Determine the right fit with a firm

Wende Witthuhn’s full-time internship with Bluestem Financial Advisors LLC in Champaign, Ill., did not evolve into a permanent paraplanner/analyst position as she anticipated — but it was her choice.

Ms. Witthuhn, 22, decided to return to her home state of Kansas and accepted a position with a farm lending firm.

Before moving to Illinois for the internship, Ms. Witthuhn said she had never lived outside of Kansas. In May, she graduated from Kansas State University, where she and two classmates had won first place at the National Collegiate Planning Challenge.

The advisers and staff at Bluestem Financial Advisors were disappointed that Ms. Witthuhn left, but when she began in May, both she and the company agreed that the two-month position would become a permanent job only if both felt they were a good fit.

“She was a terrific employee, but I know she was excited to go back to Kansas,” said Betsy Groves, operations assistant at Bluestem Financial.

Ms. Witthuhn did not return repeated calls to discuss her decision to leave and her new position.