The prospect of doing an internship as part of my university education always intrigued me. Getting a chance to apply the theoretical knowledge and skills acquired in the courses of the first one and a half years always seemed like a fresh challenge and a nice change to the routine. I was lucky to be armed with experience of several internships during high school, so I felt equipped and capable going into this one. However, there are always unexpected challenges one may need to face, such was the case with me.
Initially, I found a place on the UvA job board at a Dutch start-up dealing with high-end skincare for men. I was attracted by their outspoken values in sustainability, quality, and their goal to destigmatize skincare for men. Furthermore, I had never worked in a start-up before, but seeing as this was a company of four employees (including me), less than a year old, I knew that there would be a possibility of learning a lot in the high-output environment and with the level of involvement I would be privy to.
And indeed, one month into the internship I had been given various responsibilities and had a feel for the way the business ran. I enjoyed most of the tasks I had been given, including social media content creation, working on designing the new product packaging, writing educational pieces on skincare ingredients, packaging and sending skincare kits, and helping out with events. However, I realised after a while that my working environment was less than optimal. On top of my already time-consuming tasks, I was being asked to do things outside the scope of my agreed upon contract; take out the trash, buy cleaning equipment for the cleaning staff, walk my boss’s dog, and post their personal letters. Additionally, they gossiped during office hours, made homophobic comments, regularly put their side businesses in the foreground while letting my fellow intern and I take on most of the ‘dirty’ work for the business, which kept increasing every day, and did not show much appreciation for the work we did. The hierarchy was made very clear and unfortunately, the values that were once so attractive turned out to be just a fasade. After attempting to remedy the situation without success, we eventually decided to leave.
The unfortunate scramble to land another internship placement made me realise the importance of consistency with the expression of values within a company and the compatibility with one’s own. My ultimate internship experience at the International Solid Waste Association was quite different. I worked within the communications department on various projects depending on the need at the time, which gave me a lot of freedom of choice. I realised for myself, however, that identifying the key issues and then making a plan with clear goals and deadlines is more motivating – don’t be shy to communicate your needs to your supervisor. That includes finding a middle ground between the skills you have to offer and those you want to develop as well as staying open to other opportunities.
My team was very multicultural which made interaction very rich and full of ideas as well as underlined for me the importance of clear communication, respect, compassion, patience, and understanding the value of everyone’s jobs. Having a humorous spirit in the office really helps, too, and often bonding outside of office hours can help develop team spirit, especially in multicultural groups. Lastly, I would highly recommend an in-person work experience if you can, as it greatly influences your connection with your colleagues and the work itself.