How is the internship programme in Evolution?

Many of us have something in common: to have started our career experiencing an internship period in a company.

This professional stage is often related to negative aspects: precariousness, the absence of a tutor, and the classic “unpaid internship” expression we found on some open positions.

But Evolution acts uniquely. We are known for turning around what we don’t like and making the team feel valued: from the beginning of the recruitment process until becoming an employee. 

For this reason, we make internships different: focusing on education and a real professional opportunity.

Recruitment process: strategic point in the search for talent

We know that starting an internship is very special: it is an essential step in any career that will never be forgotten. Therefore, we do our best to convey respect, trust and professionalism to applicants.

“There is no difference with other recruitment processes we have“, David Gil, People Manager, clarifies “we give the same importance to an internship candidate as to anyone applying for a strategic position at the company.”

We wanted to know if our former Evolution trainees felt this way. Although today she’s working as Innovation Consultant in the European Programmes department, in 2019, Elisa Herrera started her internship: “I can confirm that Evolution treats trainees just like the rest of their employees. They are indeed part of the team. We were part of the great family that makes up Evolution.”

On the other hand, we stand for an accurate trainee profile: without previous experience and signing an agreement with the university where they are studying or recently developed their training.

For this reason, we stay in touch with educational centres with which we usually share our offers, such as, for example, the Autonomous University of Madrid, the Carlos III University, the Complutense University of Madrid, the IE University and the Polytechnic University. We also are close to other organisations such as the CEF (Center for Financial Studies), the ISM (Higher Institute for the Environment) or the ISIE (Higher Institute for Business Research).

Interest, motivation and curiosity for R&D

Lack of previous experience does not mean not having specific abilities and resources that are very important.

“We value skills such as proactivity, creativity, teamwork“, adds David, “and, above all, we are looking for people who want to grow both personally and professionally in the sector”.

Charlotte Lindsey, Director of Business Development for Europe and Israel, has vast experience selecting interns for her team. “I would not expect them to have experience in the industry,” she tells us, “what I look for is an expressed motivation to work in it. It is the perfect opportunity to pilot a professional career in the R&D public and private funding sector. If a trainee has an intrinsic motivation to work in the industry, they will enjoy the experience and are more likely to remain in the company”.

This motivation was demonstrated by our most recent trainee, Elena Plaza. Among other options, she chose us because of our role in the innovation ecosystem: “After reading some of your website’s posts, Evolution caught my attention as I discovered all those innovative companies that had obtained funding thanks to the team”, Elena confesses.

We know that all advice is always welcome when facing a recruitment process, so here goes Charlotte’s: “If you have little or no direct experience in the industry you want to work in, you can write a cover letter explaining why you want to work in the R&D industry”.

What does Evolution offer you?

Let’s imagine your profile has stood out among the rest of the applicants for the trainee position. What happens now? Why should you decide to join us?

• Our internships are always paid. We understand that if you collaborate with us and give your best, you deserve compensation for your time and effort.
• We know students have different needs and, therefore, we have different internship periods, which can be 3, 6 and 12 months long. 
• Besides, we have flexible schedules: you could choose between full or part-time internships.“We constantly adapt to each person’s situation”, David Gil tells us.
• In your internship at Evolution, you will count on a mentor or tutor from whom you can learn and develop professionally.
• We offer the opportunity to grow a professional career. If you do a good job and would like to stay with us, you may become part of the staff, as approximately half of the interns have continued their careers at Evolution.

How was the experience of our former trainees?

Among those interns who became Evolution members, it’s Xavier Guzmán, an Innovation Consultant from our Valencia office. He says: “This experience helped me to understand how engineering and economics go hand in hand. In addition, I acquired a global knowledge of the national industry and the instruments that foster R&D. This internship helped me train as a consultant ”.

María Álvarez, current Innovation Consultant, located in Seville, also highlights how she learned about the industry, as well as “to manage time, clients and, above all, to be aware of the importance of focusing efforts on research. In addition, from the first moment, my ideas were taken into consideration”.

We return to our Madrid office with Elisa, who explains how much she learned from her mentor and department’s colleagues: “Víctor Rodríguez, Global Operations Director, trained me on the content and approach of proposals. He also organised specific sessions developed by other colleagues”. Xavier points out: “I appreciate the team’s effort and patience that they had”.

David is aware of the trainees’ satisfaction: “they positively value the work environment, the teams and the knowledge acquired”.

How is that moment when an intern becomes part of Evolution’s permanent staff? Xavier, María and Elisa know what it feels. “I was so happy because I knew that from then on, a new growth stage would begin, both at work and personally”, recalls María. “Víctor told me that I would continue my career at Evolution on December 24th, so it was like a Christmas present!”, Elisa tells us. “It was a happy day, as I wanted to start a new project that would allow me to get closer to consulting”, concludes Xavier.

The rest of us also share this happiness our trainees feel: it is also an enriching experience for everyone. “Senior team members feel a sense of progression in the company“, says Charlotte, “junior profiles are valued for their fresh perspective and energy and, also, for their potential to become fully integrated into the team in the longer term”. David, who is usually involved in the trainee selection process, tells us that “these interns make the teams more cohesive, organised and motivated to achieve their objectives, thanks to the enthusiasm and creativity they bring to the departments”.

Do you feel like you’d want to join our team?

We do not want to convince you only by the position to which you are applying… We are much more! At Evolution, we really appreciate our people: we want them to feel valued and a valuable part of this puzzle we all form together.

“What has surprised me the most is how united the team is, even though we are teleworking most of the time,” says Elena, “I’ve felt very welcome from the first moment, and the whole team has helped me in everything they could”.

Xavier compares his experience to other internships he previously did: “Without any doubt, the way they manage internships here was infinitely better. From day one, I noticed the strength and warmth of the team”.

“Evolution is a good opportunity for junior profiles because we are a fast-growing company”, Charlotte explains, “It can be frustrating for recent graduates to fall into internships in companies that do not have a future for them. Evolution is not like this: we are always looking for candidates who want to join us as permanent employees”.