The Human Resources Intern Experience

By: Timothy P. McHugh

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I. Introduction to the Field of HRTaking on this academic internship this semester I knew it would be a big challenge to tackle

because my schedule was already filled with six courses and on top of that two were writing

intensive management courses which are a requirement for all management majors to complete

in order to graduate. Human Resources is actually my minor, which made the situation a very

unique learning experience to help expand my overall business experience.

The acquisition of the internship was also unique because I was previously employed by

CMTM as an intern in the Accounting department. Another very unique experience because I

have no desire to follow a path in the field of finance, but I saw an opportunity calling me to

improve my manager skill set in a previously weak area. By focusing on improvement in our

weakest areas and being able to convert them into strengths is crucial for managers who are

striving for success. A mind set I acquired from my time working at CMTM taught me most

importantly to adapt to any given situation in front of me. With much practice I found that at a

certain point things just started to come to me naturally and as more time eventually passed

Human Resources seemed to be my calling.

Since day one of the switch to the Human Resources department I felt a much greater sense

of happiness and passion in my work. Dealing with people and being able to read people for

their true intentions was something that just came natural since I was a child. This made it

comfortable for me to step right into new responsibilities and get the job done effectively. After

I would finish a task, I found myself eager to do something new and would ask for new work as

much as possible. My personal philosophy has always been to experience as many new things as

possible in life, this way you learn how to truly adapt to any given scenario. By breaking down

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barriers, the opportunity for higher achievement becomes possible. Embracing challenges head

on speeds up the progression and learning curves which ultimately translate into greater success.

This mentality translated directly into the work that I put into the internship and

collaboratively me and Jo-Ann found new and promising opportunities by embracing new

challenges together. I even noticed a difference in Jo-Ann’s work after having a set of new eyes

for weeks; she further refined a very sound practice. The relationship was a very positive one

that fostered much growth in both of us and then further translated into more growth within the

company. I was able to witness firsthand what influence improvement can have on an

organization. When one area of a company or policy is improved; it in turn improves the other

areas that are connected with it, then ultimately improving the company as a whole, which is a

main aim for Human Resources.

II. The Experience

My experience as an intern covered a wide variety of different areas within Human

Resources but my primary responsibilities were focused on recruitment specifically. Going into

the internship I was somewhat prepared for my new responsibilities due to my knowledge gained

from Human Resources classes at Nichols. With anything in life knowledge is always critical,

but no matter how extensive one’s knowledge is on a particular subject, things become different

when you are in the field and making real-time decisions, which then leaves you to rely on

instinct. This is what makes experience so crucial for a new business professional to gain so they

can later rely on it to avoid mistakes made in the past.

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My experience began with recruitment, which later on became my main field of focus in the

internship. I started out by creating letters of acceptance or denial for applicants who applied for

a job opening. Once I would finish a batch of letters, I would then review the candidates with

Jo-Ann and we would discuss why or why not they fit the position. This was critical information

because Jo-Ann is a very experienced mentor with valuable insight accumulated over many years

of practice. She informed me of specific red flags to look for with candidates, as well as certain

things that are usually a solid indicator of a good match.

I then moved on to reviewing resumes and making reference calls. I enjoyed making the

reference calls above all the other tasks because to me it was a different puzzle each time to try

and figure out what questions to ask and it was all “in the moment” decision-making. To me this

was a rush, thinking on your feet quickly in order to figure out how to solve the puzzle.

Eventually I began taking care of the mass mailings as well as organizing and maintaining the

employee files. A great learning experience I encountered was training our newly hired head

accountant who is a Nichols College alumni. Since I had much experience with the position he

was about to enter I gave him all the notes I took and guided him through his first week to make

sure he became properly acclimated.

Outside of recruitment, I did some extensive work in updating our benefits lists as well as

gained a deeper knowledge about all the benefits our company has to offer. Another project I

took on was updating the list of currently employed veterans and previously I did not know we

had so many veterans employed. I also put my creative talent to the test making flyers to inform

employees when a 457B representative was coming to the office. I tested them even further

when Jo-Ann asked me to redesign the Christmas party tickets. We ended up bouncing ideas

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back and forth and eventually reached an agreement of which design to use. I enjoyed this

creative element of Human Resources and it made me furthermore interested in the field.

III. How It All Comes Together

There were so many positive take-aways from my internship experience that made it all

worth the challenge it presented at times. In my time there I was able to further hone my

communication and critical thinking skills. I expanded my knowledge of the field of Human

Resources greatly. I was able to practice the use of insight in order to make difficult decisions.

With all of my practice in the field I found that my judgment on split-second decisions improved

significantly. The entire experience left me walking away with a clear sense of how to naturally

act and react in a business environment effectively.

The internship also has fostered the opportunity for employment afterwards, which I will

most likely pursue, unless I find another job opening that strongly calls out to me. If I remain, I

plan to stay no longer than two years. This way I can gain more experience, help improve the

company, and then be ready to move on to the next level. The experience will be extremely

valuable for when applying for other positions for several reasons. By just working in the

Human Resource field itself, you get daily exposure to reviewing job applicants and by doing

this it actually has expanded my knowledge of how I should present myself to an employer. On

top of that, graduating college with experience already under my belt in my field, it gives me an

upper hand over those with no experience at all. The experience was a very positive one in

which I developed my skills further, expanded my knowledge, and I took a step beyond the

classroom and “got my feet wet” in the real world of business.

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