What were your main duties and responsibilities during the course of your internship?

In the early stages of my internship I was heavily involved with the delivery of SportInspired Games. This included recruiting and briefing sports clubs for multiple games in the summer, one of their busiest time for games! It was great to be able to hit the ground running and be a part of the action right from the beginning. I helped with data entry, compiled impact reports and prepared paperwork for games. On game days I acted as a Deputy Director. I helped with the smooth organisation and running of the event including the set up and  delegation of tasks to assistant directors.

As the internship continued I was put in charge of managing and developing their intern programme. This included contacting universities and intern providers and interviewing potential interns.

I also took control of social media, posting regular updates via the Twitter and Facebook accounts. In line with this I was given a project to manage. The focus was on Digital Stories. I was involved in the planning stages, carried out the task and wrote up conclusions and created a “how to” pack on Digital Stories.

What would you say was your biggest achievement over the course of your internship?

The Digital Stories Project because it gave me the opportunity to lead my own project. I was able to shape the project as I went and really take ownership over it. I worked with lots of different people on it, all who were vital support to its success, but seeing it through from start to finish and seeing the outcomes gave me a real sense of personal achievement. I also created a pack and taught the rest of my team through the process in order to pass on the knowledge I had acquired. It was empowering to lead the meeting and overall, it gave me confidence in my own abilities.

What benefits did your internship bring to your employer?

I helped lighten the work load in the summer when they were at their busiest and an already small team was stretched to its limits. I took on a new project that they hadn’t done before and wrote up a report to incorporate it into the work they do. I also re-ignited their social media platforms, increasing reach to current and new follower, which had been neglected in the recent year. I acted as an effective communication source and demonstrated a strong ability to multi-task so was able to help in all areas of the company that was needed.

Did you encounter any problems during the course of your internship and if so, how did you overcome them?

I found that being assertive does not come naturally to me. My line manager was very honest with me and helped give the confidence boost I needed. I learnt that communication is also key to any task you do. Often you encounter barriers because others are poor at contacting you back. I learnt to be pro-active and persistent.

“Kat is absolutely fantastic and has taken up a full time role after her internship” – Felix Sullivan