Jobs › Pentair

Sales Leadership Development Internship Program – Summer 2027

Pentair · Hanover Park, IL · Full time

Posted Sep 2, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

Why sales, and why at a company that makes water products?

What they are checking: Whether they have a real reason for choosing sales and understand what Pentair sells.

Tell me about a time you convinced someone to change their mind.

What they are checking: Whether they persuade by understanding the other person's needs, not just by talking more.

Tell me about a time you heard no and kept going. What did you do differently the next time?

What they are checking: Whether they handle rejection well and learn from it, which sales demands every week.

Tell me about a goal you set and tracked yourself. How did you stay on track?

What they are checking: Whether they are self-driven and organized, since sales roles depend on managing your own pipeline.

How do you build a relationship with someone when you don't have much in common?

What they are checking: Whether they can connect with many kinds of customers, which matters for long-term sales relationships.

What would you do

If you had five minutes with a pool contractor, how would you find out what they need?

What they are checking: Whether they lead with questions and listening, which is the base of consultative selling.

How would you learn a technical product well enough to sell it when you're not an engineer?

What they are checking: Whether they are willing to learn the product deeply instead of relying on charm alone.

You're given a strategic sales project for the summer. How would you plan your first two weeks?

What they are checking: Whether they would gather context and set clear goals before jumping into work.

At the end of the program you'll present to leadership. How would you show your project made a difference?

What they are checking: Whether they tie their work to business results like revenue, customers or time saved.

About the work

What's the difference between selling to a distributor and selling to the end customer?

What they are checking: Whether they have basic awareness of channel sales, which shapes how Pentair goes to market.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Pentair from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

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The full job description

As published by Pentair.

Job Description: Ignite your Career Journey with Pentair’s Leadership Development Internship Program! Are you ready to gain hands-on experience, develop your leadership skills, and make a meaningful impact? Pentair is seeking ambitious, innovative, and driven students to join our Leadership Development Internship Program. 🚀 What Awaits You Embark on a 12-week experience where you'll contribute to meaningful work, build lasting connections, and grow both personally and professionally. Through hands-on projects, mentorship, networking opportunities, and intern-focused programming, you'll gain valuable experience and develop skills that will help prepare you for the next step in your career. 🌎 Make a Difference Each intern will be assigned to a real-world, strategic business project that you will be immersed in for the summer. Your work will directly help Pentair achieve our mission of a more sustainable future. Interns will present their project objectives, processes, and overall results and impact to leadership at the internship program's end. 🌐 Professional Cohort Development As a Pentair intern, you'll join a cohort of talented students from across the organization and participate in meaningful development experiences throughout the summer. From mentorship and networking opportunities to executive speaker sessions, a team case competition, and our signature Intern Summit, you'll build valuable skills, expand your network, and gain exposure to potential career opportunities. Along the way, you'll collaborate with experienced professionals, contribute to meaningful work, and grow both personally and professionally. 💦 About Pentair At Pentair, we believe the health of our world depends on reliable access to clean water. We design, manufacture, and deliver a comprehensive range of smart, sustainable water solutions to homes, business, and industries around the world. Whether it is improving, moving, or enjoying water, we help manage the world’s most precious resource. 👍 Pentair Will: • Offer meaningful, hands-on work through a strategic business project that will allow you to make a real impact while developing valuable professional skills. • Provide on-the-job training, mentorship, and coaching from experienced professionals invested in your growth and success. • Pay competitively. • Provide opportunities to connect with leaders across the organization through executive speaker sessions, coffee chats, networking events, and mentorship experiences. • Offer a variety of professional development, social, volunteer, and cohort experiences designed to help you build your network and accelerate your growth. • Give you the opportunity to collaborate with fellow interns through a team case competition and attend Pentair's Intern Summit, bringing together interns from across the company for learning, development, and connection. • Provide the opportunity to showcase your accomplishments through a final presentation to Pentair leaders, with the potential to be considered for future full-time opportunities upon graduation. 📃 Minimum Qualifications: • Be pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business (Sales, Finance, Marketing, Business Administration, Economics, Supply Chain, Management) or related field from an accredited university • Be enrolled as a junior undergraduate (Preferred Graduation Date: Spring 2028) • Have a strong interest in pursuing Pentair’s full-time Sales Leadership Development Program upon graduation • Willing to relocate and work in locations throughout the United States while in Pentair's Leadership Development Program • Be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint • Must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future ✅ Key Information: • 12-week internship program with two start date options: • Session 1: Late May – Early August 2027 • Session 2: Early June – Mid-August 2027 • This position pays an hourly rate of $28.00/ hour . Interns work approximately 40-hours each week during the internship. • Financial support may be offered to those relocating for Pentair’s Summer 2027 Internship Program. Posting End Date: March 1st, 2027 Equal Opportunity Employer Pentair is an Equal Opportunity Employer. With our expanding global presence, cross-cultural insight and competence are essential for our ongoing success. We believe that a diverse workforce contributes different perspectives and creative ideas that enable us to continue to improve every day.

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