How 2020 Intern, Priscilla and her Internship Provider made Remote Internship Success
When applying for an internship through the Be Smart programme in January 2020, I decided that it would be best to go in with no expectations, but I never anticipated to do a remote internship, whilst on lockdown amidst a global pandemic.
As a first-year Communications, Media, and Marketing student at the time, with no experience in the field, I joined the Be Smart programme with an intention to achieve my goal of gaining more commercial awareness in my field. Fortunately, with the support of the careers service, I was given the opportunity to apply for an internship at the consulting company Gartner, as a Human Resources intern. At first, I was hesitant as it seemed unrelated to my field, but I took away valuable skills that I still apply in my current roles.
The application process required significant effort as it involved writing a tailored CV and preparing a short presentation on why I wanted the internship and what I could contribute. The effort was worth it, an interview was offered to me after a week of anxious waiting. Going into the interview I was nervous about my lack of experience with human resources, but it became clear that my interviewer and mentor Hannah, was more interested in the skills I had developed in my previous positions in hospitality and healthcare.
Hannah gave me valuable constructive feedback after my interview and continued to do so throughout my time at Gartner. Her approachable manner and clear guidance made me feel comfortable asking her questions, which resulted in good work.
The nature of my internship changed and went from spending one day a week at the UK headquarters to working digitally and remotely.
After transitioning to remote working, I had the pleasure of collaborating on a team project with another fellow intern from St Mary’s. Under the guidance of Hannah, we worked on setting up an employee Alumni scheme. This involved conducting market research, drafting template emails, and creating a mock version of the alumni platform which Hannah presented to her team after review.
I was delighted that despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, Gartner was able to adapt and help me in navigating the project and my work online. I had achieved my goal of gaining commercial awareness as well as gain valuable knowledge, connections, and a hands-on experience that I undoubtedly will take with me throughout my career.