When it came to deciding where to spend my placement year, I knew I wanted to work in a company where I would have lots of customer interaction, be challenged and have my hard work rewarded. After interviewing with Hays, I knew that my internship wouldn’t be spent photocopying and making tea but that I’d be treated like every other employee with meaningful work, my own responsibilities and lots of learning opportunities. During my time at Hays I was kept constantly busy. I was working with candidates and clients, making sales calls to clients and looking after my own desk. I had a hugely supportive manager, really felt part of the team and thoroughly enjoyed my internship, which is why I’m returning to Hays once I graduate next year.

These are the three key things I learnt during my time at Hays:

No matter what you’re doing, your attitude and mind-set is extremely important. My first week at Hays was really tough as I struggled to adjust to the corporate world. As a result I got a bit demotivated so my manager sat me down and explained that if I wasn’t going to give my internship 100% then I wasn’t going to be successful. I took her advice on-board and started putting in more effort and trying to work harder and more efficiently. I started to learn how to prioritise my time and multi-task effectively which helped me work smarter and achieve better results. The skills I learnt at Hays have made a huge difference to my final year at university now I’m managing a much heavier workload, and I feel more confident and prepared for my return to Hays as a result.

The prospect of communicating with senior people can be daunting – particularly if you’re junior and lack a lot of professional experience. At Hays I quickly learnt the importance and value of face-to-face, in-person communication and how it can make all the difference to both your ability to understand the other person’s needs and conveying how you can help. It’s easy to fall into the trap of emailing but it’s better to pick up the phone or go and see someone, when possible. Maintaining regular contact and ensuring people are updated and kept informed at every stage is also important when you’re working in a service based role.

This is an important one, particularly if you are a graduate starting your first role. No one expects you to know everything, and you’ll experience a very steep learning curve in any new job. From my experience, I found that having a go and giving 100% was the best way to learn. If I made mistakes I learnt from them and it was better to try and not do it exactly right than not try at all.

To those of you out there about to start your graduate career or getting ready for your placement year my advice is to say yes to as many opportunities as you can, even if it’s something that might seem daunting. By doing so you’ll gain lots of really useful experience, and demonstrate to your manager that you’re ambitious and willing to take yourself out of your comfort zone.

If you want more tips on how to succeed in your new job visit the Hays View Point.

Find out more about the opportunities available and start your Hays story today.