Human Resources Intern Review

Once I had passed the first few months of my placement year and i started to get into routines, I really began to enjoy my placement year. I loved the responsibility and opportunities I had within my year, and i loved the chance to act professional in-front of colleagues and clients alike. I enjoyed visiting client sites and sharing my expertise with colleagues.

I felt very valued by my colleagues, especially as my placement progressed. As I was the youngest in the team, I had high technical knowledge so was able to help my team in many ways. I also became known for my skillset, and was often asked to do work based upon my skillset and the experience colleagues had had with me. It felt really good to be valued, and now that I am leaving it is great to hear people saying they don't want me to go.

I was given great managerial support. When I was struggling with my role, my manager made some changes and actually changed my role for me so that i would enjoy my job more. Furthermore, we were assigned Professional Development Managers who managed our development through the year. In addition to this we were assigned mentors; I met with mine on a monthly basis and she became a very important part of my placement year development.

Our business varied from day to day. Some days we would be so busy I'd eat at my desk, feel bad for going to the toilet and work late into the evening. Some days we would be so quiet I'd busy myself with online education and wait for some work to come in. It varied greatly, and has been stressful at points. The time definitely passes faster when we're busy.

I was given a high amount of responsibility during my placement. At times, especially at the end of my placement, I would be the sole point of contact for clients, and would travel the country to meet them and carry out procedures. I was always allowed to take on projects and opportunities that caught my eye, and my work was never questioned. It was really good to have responsibility, as it made me feel like one of the team.

I believe the skills I have developed during my placement will greatly help me. I have gained a lot of time management skills, organizational skills and attention to detail. Furthermore I have an improved work ethic, enhanced interpersonal skills and very high communication skills which will all be useful during my future career. I hope to enhance these skills further.

The general atmosphere in the office was really positive and there was a great feel of team work. Though most of my team were based elsewhere, a small portion of my team always sat close together. The atmosphere definitely changed during busy periods when everyone was stressed, but it always calmed down eventually. I didn't particularly enjoy the atmosphere among the other placement students in my workplace, as I felt it was very clicky (especially in HR) and there was a lot of gossiping. It wasn't the atmosphere I had expected, but I found ways to deal with it through the year.

The placement was very well organised. Throughout the year, we had a lot of support from Task managers, Professional development managers and mentors. We had quarterly education and meetings with others in departments. We also had lots of opportunities for shadowing and for giveback (extra activities) and it was really well managed. We had targets to meet throughout the year which I have exceeded, and our progress was monitored. Overall, I feel it was very well organised.

In terms of personal training, the company invested a lot into me. We had a weekly HR call where we had the opportunity to speak to each other and to guest speakers to find out about the different areas and roles within HR. We were provided with a lot of education relating to all areas of the company. Furthermore, for placement students. we had a workshop called "Employability Skills" twice within the year where we had the opportunity to develop and enhance skills. These included presentation skills, branding skills, and other skills that we were able to use within and hopefully after our placement year.

To be honest, I am not entirely keen to come back to the graduate scheme at IBM as all the roles appear to be in London, which is where I don't particularly want to work. However, I am not objected to coming back in the future. Furthermore, i plan to spend some time after university volunteering, so I may miss out on the graduate scheme. I shadowed a department in IBM during my year, which have said to me they will contact me should any opportunities arise. I am hopeful that this will lead to something.

Between most of the other interns, there was a big social culture. A lot of them went out weekly and spent a lot of time together outside of work. I wouldn't say it was positive, so I didn't join in very much with the bulk of the placement students. However, I had a small, close group of interns in a very culturally diverse group which was lovely, and we really bonded over the year. We have said we will keep in touch. Also, over Christmas, the whole of HR went out for a Christmas meal which was really great!

The cost of living wasn't too high. As I lived in portsmouth previously, i had my house sorted way before my placement and was used to the area. I also didn't spend too much money in terms of entertainment, as I didn't go out drinking as much as some of my internship colleagues. I found that the food in the canteen was really expensive which added a lot to living costs at times when I forgot lunch. However, I have been able to save more than I planned to this year which has been really positive.

I didn't really get too involved in the nightlife in portsmouth as it is not really something that interests me. My hobbies usually include visiting the cinema, having movie nights or going shopping (rather than clubbing). From what i heard from fellow colleagues, the nightlife was good and vibrant (and cheap!).

There were lots of opportunities to get involved in that were unrelated to my job role. I participated in lots of giveback activities. One of these was a three month project working with schools in the local area in a challenge to create a website. We were assigned a school that after ten weeks of work, and us communicating with them as Business Advisors, our students placed third which was a great achievement. We were also given the opportunity to visit areas in the community with the chance to inspire young children to work in technology. I also completed other projects.