Q&A with Nikki Clayton: Interning your way to a new career

by Kaitlyn Dickson

Nikki Clayton, now a full-time researcher at Charles Aris, started her career in executive search by interning with the Charles Aris research department in 2022. Kaitlyn Dickson, a current marketing intern, sat down with Nikki to discuss her career change and her advice for others pursuing similar paths.

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Kaitlyn: Were there any skills you learned from past positions that helped you during your Charles Aris internship?

Nikki: I was an academic librarian for two and a half years, so I was mostly the one teaching students and faculty how to do research, where to access it and how to ensure that research was credible. It was mostly me providing information literacy to campus communities. My past positions and library degree taught me how to formulate keyword searches, use boolean operators and evaluate my sources. I also learned how to think outside the box and look for information in less common places, which has been really helpful.

Kaitlyn: What made you want to change career paths, and how did you decide on research?

Nikki: I wanted to take a break from higher education. I really loved working with students and faculty, but I wanted to focus less on teaching others how to research and [more on] doing it myself. I wasn’t really sure how to apply my skill set outside of academia and writing papers, [but] knew there had to be something else. I ended up finding an opening with Charles Aris on LinkedIn.

Kaitlyn: What advice would you give someone looking to make a similar career change?

Nikki: It’s definitely scary, I know that. But if you start looking for something else, and the process and transition are easy, go for it. I was finding a lot of openings with executive search firms and getting calls back from recruiters immediately. In academia, it was very hard to get an interview. So, if the transition is easy, go for it.

I also think a lot of people, especially those who want to break into something new, might say, ‘I have to intern first? No way.’ But it’s okay to take an internship after you’ve been in a professional role for a little bit. Often, that’s what gets your foot in the door and what makes the transition so easy.

Kaitlyn: Which part of your internship have you found the most valuable?

Nikki: I really liked working with a lot of people, but [I specifically liked working with those] on the research team who ended up having the same background as me. I thought it was really cool to see so many higher-ed professionals getting into this type of role.

Kaitlyn: How has your full-time role differed from your internship?

Nikki: With my internship I was done at 2:00 p.m. [Monday through Thursday] and 1:00 p.m. on Friday. I had time to do whatever I wanted, which is great, but it’s also great to have a full-time role. I recognize that I do have to schedule a little bit better, but the flexibility with remote work, whether it’s intern or full time, is very valuable.

Kaitlyn: How do you hope to grow in your full-time position?

Nikki: I would say getting comfortable doing searches myself. Once I’m done shadowing, [I want to] trust myself a little more and start closing searches [so I can] climb the ladder and maybe be a manager one day.