provides assistance with export readiness analysis, foreign market research, marketing, finance, administration, and logistics.
Intern’s responsibilities
The majority of this intern’s time will be dedicated to assisting an ITC client in the green lighting technology industry with their entry into Latin American markets. The intern will assist this client to capitalize on opportunities to export their products.
Collaborating with staff, the intern will assist in formulating a marketing plan and targeted assistance to successfully develop the client’s business in Latin America, specifically Colombia. The intern’s responsibilities will include:
Foreign customer research and outreach: Collecting and analyzing information on potential customers for the client’s products and using this to identify high-potential leads for client. Developing targeted marketing materials and text in Spanish to reach out to potential customers in Colombia and other Latin American markets and following up as needed.
Sales support: The intern will facilitate the sales process for the client with new Latin American customers, including assisting with communicating quotes and order terms, facilitating correspondence and following up on inquiries on behalf of client.
Marketing development: The intern will research, evaluate and pursue additional avenues to market the client’s products in Colombia and other Latin American markets.
Additional research as required: New questions can arise at any time during export transactions, so the intern will learn new aspects of business by investigating and organizing information for various cross-border business challenges.
Requirements
Interns should be interested in, and studying, business and/or international business (an in-depth knowledge of these areas is not required)
Spanish language skills required; native Spanish speaker preferred
Outgoing personality with ability to engage with potential customers and develop sales relationships
Basic understanding of international market entry strategies
Capability to quickly identify and analyze new information and summarize or package it in a way that is useful for business professionals
Comfort in both using the Internet for research and contacting high-level industry experts to collect relevant information
Professional in face-to-face business meetings, and entrepreneurial in his/her approach to delivering services to businesses
Ability to function as part of a team and willingness to pitch in with basic office tasks as needed
Opportunities for the intern
ICNC is an entrepreneurial, professional organization that strives to provide opportunities for its staff, including interns, to grow professionally. While interning at the ITC, an intern can expect:
Professional development opportunities: There is a budget for professional training and seminar/conference attendance. Specific opportunities can be suggested by the organization or identified by the intern.
Professional network development: The intern will interact regularly with business owners and industry experts (international trade attorneys, freight forwarders, finance specialists) and will have a chance to grow his or her professional network.
Portfolio development: The intern will initiate, create, and deliver market research and business briefs to ITC clients, and will complete the internship with a portfolio of finished work to present to prospective employers.
Please direct applications and inquiries to: [email protected]
ICNC is seeking interns to work in its International Trade Center to assist businesses in the areas of export development and market research and to respond to new business challenges and opportunities. The ITC is headed by a full-time director.
The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center
The Illinois SBDC International Trade Center works with established small to mid-sized businesses to help them begin or increase exporting. The ITC provides assistance with export readiness analysis, foreign market research, marketing, finance, administration, and logistics.
Intern’s responsibilities
The majority of this intern’s time will be dedicated to assisting an ITC client in the green lighting technology industry with their entry into Latin American markets. The intern will assist this client to capitalize on opportunities to export their products.
Collaborating with staff, the intern will assist in formulating a marketing plan and targeted assistance to successfully develop the client’s business in Latin America, specifically Colombia. The intern’s responsibilities will include:
Foreign customer research and outreach: Collecting and analyzing information on potential customers for the client’s products and using this to identify high-potential leads for client. Developing targeted marketing materials and text in Spanish to reach out to potential customers in Colombia and other Latin American markets and following up as needed.
Sales support: The intern will facilitate the sales process for the client with new Latin American customers, including assisting with communicating quotes and order terms, facilitating correspondence and following up on inquiries on behalf of client.
Marketing development: The intern will research, evaluate and pursue additional avenues to market the client’s products in Colombia and other Latin American markets.
Additional research as required: New questions can arise at any time during export transactions, so the intern will learn new aspects of business by investigating and organizing information for various cross-border business challenges.
Requirements
Interns should be interested in, and studying, business and/or international business (an in-depth knowledge of these areas is not required)
Spanish language skills required; native Spanish speaker preferred
Outgoing personality with ability to engage with potential customers and develop sales relationships
Basic understanding of international market entry strategies
Capability to quickly identify and analyze new information and summarize or package it in a way that is useful for business professionals
Comfort in both using the Internet for research and contacting high-level industry experts to collect relevant information
Professional in face-to-face business meetings, and entrepreneurial in his/her approach to delivering services to businesses
Ability to function as part of a team and willingness to pitch in with basic office tasks as needed
Opportunities for the intern
ICNC is an entrepreneurial, professional organization that strives to provide opportunities for its staff, including interns, to grow professionally. While interning at the ITC, an intern can expect:
Professional development opportunities: There is a budget for professional training and seminar/conference attendance. Specific opportunities can be suggested by the organization or identified by the intern.
Professional network development: The intern will interact regularly with business owners and industry experts (international trade attorneys, freight forwarders, finance specialists) and will have a chance to grow his or her professional network.
Portfolio development: The intern will initiate, create, and deliver market research and business briefs to ITC clients, and will complete the internship with a portfolio of finished work to present to prospective employers.
Please direct applications and inquiries to: [email protected]