Half-year check-in by our HR Intern

Can you believe it we are way into the third quarter of the year. Perhaps this is a good time to look back at the first six months of 2021. This will help us to rebase and tighten up to ensure that we are able to meet the goals set for 2021.

Highlights:

• One of my greatest highlights has to be drafting, finalising, and presenting the Long Service Award Policy, as much as it was my first time, I made sure that it is well presented.
• Working with students in general and getting to know them has been heartwarming for me, having to remain kind, young, empathetic, and listening to their queries attentively, sometimes even with their personal matters. I guess it would be the ‘psychologist’ in me kicking in and knowing how students need to be valued and cared for as much as other professional members, as they are the future HR Professionals.
• Working with Mr. Mawande on the EE Plan for the Annual Report 2020 has also been an interesting task that definitely makes it to my highlights! It also helped me polish some soft skills (attention to detail).
• Being granted the opportunity to be an HR Candidate. I am learning such practical lessons for HR, and as a professional, with Penny Abbott, and I am still building my portfolio, which will help me in the future job search and my HR career.
• Writing an article for June 16, as an HR Intern, helped me step out of my comfort zone and boosted my confidence because of the great feedback I received, which was exciting. Also, having the GP Provincial Committee discuss my article during their online event “Breaking Barriers to Entry (A Focus on the Youth)”. I was delighted, to say the least.
• Last but not least, just working under Mr. Mawande’s guidance, has been incredibly valuable and appreciated, when I talk to friends about it, it always blows them away, and me too! Also, meeting such a great team that makes it so easy to work with, has been the cherry on top!

Challenges:

• To be honest, it was quite challenging learning to strike the balance between personal and professional. It was probably a matter of having no corporate work environment experience. However, I did overcome that challenge because I learned to understand that work is work, and that it is nothing personal. During the past few months, I have incredibly absorbed that the balance is possible in many ways, also by being objective, using emotional intelligence wisely, and managing things successfully, as I should.
• Not having the opportunity to practically apply some lessons from the HR candidate programme has been somewhat restricting, nevertheless, I understand that with some HR functions I have not yet been exposed to, since I am an intern. However, I do know that it will help for my personal growth, and professionally in the long run.