Gursimran "Sam" Singh Dham
Communication & Psychology
Blackmore Partners Inc.
How has your internship helped build skills and clarify your career goals?
This internship was my first work experience in corporate America and it was a wonderful exposure to how things are done around here. I built skills in active listening, that is, listening to a person to understand and not respond. I also developed punctuality and learned how to work as per deadlines.In terms of goals, I know I can do Human Resources well given my ability to build relationships, yet I realized I definitely love political science more than Human Resources and because of this, it is likely that I will add Political Science as a major before I graduate
How do you apply your Liberal Arts skills in your internship?
I used my liberal arts skills more than I realized. The thing is, their use is exceptionally pervasive in corporate life. From writing emails to attending talent acquisition calls, from note-taking during shadowing, etc. I used them everywhere and I have no reservation in saying that I would have not survived this internship had it not been for my liberal arts skills. Specifically, I used the summarizing skills I built up in my political science minor classes to write reports about candidates and interviews with them. I used the self-starter spark in me, which I picked up from PR classes that require creativity, to help automate the attendance in the office. I used the presentation delivering skills I developed in COM 114 to help put together, coordinate and present and run a 5-day training schedule for the interns. Finally, I used my ability to connect with people, my ability to network, which I picked up from SCLA 300, to hold one-month reviews with other interns who were working in the Marketing or Private Equity function, helped them open up and express their issues if any and helped them network with their supervisors. In a nutshell, I have used my liberal arts skills to not only perform my job well and achieve my goals, but helped others achieve their goals as well.
Describe your typical day as an intern.
I attended to a volley of tasks as an intern, my day began with reporting attendance and qualifying new applications and adding them to InfusionSoft database Management System, and help coordinate changes in the schedule of employees and other interns.
What was the most challenging aspect of your internship?
The most challenging aspect of my internship was understanding corporate speak. It took me a while to figure out what my superiors expected put of me and how exactly I am supposed to deliver it. When I joined most of the HR team was in Mexico (the company is opening 3 more offices there), so I handled a lot more responsibility than expected out of typical intern. As a PE firm, Blackmore Partners Inc. provides Talent Acquisition Services, where it helps recruit CEOs and other C-level executives for newly acquired companies.
What was the most exciting thing about your role?
An exciting task for me was to help research potential talent for PE firms to install at newly acquired companies The exciting aspect? I was helping qualify C-level executives as potential recruits for client companies, thus gaining experience that someone in HR would only gain after more than a decade of experience in the field.
Describe the most meaningful experience you had as an intern.
One of the most meaningful experiences was helping other interns realize their goals, expectations and potential call to action during the one-month reviews. I helped my colleagues open up about the issues they were facing in the office and suggested ways to improve. In some cases I found individuals having difficulty in connecting with their supervisors, I had a deeper conversation with them about their goals and connected them to their supervisors' expectations, thereby highlighting where they need to improve and how. Helping others achieve their goals helped contribute to a fulfilling and meaningful experience.
How did you learn about your internship?
Did you meet with the Liberal Arts Career Center prior to applying for this internship? What kind of assistance did you receive?
I have met Mike and Mary several times and through Mike's advice learned to draft an HR resume which I used to apply at Blackmore Partners Inc. and landed the internship.