In the realm of academia and professional development, certain individuals stand out not just for their intelligence, but for their unwavering determination and relentless pursuit of knowledge and growth. Kira, a remarkable student, is one such shining example. Her journey through education and into her professional life is a testament to her exceptionally strong work ethic and commitment to personal growth.
We visited Kira together with our Head of Career Centre at her Internship workplace: Post Hotel in Weggis. And we had some questions!
Can you tell us a bit about your internship experience within our College?
I am doing my first internship with The Post Hotel, Weggis. My experience here as an intern is going pretty much as planned. The management is very supportive and listens to us if we keep our point forward with reasonable arguments. I am provided with various opportunities here and they are very flexible.
Which one did you find best for your personal growth and why?
My internship has been on a Pro-Rata basis where I have been shifted to departments such as Accounting, Marketing, Reception, Bistro and F&B. I found the Marketing department best for me as I hold previous experience with the same department and would like to continue with the same in future.
Not many students achieve this complex goal of experiencing such different challenges.
What I believe worked out for me is my previous corporate experience. Mine is not an intern profile. I’ve already done the job they need me to do for them. We join internships to learn, however, with my previous experience I’ve already learned most of the skills they require me to implement. So basically, I am sharing my previous knowledge and also learning some new skills with this internship.
My biggest challenge here is the language barrier, however, we are managing it using various tools and my colleagues are very supportive and help me out whenever I am stuck.
What would you advise other students who aspire the same as you but give up easily thinking it’s too hard to cope with?
My advice for all the students will be to prepare a solid mindset and be aggressive with your goals. If you want to build your career in other departments than F&B, losing hope or giving up too easily is not an option.
Learn to endure failures, you won’t get a yes on the first trial and that’s fine, try again the next day and keep trying till you get it.
And what helped me most is to become as easy as a river, river always finds a way for it to flow.
Use the language of empathy till the time you possess the necessary German skills and become as selfless with your work as you can be. Empathy and selflessness will take you a long way. Empathy will help you understand what the other person needs as a solution even if you don’t know their native language.
And last but not least, always remember to carry your own individuality and voice when negotiating for your career.
