August 21st, 2022, I can still remember it so clearly. It was the evening before I began my internship at Nota. I was worried about a lot. What clothes should I wear? Formal or informal? Do I need any documents? What time should I wake up? And how should I get there? What if I sleep in? What if I'm late? These days, I am well into the swing of my daily routine, so it's funny to think about how I was back then. I guess I was just so excited. It was my first internship, and I was desperate to do my best. I still am!
My internship at Nota is in Human Resources (HR), and the work I do can be divided among three constituent parts. Corporate culture, recruitment, and public relations (PR). Today, I would like to review some of this more closely, highlighting the work I have done at the company.
(Note for the reader – the tasks and responsibilities described below are unique to an intern. The People and Culture team works across a number of other tasks and activities at the same time.)
My role
Nota wants to project their vision to as many people as possible. Part of my role as an intern was to help them realize this goal by managing the Nota teamblog. My main responsibilities were to write, edit, manage and eventually upload blog contributions to our site. I worked diligently, checking for errors or changes that might need to be made.
After settling in, I was given a bit more responsibility, and I was asked to complete an Intern-view for the teamblog. I wrote a detailed proposal, composed interview questions, and carried out both a written and in-person interview. It took a lot of work, and went on for a bit longer than I anticipated, but I was happy with the results when it was eventually published.
I also worked independently to develop new ideas. With reference to past contents, I brainstormed ideas in my own notes for future blog posts. Then we would come together as a team to see if we could do anything new or exciting. Our work wasn't always published, but working towards the thoughts and ideas I created was helpful for my personal development.
Aside from managing the teamblog, I contributed to producing company promotional materials for the SEN Lab Career Fair. This was something I had no prior experience of, so it was a little daunting in the beginning. I was grateful that the company trusted me to do something so important, and I was delighted with the eventual results.
Part of the working culture at Nota is a desire to include everyone in the process. Even though I was only an intern, I was included in company meetings, and external affairs and events. I am thankful that I was able to experience Nota's company culture in ways I had never anticipated.
Nota Culture
As I mentioned, the working culture at Nota is something that stands out. People really go out of their way to cultivate and maintain an atmosphere of togetherness that informs everything that happens at the company. I have many fond memories of team workshops and end of year events and celebrations. At the team workshops, it is required for teams and departments to make their own signs and decorations. Afterwards, these signs are often displayed around the office, a small reminder of fun times. Little things like this make a big difference.
Looking forward to 2023, I have many exciting projects on the horizon. I can't talk about it too much yet, but I have something new in the pipeline, and I will also be helping to establish a new company welfare system. Many meetings have already taken place and plans are well underway. Helping to establish a new welfare system has been a good opportunity to learn from my colleagues, to understand their perspective, and to discuss the implementation of our upcoming plans. Holiday season is fast approaching, but we are more busy than ever!
When I applied for my internship, I wanted to experience life inside a developing company. Thankfully, I have had that, and more. I doubt most interns in other companies have been as lucky as me. I have been in the thick of it from day one, just like everyone else. I am very happy with how things have turned out.
.
.
.
Ups and Downs
Looking back on my internship, it has been a wild ride. There are many things that I am proud of, but there are also some things I wish I could have done differently. I am proud of my work on the teamblog. I was always happy when a well-written post was published. A lot of hidden work goes into each post, and it was a rush when one went live. I also loved creating new ideas, like the Nota-Opinion page, or decorating our hallway bulletin board with photos from our team workshops.
If I have any regrets, it would be that I think I could have been more outgoing with my ideas and opinions. As a new intern, I sometimes felt a little shy and I could have been more open. This was my first experience of company life, and maybe I was a bit daunted by it. Thankfully, I recognized this in the middle of my internship, and have been pushing myself to be more open and proactive each day.
The past four months have been a great learning experience. I worked side by side with great colleagues, learning a lot about the industry, and myself.
.
.
.
Looking Back
Before I started my internship, I had two goals. The first was to immerse myself working in HR, and the second was to become a better person through the experience. I achieved the first, and the second is an ongoing, likely lifelong process. As my time with Nota draws to a close, I will resume my life as a student with renewed energy and vigor. Thanks to the experience of working at Nota, I can imagine my future career as a HR manager with more clarity and purpose. Before long, I will be knocking on the door of another HR department once again.
