As my freshman year at the University of South Carolina had come to an end, I was beyond excited to start working towards my career goals and begin my internship at Indium Corporation. Coming into Indium Corporation as the Human Resources Organizational Development Intern, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I was nervous, as one would be for starting their first internship in a professional setting. But, once I got to know the people and got a feel for everything, the nervousness slipped away quite quickly. Here’s my experience so far.
My experience started on June 1st at Indium Corporation, and it was the intern’s new hire orientation. Emotions were everywhere: feelings of nervousness, excitement, and eagerness to get going and learn. I couldn’t decide what to feel. When we started the orientation, the talent team made me so comfortable with how supportive, approachable, and kind they were. Each intern threw a beach ball around with questions on it we had to answer, in order to introduce ourselves and break the ice. Once the interns introduced themselves, I felt more comfortable around everyone, and my anxiety then made its way out the door. That whole day we learned all about Indium Corporation, what they do, their values, the people within the organization. Employees from different departments spoke, informing us about everything they knew. Just from that orientation, I just kept thinking to myself how great and successful this company is. The employees follow The Indium Way, everyone is genuinely welcoming, cares for you, and will help you get to where you need to be. This day reassured me I was going to be just fine, and that I have a great support system to get me through.
Orientation was a great day to calm my nerves and ease into the first week. I was able to learn a lot about my project and get a feel for what I was going to be researching along with the overall goal. At first, I assumed an internship would be having short repetitive tasks, being there to shadow, and overall getting a feel for the workplace. However, my assumption was wrong, but I’m honestly happy it was wrong. Interns were given a real business project to help the company and make an impact. My supervisor was a great help to me getting my project going, and she has never failed to include, support, and assist me wherever needed. She’s always there cheering me on and encouraging me, giving me ideas to research, things to look into, and making me feel truly a part of this team. I love that I can sit in at meetings, be a part of the organizational development side of Human Resources, to then go with my supervisor to different sites or events, etc. This team makes sure you get the absolute most and best out of your experience here at Indium Corporation.
As said before, the people within this organization truly follow The Indium Way. Indium Corporation’s core values of respect, appreciation, and achievement have shaped my experience because my coworkers and colleagues demonstrate these values every day. My first week, I had many people approach me with a kind hello, asking how I am, how the first week is going, asking if I like it so far, and tell me how appreciative they are to have me there. This gave me a great sense of belonging, and I felt included in this tight-knit work environment. Having small conversations like this can make someone’s day; they made mine for sure. There have been days that haven’t been the greatest, but the people are always there to pick you back up and support you. And that is a workplace I am proud to have a role in.
One of my favorite things about my internship so far are the lunch-and-learns. The lunch-and-learns happen every Thursday; lunch is provided for us interns and someone comes in to present to us and teach us. This is a great opportunity to meet interns from other sites and learn more about their experiences. It also provides a chance to build professional relationships and expand your network. These lunch-and-learns have taught me about myself, how to get ready for your career, how to market yourself, be professional, etc., all things that are so important to improve ourselves. It is additionally a great way to have a little break from sitting at our desks researching and working, all while learning about real world and life aspects. The presenters we’ve had were engaging, entertaining, informative, and they truly care about you and set you up for success. I’m so grateful to be involved in these lunch-and-learns and get taught something new and useful every Thursday to add what I’ve learned day-to-day.
That now brings me to my midpoint presentation. Just recently, all the interns got the opportunity to present what they have learned to supervisors, executives, other colleagues, and employees within the company, whether it’s about their project or takeaways. Quite a few of the lunch-and-learns we had set me up for success and achievement for that moment. Getting prepared was very nerve-wracking, knowing I’d be presenting to numerous people. But luckily, I made it through, thanks to the lunch-and-learn Thursdays where I was able to learn more about myself, how to be confident, make a strong presentation, and market myself. Although there was some anxiety, I knew I would be able to accomplish this, and I was excited to show everyone what I had discovered and experienced so far. Post presentation, I am proud to say it went very well and I presented with great confidence. I had to remind myself: I knew what I was talking about, I knew my experience, I knew what I had found while researching, and I just had to speak about it out loud. Practice, patience, and preparation were key and I got through it with a favorable outcome.
Now entering week seven of my internship, something I’ve been thinking to myself is, “how does time move this fast?” June 1st feels like yesterday. Within these seven weeks though, I am proud of the person I’ve become in and out of the office. Throughout my project and other assignments, it has allowed me to strengthen and apply my time management, organizational, research, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. I love learning something new, staying busy, and helping out with anything I can, I am very grateful for this opportunity. Out of the office, I use these skills to take time for myself, go to the gym every day after work, meal prep, lay out my outfits for the week, see my friends, and overall find a balance with the adjustment of working from 8-5.
To wrap things up, I am beyond thankful that my time at Indium Corporation has been filled with learning, connecting with talented and amazing colleagues, teamwork, support from everyone within the organization, and care. This has been such a memorable experience and I’m very pleased to bring what I have learned back to college as well as future endeavors. I want to say a big thank you to my supervisor Cara Jones, the HR talent team, and the rest of my colleagues for making my time here so surreal. Now, back to Carolina!
