Client Testimonial Series Featuring Sean Hughes, Vice President of Engineering, Conservis Corporation

What do you value most about your partnership with Maverick?

There are many things we find valuable because of our partnership with the Maverick program, but I’ll hold it to two. One is the obvious value in being plugged into the future pipeline of talent coming from the surrounding academic programs. Second is the legwork that Maverick does to support us as Clients. The screening, machine setups, interview processes all come to mind as valuable functions provided by Maverick.

What problem does the Maverick program help you solve?

I’m sure there are many companies who would benefit from an internship program but shy away from it because of the effort involved in locating willing participants, engaging them with the appropriate companies and managing the work process differences with students who are trying to learn and perform at the same time. Maverick has solved all of these problems for its clients. If that sounds familiar, your next call should be to the Maverick program!

What type of work do you have some of your Maverick interns work on?

The work varies based on the projects in play throughout the year but for the most part they are using Java to implement backend features and front end JavaScript frameworks to dial in the UI/UX. Sometimes, they are paired up with other core team members to add new features, refactor code as the requirements evolve and fix bugs. This can be really challenging work, and they seem to really appreciate being able to step up and solve cool problems.

Why did you choose Maverick over other methods of recruitment available to use?

Simple — the Maverick program exposes the recruitment engine in a way that makes sense for clients. There is no way we would have implemented such a successful technical Intern program without Maverick. The time and energy it would take to replicate what they have built into their DNA is just not a good use of time or capital.

How did you resolve any management concerns about bringing Maverick into your company?

I can see why this would be a hurdle for other companies, but at the time we were deciding to engage Maverick, I leveraged my previous relationship with Martin Hebig to start the discussion about getting Conservis on the client list. At the same time, I socialized the new engagement with the executive and technical teams to make sure everyone knew the vision of why we would do this and the future benefits to the company. Once these meetings were done, everyone was excited about the new engagement and any remaining blockers faded away.

What are the keys to success for a new company looking to partner with Maverick?*

Implementing a successful intern program is not much different than any other WIG (wildly important goal) for your company that year. You need to prepare your internal teams ahead of time so that they can understand how their processes will need to be altered to really be effective. Treat the Maverick students as “Core” team members and try not to limit the items that they get to work on. You will be surprised at the problems they step up to solve and the high engagement marks that follow after working on some of the toughest challenges.

About Conservis:

Conservis was founded in 2009 to assist farmers with workflow management. Conservis provides farm management software to allow customers to see their operation from the dirt up. The product tracks field activities, manages inventories and analyzes yields. The Conservis platform connects information to allow customers to manage their progress today and harvest opportunities ahead.

Sean Hughes
Vice President, Engineering, Conservis Corporation