Some years Duncan has one or two openings, other years more. He interviews every candidate and he doesn't care whether they're interested in banking or not. I look for a variety of people, and I ask them what they want to be doing in five years. And I talk to them about the opportunities of the area. I don't give them a view through rose-colored glasses, but I tell them that there are opportunities and that I can probably help them with what they want to do.
All interns start out as tellers and are paid minimum wage.
Over time they move up, working in various bank departments and undertaking special projects ranging from rewriting the banks' employee handbooks to spending long hours in the county courthouse analyzing the banks' competitors' mortgages. Marsha Haney ended up undertaking a summer-long market analysis of other banks' services. Valerie Hardin created and ran summer enrichment camps, sponsored by the banks, for local students. And a senior intern helps run the program itself every summer. The Service Concept From the beginning, Duncan has drawn inspiration from his own experiences.