Nitro is always looking for ways to build relationships within our communities, widen our talent pool, and invest in our future. This summer, we accomplished this by welcoming an intern to the People Team. Claudia Herbert joined Nitro from Dublin City University for a three-month work term to explore her interest in Human Resources, gain real-world working experience, and develop new skills.
Q: What are you studying in school? What are you looking to do when you graduate?
A: I’m going into my third year studying Social Sciences and Cultural Innovation at DCU, at the moment I don’t know what I want to do when I graduate, but my internship at Nitro has given me an insight into a possible career choice within HR and working with people. My course is very broad. It focuses on the disciplines of Sociology, Media, and Politics, as well as areas such as Social Entrepreneurship and Cultural Innovation. There are many areas in which I could pursue a career.
Q: What is your role at Nitro? How does this relate to your studies?
A: At Nitro, I was a People Ops Intern and worked within their People department. This role related a lot to my studies as Social Sciences focuses on the diverse forces that shape our lives, relationships, and societies. Innovation helps implement strategies that enhance each of these, which was used during my time at Nitro.
Q: What did you want to learn when you joined Nitro?
A: When joining Nitro, I wanted the experience of working in a professional work environment as it was something I’d never experienced before. As I don’t know what I want to do when I graduate, I wanted to learn as much as possible about the different roles within Nitro’s People department and the work that is carried out. I also wanted to improve my communication and interpersonal skills, which I feel I have accomplished through the work I have done in Nitro.
Q: What projects did you work on while you were at Nitro?
A: While at Nitro, I worked on multiple projects, two of the main projects were Nitro Cares and working with the talent team.
Nitro Cares is a People initiative that supports Nitronauts through all life events, it has created an opportunity for leaders to acknowledge special occasions for certain employees within their department and share their support. Nitro Cares highlights that acknowledging and supporting Nitronauts contributes significantly to employee participation and development, which in turn can boost performance, morale, and general job satisfaction.
My work with the Talent team involved a lot of communication, I was scheduling interviews between employees within Nitro and with candidates applying for jobs at Nitro. It also included teamwork and coordination between myself and the members of the Talent team, making sure all interviews were scheduled and attended correctly.
Q: What skills did you develop at Nitro that will help you in your future career?
A: Business communication and time management skills were used throughout my whole time at Nitro, from communicating with fellow employees, managers, and people from outside Nitro.
These skills were used while working with the Talent team, communicating with candidates from outside the business, working with the Talent team and other employees to ensure all candidates were given interviews at times they were available involved a lot of planning and prioritizing.
Q: How has your internship changed your mind about your future?
A: My internship at Nitro has given me the chance to experience a possible future career path, and it has allowed me to gain experience by watching, learning, and participating in the work of the People department at Nitro. I really enjoyed it, and it has opened my mind to the possibility of a job within HR when I graduate.
The broadening of our internship program is essential to develop and foster a new talent pool of future Nitronauts. Interns bring our company a fresh perspective, promote innovation, and enhance the leadership skills of those who manage them. We look forward to many more opportunities to welcome students to Nitro and encourage other future-focused companies to do the same.
