My Journey at Coupa

Hi all! My name is Ralph Barsi, and I’m a Sr. Talent Acquisition Coordinator here at Coupa. I began my journey as an intern with the Talent Acquisition team in the summer of 2021, an experience that remains one of the most rewarding I’ve had thus far in my career.

Misconceptions Before Starting

When I applied for the Coupa internship program, I did so with confidence because I was already familiar with the company name, and it was local to my home in East Bay. As a college student, I was initially concerned about working in the corporate world since it seemed so different from school and appeared cold, intimidating, uncompromising, and unwelcoming from the outside. However, I knew I had the required skills and capability to work for a prominent company like Coupa, and I was eager to prove myself and gain valuable experience.

My Experience in the Village

My experience at Coupa exceeded my expectations. From the first day, I felt comfortable and valued as a team member. My supporting manager guided me through the onboarding process and continued to check in regularly throughout the summer. I worked on meaningful projects and could see the impact of my actions, which gave me the confidence that I could contribute significantly to a large company like this. My well-rounded projects exposed me to several facets of Talent Acquisition, setting me up for success during and after my internship. The highlight of my summer was analyzing our job descriptions for implicit gender biases using a bias decoder program and presenting my findings to leadership. I owned the project myself from beginning to end and was trusted to articulate my findings to senior leadership.

After Graduation

After finishing school in January 2022, I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to return to Coupa as a full-time employee! I’m still here over two years later, and I can confidently say that my internship built a strong foundation for my career. I highly recommend the Coupa internship program to anyone considering it! You’ll meet many amazing, hardworking people and get opportunities to contribute immediately to the Village!

It was a fantastic experience to see the impact of my work, and I felt proud to have contributed to the company's success. Overall, my internship experience at Coupa was invaluable and gave me the confidence to succeed in the corporate world.

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