As part of my BSc Management (Human Resources) degree, I did a placement year at a quantitative research company called G-Research, working across two Human Resources teams: Talent Acquisition (TA) and Talent Development (TD). Both rotations presented me with valuable insights and allowed me to learn and grow a lot as a professional and as an individual.

Working with people from various mathematical and scientific backgrounds allowed me to expand my knowledge about the different recruitment strategies, to better understand the industry, to collaborate with professionals from these fields, and to gain additional experience in building stronger talent pipelines.

My TD internship was my first one in this area, and it introduced me to several very interesting organisational coaches from outside the company with whom we run trainings. I learned how to recognise and understand the organisation’s needs, how to support the design and implementation of development programmes for employees, how to take advantage of the learning and growth opportunities available, and how to utilise the various methods for measuring success and talent development across the business.

Despite my overall satisfaction with the placement, being an intern has not always been easy. As someone with limited experience, I often found myself in a position where I was questioning my working approaches and contemplating whether a question was worth asking because it might be “stupid.” However, I can now say that the placement has undoubtedly helped me bridge this initial knowledge gap, and learning how to engage with different social groups at university allowed me to confidently build long-lasting relationships in the workplace as well.

Another big challenge for me was my international background. Despite my good level of English, Bulgarian remains my native language, and speaking and writing solely in English made me feel more tired throughout the days of more intense interactions. What I did not realise, however, was that my colleagues understood I could not always speak perfectly, and they never put me on the spot for making silly mistakes. The fact that I had no choice but to only use English also helped me become more fluent in it. Additionally, I learned more about British traditions and was pleasantly surprised to see how interested my teams were in the Bulgarian culture. This also turned out to be an important life lesson for me, as it showed me that a relationship, regardless of its nature, should be a “two-way” street in order to be successful.

My challenges and key achievements during my placement taught me several important lessons: communication is essential for good teamwork; not everyone will always understand you but maintaining a positive tone and being respectful will help you build good relationships; and the eagerness to learn from others will teach you unique life lessons. Reflecting on my placement experience helped me define my expectations for my next job, which include excellent business values and culture, friendly colleagues, and the opportunities to prosper, grow, and make an impact with my work.

Written by Marina, current BSc Management (Human Resources) student at AMBS

Related