Hello, my name is Kathryn Huff! I have just completed the first year of my 18-month MBA journey and have recently started my summer internship with Vrbo.

Part of Baylor MBA program is that it includes a summer internship. Our internship helps us begin putting everything we are learning in the classroom into action with hands-on experience while giving us a glimpse into our desired industry. I started my internship search in early September, because I knew I specifically wanted to find a role in Austin where my family and I currently reside. 

 

I previously worked at a small fresh-food start-up in Austin before entering the program and during that time, I made many connections. I was intentional about keeping my network alive and nurtured ahead of beginning my internship search; this strategy is how I obtained my shiny new internship in the competitive, high-tech landscape of Austin.

A former executive assistant at my previous company had taken a position at Vrbo. Being a company that I was interested in, I reached out to her via LinkedIn and immediately received a request for an in-person interview. Five interviews later (whew), I had an offer!

There were two main factors that drew me towards the internship with Vrbo. The first was the ability to work in a fast-paced start-up environment. The second was that I would also have the opportunity to impact the lives of millions of people by helping them enjoy time away while building memories with their friends and families.

Incidentally, it turned out to be an even more exciting time to join the company, because we are currently moving the entire operation to a shiny new 16-story headquarters!

My internship consists of me being a part of the team that focuses on strengthening the growing base of vacation rental homeowners (partners) in North America. Vrbo’s owners are core to the business and it is my objective to find new ways to connect with them and to build upon existing relationships. My strategy is to explore new pilot programs and breakthrough opportunities to promote the HomeAway value proposition for homeowners and property managers. Doing so will allow us to increase the rental supply. 

 As part of Vrbo‘s employee culture, a unique tradition is that every time an employee travels (working for a travel/lifestyle company, this is a core value within the organization), they bring back a snow globe from the places they travel. Our office is full of HUNDREDS of snow globes. It didn’t take long for me to find my favorite one!

Well, that’s all for now. Thanks for reading and be sure to check back for my next installment about my internship experience to learn more about how this summer goes. See you at the end of the summer!

 

 

-[This is a the first of a two-part installment about Baylor MBA candidate Kathryn Huff and her experience as an intern at Vrbo. Be sure to check back at the end of the summer to read all about Kathryn’s experiences in Austin and at Vrbo!]-