From Intern to Employee – Aliesha Singh

Aliesha Singh joined Volunteering New Zealand as a communications intern over the summer. She has since graduated and has a paid role at Ministry for Women. Aliesha shares her experience with interning and how that has helped her grow valuable skills.

My experience interning was definitive in my understanding of how to navigate the workplace and the idea of the workplace as a fun and collaborative environment. I joined Volunteering New Zealand as part of my internship paper at Massey University. I was excited about the opportunities interning would bring and I was fortunate to find that the organisation opened the door to each one.

At my internship I had the freedom to share and pursue my ideas and gained valuable experiences through projects I would not have otherwise got to work on. The projects that I worked on involved collaborating with staff at all levels, including senior management, and that proved to be an important lesson in professional discourse in the workplace.

Despite the fact that I was an intern, I felt like my ideas were heard and that I was a part of a receptive environment that valued differing opinions regardless of the status of the employee that provides it.

While my internship was fun it was also challenging and there was never a shortage of tasks to be completed. Because of this, I was taught a crucial lesson on how to manage my time by prioritising tasks in order to meet deadlines. Since beginning to interview for jobs, I am often asked about my proficiency in time management and I can confidently talk about how interning prepared me for working to a deadline.

As a recent graduate, I truly believe that my internship has given me an edge in entering and navigating the workforce. The experiences that I gained and lessons that I learnt during my interning have instilled confidence in my abilities that I would not have otherwise had.