Description

Better Business Bureau of Minnesota & North Dakota

The Better Business Bureau of MN and ND is currently seeking a motivated college student to be our Trade Practices summer Intern, onsite at our Burnsville, MN office. If this could be you, keep reading!

About Us

BBB is an international non-profit network consisting of 97 BBBs across North America. BBB is one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the nation. We are supported by more than 6,900 Accredited Business, all of whom share BBB’s vision for an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers trust each other. 

When you join the team at Better Business Bureau, you will find a culture that is future-focused, supportive, and highly collaborative. We encourage each other to embody BBB’s mission of building trust, integrity, and ethics. We value innovation, hard work, and a continued commitment to learning. We value diversity and inclusion. We make space for opportunities to recharge and cultivate deeper relationships among colleagues thanks to various office committee initiatives.

About the Internship

As part of BBB’s paid Summer Internship Program, you’ll get to experience real day-to-day work in your field of study, complete a meaningful summer long project, participate in cross-departmental development opportunities, and be networked with some of the largest brands in the region.

Position Summary

The BBB Trade Practices Intern will work closely with and report to the Manager of Trade Practices to assist with investigating possible scams, review potential misleading advertising and assist with ensuring our market database is accurate and up to date. BBB’s mission is to bring businesses and consumers together in a trustworthy marketplace and we achieve this by sharing information on the businesses in our database, to consumers, so they can make wise purchasing decisions. 

What do BBB investigations include? 

BBB collects information from consumers about potential scams and gathers additional details that we then list on BBB’s website and issue social media posts and press releases to help warn others about the scam. BBB investigations have saved consumers thousands of dollars. BBB also shares the results with enforcement agencies. 

What is BBB Advertising Review?

BBB recognizes the truthfulness of claims made in ads are key to gaining consumer trust. BBB reviews advertising in all types of media. Using BBB Code of Advertising as a guideline, we contact businesses and work with them to change their advertising to be honest, ethical, and transparent. BBB has been doing this work since we began in 1912. 

What does our impressive database look like?

BBB has material collected on the 175,000 businesses in our service area of MN and ND, which is reflected on their BBB Business Profiles in our database. These profiles give consumers the background they need on a company to help determine if the business is trustworthy. The information or data we collect also helps to determine a BBB business rating, from A to F which is based on 14 different factors.

The Trade Practices Intern position will work to help investigate potential scams, review advertising, and keep the information we are reporting on updated all from a variety of sources. 

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Gathering information from BBB sources, such as ScamTracker, complaints and customer reviews to determine the status of a business. Coordinating with the Trade Practices Manager and team for action about possible scams. 
• Review advertising for businesses for compliance with BBB Code of Advertising and other advertising guidelines. Share the results of the review with the Trade Practices team for possible case work. 
• Data gathering, aggregating, and updating records – Updating business addresses, phone numbers, and contact personnel in the BBB database; Finding business information regarding the Secretary of State (“SOS”) registration, Department of Labor & Industry (“DLI”) and other government agency information and business start dates to record on BBB Business Profiles; Researching business contact and website information online and updating BBB’s database; Contacts/calls businesses in Minnesota & North Dakota for updated information.
• Working on informational reports to make sure BBB has updated and accurate data to report to consumers.
• Learning Operations portions of the Better Business Bureau-complaint handling process and customer reviews.
• Participating in answering consumer questions via the BBB’s Resource Center

The schedule for this internship is 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday. BBB’s flexibility will work to match your needs! Pay range for this position is $16-$18/ hour.

Requirements

Experience, Skills, and Abilities

What we’re looking for in our interns……

• Pursuing a degree in Marketing, Information Technology, Business or related field. 
• Exceptional customer service, interpersonal, organizational, business communication and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively interact and collaborate with a wide range of individuals.
• Demonstrated problem solving and judgment capabilities.
• Willingness to learn and adapt to new responsibilities.
• Effective planning, organizational and detail-orientated skills – ability to prioritize multiple projects and adjust workload accordingly.
• Must take initiative, be self-motivated and an independent, accountable, dependable performer.
• Experience with Microsoft Office, with demonstrated capability in Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Bi-lingual skills will receive priority consideration.

Benefits of Interning at BBB

• Learn from and gain experience working with business professionals who touch hundreds of businesses and profiles daily and make an impact in the marketplace.
• Learn new systems and databases.
• Create relationships and connections with the BBB team members. Consideration for any future job opportunities.
• Gain experience with BBB – the largest business association in the upper Midwest.
• Participate in BBB scam education initiatives, community events & presentations.
• Gain exposure to BBB’s broad network of businesses, community entities and the BBB Board of Directors (Attend & observe August Board of Director’s Meeting).

We Support Who You Are….

We strive to create an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives spark innovation and meet the challenges of an evolving world. Join us for this internship where you can balance great work with all other aspects of your life.

BBB is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Additional Information:

To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status.

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