Intern of the Week: Richard Gee for Sociology!

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 08:15:49 -0400
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Name: Richard Gee

Internship, Co-op, or Research Site: DAP Products Inc.

Position Title: HR Intern

Major or Program: Sociology

Current Class Level: Senior

Work Term: Summer 2021

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

I was an HR Intern throughout the Summer. I was responsible for updating every job description for the company, ensuring they were all up to date and had the appropriate information. I would meet with the Talent Acquisition Specialist, along with the different department managers, to update the job descriptions for the various departments to ensure that the positions for those departments were correct. If there was a need to make updates, I would work with the different department managers to put together updated job descriptions for their departments. Besides updating the job descriptions, I would complete other HR assignments when tasked, such as sourcing candidates for the company, posting job openings on Facebook and LinkedIn, and searching for university career fairs for possible recruitment opportunities.

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I heard about the position around March when I was searching on LinkedIn. After many past failures, I met with the Career Center for guidance, which included advice on how to improve the internship search, resume critique, and knowing when to apply. I was searching for any HR internships within the Washington D.C-Maryland area. As I was searching and applying, I came across the internship with DAP Products Inc. and found it to be interesting and felt that with my previous background in consumer goods/retail, I would be a good fit. Thus, that's when I decided to apply and submit the application.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

I have enjoyed the great people I've met and had the opportunity to work with. Additionally, I've really enjoyed gaining the necessary technical experience so that I can further pursue my career endeavors. Last but not least, this internship validates that HR is the right career field for me and I have great potential in the field.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Through my work, I believe I made an impact because the work that I did was tedious because of the number of job descriptions there are in the company. Even though there was an abundance of job descriptions that needed to be updated, I managed to get a majority of the work done in a matter of weeks, which allowed me to move on to the following steps within the project quicker. Additionally, my supervisor, along with everyone else in the HR department, were impressed with the quality that I put out and acknowledged their appreciation to me.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Don't get discouraged, stay perseverant. Whether it takes a month or a year, an opportunity will be there.

Please provide a short reflection or quote about what you liked most about your position / earning internship credit / working with the Career Center.

What I've liked most about my position was getting to work with people who have been in the HR field for years and getting to learn from them. Regarding the internship credit, I like getting the validation and notability on my transcript. As far as working with the Career Center, I really appreciate the advice and guidance that they've provided me throughout my internship search.