Could you tell us a little about yourself Crystelle?
Hey there! Crys here. I’m a soon-to-be 2022 Business School graduate with a passion for people and HR. I love watching tennis, dancing to Spanish songs and searching for new activities on Adrenaline.com. I am very outgoing, creative and a social butterfly. I am also quite honest, so you can trust what I’ll be answering in the next few questions.
Who is the placement company, FDM?
FDM is a global UK-based company that recruit, train and deploy graduates into IT-based roles. An example would be a university student trained to become a software engineer at ANZ. We work with large companies such as CBA, NAB and KPMG.
Describe a typical day at the office, from your commute through to turning off your laptop.
My day starts with an almond latte at Toby’s estate, a short walk from Wynyard Station. I am warmly greeted by my team passing through the office and sit at my desk. I work through HR enquiries via email and People tasks alongside my manager and small People Team of 4.
I learn new things every day. I am taking on tasks and challenges which I have never been exposed to. I am a third year commerce student with absolutely no HR experience – everything is new to me. Following my lunch break, I work through other assignments throughout the day; these vary from reference checks, to writing up contracts and on boarding employees.
How does it differ when you’re working from home, and do you have any tips for managing 'WFH' effectively?
I’ll be honest, this being first corporate role, I would say that the transition to a corporate environment was much more comforting from the safe space of my own home. But this does come with a loss of human interaction. It is essential to keep in touch with your team; make sure you’re responsive to emails and have your Teams/Outlook on ‘Available’ (or whatever communication platform).
The 2022 reality is that they haven’t met you, and you want to make/sustain a good impression that you’re interested and on the ball. Make yourself present. I work quite well with my team because of this, and a positive culture is utmost key.
You can see a photo of my FDM team at our Work Christmas Party from December 2021.
Be real. Tell us what you learnt during after the internship.
Let’s be real, moving to a corporate scene is quite intimidating – especially with a career history of mostly retail and food. I was unfamiliar but curious, and didn’t know what to expect. My best advice is to just put yourself out there.
Ask questions. Ask for a challenge. Ask for a big responsibility. Talk to others. Get their diverse perspective on things. Make it known that you are open to learning new things, and want to grow as a professional.
What else are you meant to do as an intern? Be confident, don’t be afraid to get a bit uncomfortable. The company know your work experience; it’s all up to you and it’s your responsibility to put yourself forward – these are the times that you learn the most.
And finally, what’s the highlight for you as an intern at FDM?
The best part for me was applying my studies to real world situations and people. My work used to be solely lectures and assessments; and now it’s evolved to meeting people and applying my knowledge to genuinely help others with their employment.
It is absolutely invaluable to me that I get to learn as much as I do, and I work within a team that know their damn stuff. I feel myself growing both personally and professionally, and being exposed to new challenges that provide me with key skills for the future. I count myself lucky to have worked with such a great team and I would say that is why I’ve learnt so much.