Wondering how our interns make the move to full-time roles? Four team members from around the globe share the career benefits a GM Financial internship offered them, how they transitioned to working full time and their professional goals for the future.
Krisha Atreya
Summer 2023 intern
Product Marketing Manager, Recruitment Marketing – Las Colinas, Texas
Finding her niche
Krisha credits her summer internship experience for setting her on a “path to success” while she was still a college student. Even though she wasn’t initially interested in the auto finance industry, Krisha was inspired by GM Financial’s people and culture. After her internship, the Texas A&M graduate began working part time in Consumer Marketing while finishing her degree.
“My team saw my value and nurtured my growth,” Krisha explained. “My leadership fought for me to be here and created a new role in Recruitment Marketing so I could transition to full time.”
One of her biggest wins from her first year on the job is being able to see the real impact of her work on the business, whether she is creating a talent recruitment ad campaign or filming video of team members at a Pride parade for social media.
“It’s exciting to see a lot of my projects come to fruition and see my work translate into real business wins,” Krisha said. “My mentors and manager have really helped me grow into my role. Everyone is rooting for each other’s success.”
Krisha has not only flourished in her marketing role but has also been able to build a support network through GM Financial’s YounGen Employee Resource Group (ERG). She credits the inclusive culture for helping her take the initiative and push more boundaries.
She has big plans for her next year: “I can’t wait to take on more challenges and be at the forefront of change at the company.”
Beginning a new era
While pursuing her degree, Karla decided she needed to grow her experience beyond the small accounting firm where she had been working for the past year. When friends recommended interning at GM Financial, she jumped at the opportunity.
“I wanted to learn more,” Karla said. “I wanted to be in a bigger company, where the opportunities of growing and learning were infinite.”
During her two years as an intern, Karla had the opportunity to experience several areas of the business, from financial planning and analysis to sales and risk. Karla credits the diverse projects she worked on as an intern with helping her build a professional network and prepare for a career after university.
“There was a project with all my team called the ‘Savings Challenge’ where anyone from the company could propose an idea to save money or reduce time with process automation,” Karla explained. “My job was to talk to every person that had an idea and to analyze if the idea was possible, and then discuss with my team if I would approve or reject those ideas. We had a positive impact to the company overall because of these initiatives.”
Karla Cantu
2022-2024 Intern
Consumer Representative, Fraud Risk, Consumer Central – Monterrey, Mexico
When the opportunity arose to move to a full-time role, Karla’s team helped her with the interview process, provided recommendations and spoke with leadership. She was able to start her full-time role with GM Financial just a day after graduation.
“I realized that I wanted to stay at this company, because of the challenge that the work has, but also because the commitment GM Financial has to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts,” said Karla. “I see my future at the company with the same passion as I entered, with big contributions to my department and to the company overall. I aspire to a leadership position where I can influence other people, just as my leaders influence me in a positive way.”
Tate Matthews
Summer 2023 intern
Risk Analyst, Portfolio Analytics, Risk Management – Fort Worth, Texas
Gaining a 30,000-foot view
Tate still remembers the three women he met during Career Day while he was in business school at Baylor University.
“The recruiters were so welcoming and knowledgeable,” Tate explained. “They made the whole process enjoyable and really represented GM Financial’s culture as a whole.”
Tate refers to his summer internship as “a 10-week sprint” where he was trying to learn as much as possible in a short time frame. Since he was on a small team, there were a lot of ad hoc projects where he could dive in and make an immediate difference. Now, as a full-time employee with the same team, Tate has enjoyed seeing the role from a new perspective.
“I have a broad, 30,000-foot view of what the risk department does and who our internal customers are,” Tate said. “I know where to send reports and how they use them. I understand how everyone works together.”
One of the opportunities Tate appreciates most is how approachable leadership is, no matter what your role is at the company. Because personal development is encouraged, he plans to stay at GM Financial for a long time.
“I have cool opportunities to learn from my immediate leaders and from those across the company,” Tate said. “I think, ‘how can I be in your chair in 10-15 years?’”
The happiest day of her life
Maria first learned about GM Financial internship opportunities from a friend at the company and knew immediately she wanted to work here.
“She told me about her experience, the DEI culture GM Financial has and the amazing work environment she was in,” Maria explained. “A few months after I joined as an intern, I discovered the Women’s Inspiration Network (WIN) Employee Resource Group. I’m passionate about women’s empowerment and was eager to join WIN’s conferences and activities. I’m happy to be in a company that values a more inclusive environment.”
From her first day, Maria was assigned tasks that had a major impact on the Compliance team. She felt grateful, both for the learning her internship offered her, and the trust and value she enjoyed from her manager and colleagues. Less than a year after her internship, she was able to transition to a full-time role.
“The day I was presented with my job offer was one of the happiest days of my life,” Maria said. “With each new day comes a new challenge, and that’s what keeps it interesting.”
Maria Ruiz
Summer 2022 intern
Compliance Representative, Compliance Central – Monterrey, Mexico
Maria feels fortunate to work on the Central Compliance Team because of the positive environment and support her colleagues offer each other, as well as the opportunity to collaborate with team members from other countries.
“I believe this experience has equipped me with a backpack of skills from how to use the different platforms, as well as negotiating, being more empathetic and ensuring I’m always looking one step ahead.”
Maria credits her manager with being a mentor and key part of her success. Her manager advocated for her to move to full time, walked her through every step of the process and answered each question along the way.
“I wish to continue pursuing a compliance career at GM Financial,” said Maria. “A thought I keep dearly in my heart is that everything I do, I must give 100%, and it should make a positive impact on the people around me."
Read more about our internships and early career opportunities.