My summer with Ambition: Mohima's Internship

Mohima Akther, a year 12 student from London, joined Ambition as an intern for six weeks this summer. Below she describes her time with Ambition and how the experience has prepared her for the world of work. 
 

I was placed at Ambition in a 6 week summer internship through the 'Career Ready' program, the program helps to prepare students for the world of work. My time with Ambition has now sadly come to an end, but it has been an invaluable experience for which I am very grateful. I have learnt so muchduring my time with Ambition, not only about the world of work and recruitment but also about myself. 

Although recruitment isn’t my chosen career path, this experience has enabled me to develop various skills that I will be able to apply throughout my future, from finishing my A-Levels to getting my first job. My time with Ambition as also allowed me to explore different career options. Recruitment isn't something I had thought of before, but now I know about a range of careers that could all be options for my future.

How I developed and learned

When I was initially offered an internship Ambition I was quite anxious as this wasn’t the career path that I wanted to take. I thought that the experience may not benefit me or my future career choices - this was not the case! I didn’t realise the skills I would learn would be applicable to the world of work in general, or how much I would develop personally, throughout my time here.

My confidence and communication skills have developed hugely - communication is key in an office environment, it was essential for me to ask questions and for help when I needed it. At first, I thought I would find it difficult to fit in with the team but throughout my entire 6 weeks with Ambition, everyone was so welcoming and friendly, As time progressed, I became more comfortable and gained confidence. I learnt that it’s not as scary as I initially thought to talk to new people.

My self-management skills developed throughout my internship - I was set a range of daily tasks and had to ensure that I prioritised the more urgent ones. This has taught me how to manage my time and workload in a confident and stress-free manner. I have also realised how much I’m capable of learning within a short time period.

Throughout my time at Ambition I used Excel daily, I now know more than just the basics, I have learnt new shortcuts and how to use various features in the program. Having behind the scenes access to a recruitment agency taught me how the recruitment process works, how many different roles there are within a company and how to go about finding a job. The experience also taught me how to tailor my CV, making it look more professional when I am applying for jobs in the future.

What I enjoyed the most (and least)

My favourite thing about working for Ambition was being around the wonderful, friendly people. Everyone made me feel comfortable, helped me whenever I needed it and made me laugh daily. My most enjoyable day was Ambition’s Team Building Day! During my second week at Ambition, the whole office was put into teams and had to create an art piece detailing what Ambition’s core values- PRIDE (Passion, Resourcefulness, Integrity, Drive, Enjoyment) meant to us. It was a great way of getting to know my team members outside of a normal working situation and we all had so much fun and a lot of laughs!

My least favourite task during the internship would have to be updating and formatting CV's on the CRM system, It was a very time consuming task as there was a lot of profiles to work through, however, I did learn how to format CV’s, which will be beneficial in the future when I need to prepare my CV to apply for various job roles

Thank you Ambition.

Overall, I have really enjoyed my time working with Ambition! This experience has helped me by highlighting the skills that I need to be successful in the workplace. I began my internship unsure of what to expect but it has given me drive to work as hard as I can in order to achieve everything I want in the future.

The experience has been a real eye-opener to the world of work and how hardworking everyone at Ambition is, which I really appreciated. I really like the fact that Ambition recognises and celebrates those who have gone above and beyond with their work, which you wouldn’t see in most companies.  

It has been a fantastic 6 weeks working with a great team who support each other, are very welcoming, friendly, hardworking and can also have a laugh. I will never forget this valuable experience and would like to thank everyone for making my time at Ambition very pleasurable! 

By Mohima Akther