Kathleen Acott - International Internship at First Advantage with CRCC Asia, Beijing, China

Kathleen was an intern for the head of Human Resources in First Advantage’s Beijing office. Her role involved drafting emails to the American HQ, other employees and heads of department. She was responsible for making sure that employees were aware of events and announcements which were relevant to them, such as new notice periods for termination of employment. She also created new initiatives for the office such as ‘Employee of the Month’ and motivational posters.

‘I most enjoyed being a part of a huge multinational corporation and feeling my contribution make a difference to the company itself. I had never worked in an American business, nor in China, and doing so allowed me to get more of a feel for the business culture of both parts of the world and how they collaborate to achieve business success.’

‘I enjoyed being part of an overall HR team and being called upon for my specific expertise and skills. However, mostly I enjoyed getting to know the people and the role they play in the business as a whole. Understanding each individual from such a vastly different background from my own and their route into the business was inspiring. I heard many different stories and routes into business and it changed my view on there being one set pathway into the best graduate jobs. The internship vastly improved my work ethic and dedication to my career path.’

‘I was directly accountable to a number of senior figures in the business, and this amounted to a desire to fulfil their high expectations under time pressure and often a deliberately vague brief. This was challenging as it meant researching the business and its key aims in order to know the kind of answer they expect to a given problem and the way that the business itself would resolve the challenge. Whilst this was the hardest aspect of the internship it was also the most beneficial as it allowed me to think from the point of view of a corporation rather than an individual which I believe to be a valuable skill in the business world.’

It has also allowed me to develop my networking skills, language skills, and cultural exposure as well as my writing, communication and research skills.

[Being able to show] ‘that I can work in a foreign environment and internationally with people from all walks of life is appealing to graduate employers, who are often looking for someone who can adapt to new situations and work overseas. It also shows that I can work in a multinational company under management as well as delegating and working as part of a team.’