Jasmine, is studying Psychology at Loughborough University. In July 2021 she successfully took up her position on K2’s annual intern placement scheme, working for Marketing and HR.
She’s now six months in and we asked her to share how it’s going, what she’d learnt and what advice she’d give others thinking of doing something similar.
Position: Placement intern
Department: Marketing and HR
Tasks and responsibilities: Supporting the Marketing team with content and channel development – developing articles for the intranet, website and social media as well as supporting events. Supporting the HR team with recruitment projects and audits.
Looking back over your first six months what things strike you?
My first six months at K2 have flown by. In taking a moment to think about it all I realise have already learnt so much in such a short space of time!
When it came to my first day working at K2, I certainly felt like the ‘new kid’ at school – all nerves and excitement at the prospect of this new journey. Thankfully I was quickly put at ease as everyone I met was really friendly, and their warm welcomes and genuine interest in me was really evident. This has taught me just how important the culture of an organisation is, as well as your “onboarding” (HR term) experience, where your line manager plans key meetings and introduces you to certain information and people to help you understand the work of an organisation, your role, and key tools and processes.
What was it like joining during a pandemic?
Thinking about my early days, which I now realise were quite unique, more experienced people often referred to how it must be strange to start work during a pandemic and discussed how much the working world was experiencing vast change because of it. Covid-19 working from home guidance was only just beginning to lift and so most colleagues were still remote working unless they couldn’t. Due to the nature of the work of K2 this was keenly discussed and questions were being asked about whether this was the new ‘normal’ and how organisations were going to adapt. For me, it was the only office experience I knew so had nothing to compare it to.
My working week consisted mostly of working from home at that point and I was adapting to learning the ropes via Teams. It initially felt more insular as you naturally couldn’t see everyone together in one place, but my team colleagues made sure I was introduced to key contacts and were very supportive – checking in and making sure I was able to get up to speed and clear on my work on key tasks.
Fast forward to six months later, I now feel completely comfortable in my role at K2 and juggle two days in the office (soon to be three) and three days remote working from home seamlessly. I feel I get the best of both worlds now: time for positive face to face interaction with colleagues which is so key for teamwork, especially when you’re learning from others so much; and then time to get focused work done on key tasks remotely. I’m now also really familiar with virtual meetings, so much so that they’re second nature.
What are the most useful things you have learnt so far?
Knowledge of the working world – I have gained more exposure to working in a business-environment than I ever imagined I would be able to on a placement year. From running an event, to offering my opinion on projects, to devising creative approaches, and supporting audits, I’ve been really grateful to feel fully involved in the activities of the teams I support and not just on the side-lines, which some of my friends have experienced in their work placements.
Working life resilience – My confidence in my abilities has grown and through supportive experience I feel more able to gauge how to manoeuvre fast moving deadlines or more challenging situations. I have met some wonderful people who’ve kindly shared their knowledge and experience with me, both in terms of marketing and HR specialisms, as week as the work of global mobility and K2.
Figuring out what might interest me in my future career – Taking on projects and working alongside experienced team members has really helped me gain a strong insight into what type of career I would like in the future. I’m starting to get clarity on what I am passionate about, and what skills I would like to develop further in the future.
Reward of team working and owning projects – I’ve learnt in very practical terms what it means to work as part of a team, as well as delivering individually. I have also really appreciated what it means to take pride in your work and enjoyed discussing approaches to projects to achieve the best result.
What are your top tips for another prospective placement student?
- To be confident in your own abilities and learn from those who are supporting you – If you had asked me when I first started at K2 to talk to a room full of people and present ideas or offer my opinion, I would have told you just how uncomfortable that made me feel. After growing my understanding of the work of K2, office working, and with gradual exposure, mentoring and support I now feel confident in undertaking this kind of activity which I’m really pleased about.
- Take the opportunity to grow and show initiative – I have tried to take on every opportunity that has come my way here at K2 and been offered plenty by demonstrating initiative, and that with a clear steer I could work on tasks autonomously. I have also made sure I find time to further develop my skills by completing a variety of accredited certifications which has been strongly supported by the colleagues I’m working with.
- Working really helps you enhance your time management – The organisational skills I have learnt and practiced whilst working at K2 have improved my time-management skills tenfold. Having to manage multiple deadlines and projects was much more rapid and intensive than at university. I have found putting everything into an online planner extremely useful, not only to keep track of everything that was going on, but also to help prioritise tasks and ensure I delivered to deadlines. I now feel I have a good knowledge of the tools to use and how to approach inbox and meeting management which will stand me in good stead post-graduation.
Find more information about K2 career opportunities and our internship placements. Feel free to also contact us to find out more from HR on what upcoming opportunities there are and what you’re interested in.
