Be it through a university or other institutions, internships have slowly become one of the most integral components to a holistic education. It has even become a compulsory prerequisite for many in other to obtain their degree.
With that said, there are so many opportunities out there. I had the luxury of pursuing my own opportunity out of my home country in the humble city of Bucharest, Romania.
I flew over to Bucharest to join the team at CV30 for a short duration of 2 months. Despite the brief time span, I finally understand why an internship experience is so paramount to a well-rounded educational experience. University equips you with the technical jargon and know-how, but practical experience in application could potentially be what helps you stand out from the crowd.
In my experience with CV30, I have been incredibly blessed to have been in this environment that exposes me to new things, involves me in everything they do and challenges me to become a better version of myself.
1. Exposure
From the very beginning, the interview process was one that I had not experienced before. There were a series of questions I needed to answer and during the interview, my answers were then broken down to reflect the person I was. What truly intrigued me was how this was the practical application of these exact words from their website, “Explore compatibility with thousands of teams and professionals worldwide.”
They weren’t simply another recruiting firm. Employer Branding was a niche that they specialized in, truly focusing on the compatibility between the individual and the firm. More importantly, they practiced what they preached.
Despite not having any experience in this field before, the on-boarding process over Skype in the month prior flying to Bucharest aided incredibly in getting me up to speed. It exposed me to the various thought processes of exploration and understand Employer Branding as a whole, allowing deeper comprehension of the services the firm provides. The hard work for the entire month led up to a single presentation on the first day in person at the firm, allowing me to showcase that I was now ready to be a part of their team.
Besides that, I was also afforded the chance to try my hand at marketing through social media channels, such as Linkedin. Crafting and understand how the campaign function worked brought to light new forms of marketing that I never considered before.
The exposure gained from my time here was so valuable because of what was unexpected. However, this was all possible due to how CV30 is filled with genuine people that would constantly keep you involved.
2. Involvement
From the simple things of preparing and having breakfast together in the morning to having the freedom to voice out potential improvements instead of being limited by hierarchy, the team at CV30 will never fail to make you feel involved. You may read more about the management structure of cv30 here: https://www.business.cv30.co/post/management-style-cv30-how-involved-are-the-employees-in-business-decisions
Meetings are conducted first thing every morning and various issues will be brought to the attention of everyone in the firm so that we are all kept up to date on the happenings of the company, even if it is not under our jurisdiction. This empowerment of knowledge irrevocably enhances our emotional investment into the decisions that are made at every point as we are always free to, encouraged even, to voice out our own opinions and trust that they will be taken seriously, regardless of position or age.
3. Challenge
Meetings were conducted every morning, but Monday meetings were a tad bit longer. This was because at the start of each week, we will be grading each other based on the previous week’s performance. The assessments are derived from our deliverables, KPIs and the values that the company wishes to uphold in the pursuit of their business. This ensures that every individual is held accountable to their own words and constantly receives feedback from everyone else in the company so that we have a better understanding of how our actions appear to another.
With that said, there is no doubt with regards to the value of the service CV30 brings to the world, as can be seen here: https://www.business.cv30.co/post/the-importance-of-employer-branding. Based on our initial month of experience, we were tasked to envision starting up CV30’s services in our home countries. What would be the first thing that we would do? Why? Based on further discussions, we eventually were able to assign a task to ourselves and handle the full execution. This is the final product.
An experience with CV30 would, without a doubt, be one that you would grow from, simply by virtue of their management style. In many firms, you might gain exposure to new things. However, there are far less that would challenge you to think for yourself and groom you through these experiences to make you a better version of yourself.
One line that stuck with me in my time here was to "not be afraid of making mistakes". Many of us are afraid of making mistakes and that holds us back from our true potential. It is only by constantly trying and going into untouched territory will you be able to truly grow.
There is a quote that effectively sums up what I wish to say and that is: “If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.”