From my global internship experience with Signal AI, I ended up learning much more than I ever thought I could in only two months. I learned that working in a global company with international offices and clients contributes to your personal and professional growth; I gained perspective on life from my French and Portuguese colleagues in which I need to slow down and not always rush through everything. My U.K. colleagues have taught me that work is not my whole life and once you are out of the office for the day, you do not work; work is only done at the office - no need for burnout. I also learned that the scope of the Talent teams’ responsibilities is far more than I ever thought it would be, and I still have not learned everything. I learned that the involvement and coordination of other internal teams is crucial to the hiring process, so one should ensure that they foster positive connections with them by networking. This experience will enrich my resume as hiring managers will see my extensive experience in a global office and having directed a self-project that improved the company’s hiring process (more than an average intern’s experience in the States of fetching coffee). Cultural engagement will enrich my professional career as I can take what I have learned from Signal to add perspective to future colleagues’ opinions on work and life, and in turn it will make me a more balanced employee. What I learned in terms of improvement for myself is that I should learn to slow down more - I do not need to always be rushing through work. I have no recommendations for the internship, as it was already more than I could have hoped it to be.

My Week 1 goals were to learn what Human Resources was and the extent of the role and to integrate myself into London culture as much as possible. I believe I achieved both of them because of how I pushed myself to put myself out there more (socially) and because of how much Steve taught me about Talent. I brought the interns together at Signal and we were having a joint lunch at our favorite street market spot that all local Londoners eat where I work, and I have joined for drinks and gotten to know the team better by participating in London’s pub culture. I did not realize how engaging in pub culture would make me feel more integrated in London culture. My boss taught me everything about the hiring process and what EVP was and how I could use my skills to help improve Signal, broadening my respect and understanding for Talent teams everywhere. I cannot express how grateful I am for this internship and how happy I am to have made the choice to come to London for the summer - I have truly learned much about Human Resources and myself in which I am capable of and will continue my both professional and personal growth through gaining perspective and wisdom from others. 

Coming back to the U.S., I am happy to have AC and ice again, but I will always cherish my time in London as I have gained so much perspective and experience that helped me truly grow as a person and become more independent and confident.