Our employees are a big part of what makes Spark Growth great for our clients and our team. In our blog series, Sparkle On, we’re profiling one of our Sparklers and what they do at Spark Growth for a little peek behind our scenes. We hope you enjoy learning more about everyone here and how they shine.
What is your role at Spark Growth?
I am a Human Resources and Office Administrative Intern. In this role, I got to hit the ground running as a HR professional with the full support of the Spark Growth HR Coordinator, Jenny. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to actively participate in the recruitment process, implement on-boarding processes, learning about new HR systems and basically ensuring the office operations are running smoothly. I get to wear many hats and I now feel that I now have a full understanding of what it means to be a human resources professional, which is exactly what I was looking for.
How long have you worked at there?
I have worked at Spark Growth for a little over 3 months now.
What has been you favorite thing about working for Spark Growth?
The best thing about working for Spark Growth has been the incredible opportunity for growth and being an active member of a team. This is my first and only role in HR thus far, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were no coffee runs or grunt work to speak of. Instead, I was entrusted with the recruitment process, with implementing health and safety ideas, and am given responsibilities that make a difference in the everyday business needs. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention—I love our team lunches, which is a great perk!
What are three things you’d like to accomplish or learn by the end of your internship?
As an intern, I feel like a sponge, ready to soak up all the knowledge that I can. I’ve been given this opportunity to observe others and see how they conduct themselves both as employees, as well as peers. It’s really opened my own eyes and allowed me to set my own personal standard of where I want to be and what I would like to accomplish for the remainder of my internship.
Firstly, I’d like to build up more confidence in my abilities. Coming straight from school and diving right into the workforce creates quite a steep learning curve because, as you can imagine, what’s in our textbooks doesn’t always translate into real life. Because this role at Spark Growth entails a great deal of participation and responsibility, I was able to get a better understanding of how a business functions and how I could also contribute as a fellow team member. I felt that, as my own participation and interest increased, so did my own confidence.
Secondly, I’d like to receive a firm grasp on the recruitment process, since a large aspect of HR is focused around screening resumes, interviewing, and trying to get an understanding of what constitutes a good cultural fit for the company. It was great working with Jenny because she walked me through every aspect right from posting job ads, to getting the signature of our new recruit.
And lastly, I want to be able to communicate effectively in a business environment. Although I consider myself well-spoken, I feel it never hurts to improve one’s communication skills. Even though the environment at Spark Growth is quite relaxed, I still feel that effective communication is key. And more specifically, I’d like to be able to communicate in a manner that is both concise and efficient. I definitely feel that I beat around the bush when communicating and that’s something I’ve been learning to avoid because the entire team can benefit from effective communication.
What has been your biggest challenge during your internship?
I would say that I’m much too critical of myself and I sometimes hold back my ideas. We all know that being the newbie can sometimes be an intimidating experience, even though the entire Spark Growth team is super friendly. The phrase “I’m my own worst critic” is something that definitely applies to me. I feel that any person entering their first “real” job would feel slightly intimidated, but the crucial aspect here is to not let it get the best of you. I feel that I’ve improved in that area a great deal, and I’m not as hard on myself as I used to be. I realize that in a given day, everyone, from the top-down to me, the intern, makes mistakes and the best thing to do about them is to provide a solution, learn from it, and then move on. I’ve also developed a healthy habit of writing anything I feel is important down on a good old fashioned notepad — that way I can refer to it whenever it’s necessary. Whatever works for you I’d say.
If you were ever given a chance, who would you like to be for a day?
Jeff Bezos, of course! Who wouldn’t want to know how the richest person on our planet spends his day?