My Internship Part 2

I had always imagined an internship was for a college/school leaver searching for experience. Sceptics would have you believe companies are taking advantage of eager jobseekers, prepared to use their skills and then discard them as soon as they are done with them.

What did I want from an Internship? First of all I wanted the opportunity to prove that I had something valuable to offer a company. Secondly, I wanted to fill the glaring gap on my CV in relation to my experience. Surely it is a no brainer, six months on the dole looking for a job or six months working day to day building up new experience? Thirdly, I wanted that feeling of not knowing anyone, of first day nerves and being completely lost in a company where everything is alien, I wanted the opportunity to learn.

Lastly, and most importantly, I wanted to find a way to put my time to good use, to shake off the feeling of whiling away hours, to drop the sense of frustration and replace it with accomplishment. And, as I keep hearing, it is easier to get a job when you are already in a job!

It has only been a number of weeks but from what I have seen so far I like it. I don’t know anyone, I was nervous on my first day and ironing my shirt every evening is tedious. However, everyday I am involved with a new project, all in areas that command my interest. I am not being used and abused, more accurately I feel like a valued member of a vibrant team pulling in the same direction. I’m told this is how internships are supposed to work.

So that was then, now, two months down the line things have changed, and changed for the better. Christmas came and went. The time in work was spent training on the systems used and gradually gaining practical experience with them. Time outside of work was spent getting to know new colleagues as the social side of Christmas made my introduction to Hays much easier.

Then on the 2^nd of January came news that I had not been expecting. “How would you feel, if when you came back from your break you would have a permanent job?” my boss asked, just before I was due to head off for an early January break. My initial reaction was, “with Hays?!” I presumed my boss had worked his contacts and found me a place in another company. No; one of my colleagues on Hays’ marketing team had been offered a job that she was not going to turn down. I was being offered her position.

How could I refuse? The prospect of a permanent position while continuing to follow the learning curve I was already on was not something I needed to be asked twice about. I have been dropped in at the deep end as my responsibilities have increased but by #jobfairy am I enjoying the challenge?!

Job fairy tales are few and far between these days and I definitely do not want to make it sound like every internship ends this way, they don’t. But there is one thing I would like to leave you with.

In August 2012, I was confident in my abilities, and was sure I would be back working in no time, having followed the usual process, application – interview – job offer. Come November, I was not that person. I was frustrated, disillusioned and down. The Hays internship has shown me that with the right attitude, hard work and a big old slice of luck, things can turn around as quickly as they fell apart.

Ok, so as twists go, it wasn't quite Dan Brown but if the dream job is eluding you, why not consider the dream internship.

Would you consider doing an internship? Complete our quick survey on Hays.ie.

Career Zoo goes wild!

It’s been a couple of weeks since the third and most successful Career Zoo, the job fair for professionals. It was amazing! Firstly, the standard of the companies who participated rose considerably, check them here. A full range of industries were represented – healthcare, IT, telecoms, pharmaceutical, finance, manufacturing, management consultancy and retail. And there was an excellent choice of education establishments.

A big draw was the skills conversion courses offering new career opportunities for professionals. In just 6-12 months these courses allow individuals to retrain, free of charge, into a growth sector like software development, cloud computing or pharmaceuticals. I think these courses would offer a fantastic opportunity for those who are coming from the toughest industries like construction, architecture and engineering. Interestingly, we just did our own survey on skills conversion in the IT sector, which produced very good news for jobseekers (IT Skills Conversion Survey Results)

With such a stellar line up it was no surprise that the attendees went through the roof. It’s estimated over 10,000 people turned up over the two days. To be honest it felt like all 10,000 were there on the Saturday. There was a queue from the Mansion House all the way down Dawson Street late into the afternoon! I felt bad for the people who had to queue, but for health and safety reasons the staff at the Mansion House needed to manage the numbers. I hope that everyone got some value at the event after patiently waiting. Our stand was completely packed with a wide range of professional s offering their CVs and asking for advice. It fact it took a week just to get through the hundreds of CVs we received and contact the applicants.

The Career Clinic we hosted on behalf of Career Zoo was again a huge success and the walk-in slots were snapped up within the first hour on both days. I personally dealt with five, very talented individuals who welcomed the advice on their CVs, interview preparation and career strategy. However, I was surprised at how some of the attendees prepared for Career Zoo. It’s not very often you get a chance to have a face-to-face conversation with a potential employer before application. It’s a fabulous opportunity for people to make an impression and let all the great employers attending know that they should seriously consider them for a job. Nonetheless, it was only a minority who dressed formally. In fact there was one gentlemen with “Who’s your daddy” emblazoned across a t-shirt. You could argue it’s perfectly fine in the IT sector to dress casually to meet potential employers who might want to interview you, but I personally would have erred on the cautionary side and dressed conservatively.

In addition, it was quite common to meet people who did not bring CVs or who had ran out of copies. It seemed strange to me, that people would be content to queue for 20 minutes to get into the event, but not have carried out prior preparation. There can’t be too many events that gather companies of that calibre into one room wanting to hire people. I received CVs with addresses scribbled out on them, some missing numbers and one even missing a name! You can be sure, that the attendees who did their homework beforehand – researched the companies attending and the jobs available, produced well prepared and tailored CVs, dressed for a proper interview, tried to make an impression on the employers attending – would have been the first to get a call, or might even have secured an interview on the spot.

Overall, I think most people - exhibitors and attendees- got some real value out of the event and I believe there have already been hires. Credit to the organisers who have been able to build a bigger and better event than they had previously. Here’s looking forward to the next Career Zoo!

Stephen is responsible for the marketing and communications for Hays Ireland including the website, PR and social media. He is a member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and is passionate about the development of marketing through new technologies.

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E: stephen.flanagan@hays.com

P: 01 8972481
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