Ford Motor Company

Product Development Intern

June - July 2020 • San Jose, CA

What I liked

Ford Motor Company taught me so many things including: newly acquired skills, research skills, data analyzing, and forming new relationships with engineers and suppliers virtually. In my internship this past Summer, I learned new skills like failure mode and warranty data analysis. I enjoyed virtually learning how to inspect parts that came to warranty to fix the failure mode issues, social network with other engineers and suppliers, and provide solutions to failure modes and warranty issues to ford management.

What I wish was different

I wish the internship would of had some in-person portions where I could see the vehicles I was working on. This would help me identify failures on the vehicles and get an up-close look of parts failing to see where the failure location was.

Advice

Be proactive on the projects they assign you right away, they are challenging and captivating to challenge you and sharpen your skills when you leave the internship.

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Manufacturing Engineering Intern

May - August 2019 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I liked working with different people.

What I wish was different

I wish I was able to do more design work.

Advice

Be open to a lot of walking and gearing towards efficiency.

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IT Intern

May - August 2019 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

Shadowing other parts of the company, engaging in projects

What I wish was different

More projects to work on in the beginning of my internship

Advice

Dont be afraid to ask for more things to do, talk to people outside your department

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Safety Intern

April - August 2019 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

My experience was amazing, I learned so much while I was here. I had numerous experiences within my field, met a great group of people, and grew within my intended career path.

What I wish was different

I wish the commute had been slightly closer.

Advice

Always be open minded and absorb absolutely everything you can.

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Product Development Program Control & Systems Engineer

May - August 2022 • Livonia, MI

What I liked

I loved how welcoming everyone at Ford was from day one. My coworkers were very friendly and willing to answer questions! The work was also interesting and I could always find something to do. I expressed what area of the company I was interested in working for during my interview and was placed in a role that matched my interests well! I also learned a lot about many different positions and groups within the company and was able to network outside of my group through my FCG (Ford College Graduate) mentors.

What I wish was different

I wish I could have lived closer to my group's location and had more opportunities for hybrid work. Ford kept interns mostly virtual as COVID protocols are slowly being lifted and the world finds a new normal. I am hoping in the future the company will bring interns back in person like they did in the past. At times it was difficult working virtually since hands on experience and in person team work can be really important for learning and team growth as an engineer. While I understand the value in flexibility of virtual work, I think a lot of interns and young professionals would benefit socially and professionally from more hybrid opportunities.

Advice

Reach out to as many people as you can during your internship! Ford employees are very friendly and willing to talk with you. I found a lot of value in expanding my network as it helped me learn about areas I would be interested in growing in with the company. If you have an opportunity to talk to someone or question to ask, be confident and speak up! I found that asking questions and networking taught me a lot, not only about my work, but also my interests and what the company is looking for in an employee.

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Product Development Intern

May - August 2019 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

Work environment, team members, and company culture.

What I wish was different

More structured work plan.

Advice

Ask questions!

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Information Technology Intern

May - July 2019 • Detroit, MI

What I liked

Company culture, the way people treated each other. Mobility within the company.

What I wish was different

Location was not ideal.

Advice

Ford Motor Company is definitely a company more people should look into regardless of major. They are huge on inclusivity and diversity.

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Technical Support Analyst

May - August 2019 • Allen Park, MI

What I liked

I really enjoyed the internship because I was able to receive training and work in the role as a Technical Support Analyst. I was also able to network with different people that worked for Ford in many different parts of the company. The interns were also provided multiple experiences to go out and participate in different events that helped us to get acclimated to the Detroit, Michigan area. During these events, I was able to meet other interns from different schools and in different parts of the company.

What I wish was different

I was very impressed with the overall internship experience. If I was to choose something that could have been different, I would have liked to shadow the position that the Technical Support Analyst (TSA) leads into. This position is a Field Service Engineer and we were able to have an informational session with one. It would have been even better to be able to shadow one.

Advice

I would go in and understand that you are going to learn a lot. I would also have the expectation that you will have a lot of questions and it is encouraged and even expected for you to ask them. Don't be nervous to ask questions because everyone there is ready and wiling to answer any questions that you might have. If you don't know something, ask questions to figure it out. Also, be willing to help others if you know answers to their questions because the management team is very impressed by that.

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Vehicle Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

The ability to work in an analytical position

What I wish was different

That my project would have taken more time. I finished one month early

Advice

explore the different departments of Ford while you're there

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Product Development Engineering Intern

May - August 2017 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

Opportunity to learn about the industry, freedom to learn what I wanted

What I wish was different

The team/department where I worked was not entirely within my interests, there were a lot of slow points

Advice

Go to as many events and networking opportunities as possible.

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Parts, Supply, and Logistics Intern

May - August 2018 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

I felt very welcomed and truly learned a lot throughout the entire process. I had freedom to work on my own and was able to use many valuable skills.

What I wish was different

I wish my project was a little better structured and more thought out before I arrived.

Advice

It is on the intern to make the most out of their experience, be outgoing, reach out to people and in return you will have a valuable experience.

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Data Analyst Intern

May - July 2018 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

Ford showed a real commitment towards investing in interns. There was the day to day job but there were also many enrichment activities all aimed at familiarizing interns to Ford and its work culture.

What I wish was different

As with many other internships (I imagine), there were periods of downtime after completing a project. My supervisor was really good about keeping me busy but I heard that this wasn't the case for some small minority of other interns.

Advice

Internships are the way to a full time job nowadays. Make sure you really research the companies you think you might like to work at in the future.

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Autonomous Vehicles Engineering Intern

May - August 2018 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

The type of work I was doing, my team, and the fact it was an OEM experience.

What I wish was different

Location, pay salary, social experience, and my value at the company

Advice

Didn't feel that valued as an intern as I have had the summer previous. Lots of work, and interesting view on engineering, especially if you worked at suppliers before.

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Manufacturing Engineering Intern

May - July 2018 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

Great experience with a lot of great people.

What I wish was different

Toured other plants.

Advice

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and voice your opinion.

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Global Data Insights and Analytics Intern

May - July 2018 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

Had a great team, and did some interesting work with databases.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been given more work. I finished my summer project ahead of schedule and spent the rest of the summer trying to find small jobs to do.

Advice

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Service Engineering Operations Intern

May - July 2023 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

Culture at Ford is so inclusive and welcoming. Learned new skills at Ford. Team building at Ford. Resources at Ford. People at Ford.

What I wish was different

Wish I did more backend coding.

Advice

Be humble. Communicate well. And ready to work in a fast paced and exciting environment.

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Controls Engineer

May - August 2018 • Chicago, IL

What I liked

I appreciated the experience they gave me to not only understand the manufacturing process but also taught me the importance of talking to people and connecting with them especially if they aren't salary people. The union people are just as smart as the salary people in their own way. Ford is not only a car business but a peoples business.

What I wish was different

I wish I had a little more guidance however, it taught me to be more independent and look for things to improve rather than wait for management to give me a certain project to do.

Advice

Meet the people of the company from the union line workers to the plant manager. Its a people's business first then a car business

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Sharepoint engineering analyst

September 2015 • Allen Park, MI

What I liked

The learning experience.

What I wish was different

Option to work more hours.

Advice

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Product Development and Enterprise Product Line Management (EPLM)

May - August 2019 • Dearborn, MI

What I liked

I enjoyed the hands on experience which I took from the internship as well as the background the company provided me. Building my resume has been very important to me for the past few years and being able to have worked on autonomous vehicles provides me with a competitive advantage over others. It shows I have worked on future oriented products and actively worked on the planning portion of work rather than the reactive portion.

What I wish was different

I wish I would have networked more with the individuals I worked with during my time spent. There were some incredible individuals who crossed paths with me.

Advice

I would like to tell any incoming students that it is important to actively seek work. There will not always be times where work is handed to you, and it is important to actively seek projects to fill your work schedule with. It shows your employer you are a good asset for the company and are willing/able to work. (Even simple day to day activities help, especially for those who are interns.

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