The Discover Program
In any workplace, multi-dimensional problem-solving and thinking are critical. Today, employees favor potential employees who emulate those traits and bring relevant internship experience to the table. Internships are invaluable, especially for college students and graduates.
An internship brings an abstract theory that is presented and discussed in the classroom to life. And even more than that, it’s discovering what it’s really like to work somewhere. With recruiters from every company seeking out the top candidates, it can be a challenge to attract top talent.
The Discover Program ONE/ICS challenges potential interns to come find out the real deal. Only they can decide if what we’re telling them at career fairs and interviews matches up with our actual company, actual opportunities, and actual culture. We want our interns to discover what it’s like to put out some of the most innovative engineering and construction projects in our region. We want them to discover what it means to be a part of a company who cares.
One intern who took the challenge this past summer was Marissa Tuhy. Marissa is pursuing a Management Communications degree at North Dakota State University. While at ONE/ICS, she worked as a Human Resources Intern.
Projects Worked On:
Throughout the summer, Marissa gained a broad sense of the HR profession through working on a wide variety of projects. At the start of the internship, Marissa’s assignments focused on onboarding and recruitment. She completed phone interviews, resume screening, reference checking, I9 verifying, and onboarding checklists for new hires. She also gained experience with compensation through research and data analysis. Additionally, Marissa aided the HR Department in the completion of the Job Description Project. This required her to interview employees and write job descriptions for each position.
“My favorite project has been helping mange the company intranet, specifically with employee highlights,” Marissa explains, “I gather information about employees, create a photo graphic, and post the highlights onto our company website each week. This project allows employees to get to know one another better.”
Valuable Lessons Learned:
The internship has been a valuable learning experience for Marissa. She stated, “After my internship, I will walk away with a greater knowledge of the industry and also the HR profession.” Marissa will be able to apply what she has learned during her internship to her future educational courses at NDSU.
Marissa learned a variety of HR policies and practices through hands-on experience with the HR Team. She also had opportunities to attend meetings, webinars, and conferences to gain ideas and learn about updates and future trends within Human Resources.
[Tweet “After my internship, I will walk away with a greater knowledge of the industry and also the HR profession.”]
Leaving an Impact:
Marissa has left a positive impact on the Human Resources department and our company employees.
“Through onboarding and recruitment, I hope to have given a strong first impression to potential candidates as well as made the first weeks for new hires smooth and successful,” Marissa explained, “I also believe the Employee Highlight Program will benefit the company as ICS and ONE continue to integrate.”
[Tweet “I’m excited to see where this Discover Program takes her in her career someday”]
Comments on Marissa from her Mentor:
Kristi Spindler, HR Director, says, “Marissa has made a huge impact to the HR team and projects we are accomplishing. She’s an extremely quick learner, driven, pro-active and curious to know more. Marissa has huge potential from a business standpoint and I’m excited to see where this Discover Program takes her in her career someday.”