Compensation & Benefits Intern Review

Day-to-day can vary depending on which part of the year it is and what projects are currently taking priority. For example the winter season was the busiest for me due to benefit renewals and the beginning of the busy year-end compensation process. A day could vary between internal & external meetings (Usually via MS Teams) or direct email chains gathering data, answering queries or arranging meetings. I also had some daily/weekly re-occuring tasks I would need to plan ahead if I had a busy week.

Throughout my placement I have been told my confidence grew both personally and professionally and looking back I can definitely see that. I have had many opportunities to go out of my comfort zone and meet new people through my placement making the idea of work socialising a lot less daunting than it was. The other main skill I have developed is my excel skills, I had limited exposure to excel in my university course but from day 1 of my placement I could see how well utilised this was in the team and how this was something I needed to develop. Initially this seemed challenging to me but as I slowly learnt tips and tricks through those in my team and was given tasks to put these to use I settled very quickly and I can now use excel with quite a high level of confidence (although the odd thing will always catch me out ;))

Yes. From the start of my placement I was briefed on all the teams key priorities/projects and how my role would fit into these. The first major project I was involved in was a Dental Market Review beginning in August so only a month into my placement, this involved arranging and meeting external providers, maintaining call notes and offering perspective during reflective conversations. This was my first taste of external vendor communication both via email and in-person which was initially daunting (I still remember sending my first external email!) but after that my nerves settled so much and truly felt like an inside part of the team. As the weeks went on I acquired more small tasks, some re-occurring that I would have responsibility over and other bigger projects that I would have a more impactful role in such as creating renewal data files for external providers or developing Team Member communications. I felt as if my work was actually useful, something I was initially unsure of entering a placement.

From the start I had meetings with each member of the team for general introductions and to learn about their function and how it links to the teams objectives, this helped to settle the initial new starter nerves. I had a weekly 1 hour 121 meeting with my line manager, this could be used to talk about anything from current projects, weekend plans, university work I needed to complete whilst on placement or any feedback or upcoming projects. When I joined there was also a buddy system where I got paired with another member of my team (in my case it was someone who had also been an intern with the company a few years prior!) and we would have weekly/fortnightly meetings where we saw fit just to have a general discussion about what's going on both personally and professionally which I found very refreshing.

From the first day at Hilton, my nerves for the year were instantly settled. We had a very welcoming induction session and meet with my team. Being shown around the office initially was daunting as I thought I would for sure get lost! But walking around everyone seemed very friendly and this continued through my year. There were many events and opportunities to meet and socialise with other departments so you didn't ever feel isolated, I made some great connections! Coming into the office was always a great feeling, not something I ever dreaded!

I had a great time during my placement, I was fortunate to have worked with such a great team and made some truly great friends. I was able to be involved in many internal and external events aiding my exposure whilst also having the opportunity to branch out and shadow some other departments to help me find areas of work that I may have future interest in. All the work I have been involved in has helped me to develop my interest in this area of work and many skills along with it.

Yes

Be yourself. Hilton is a very diverse company and they won't just be looking for high grades and volunteering from your CV. You will find that many can do the job but you need someone to bring the right energy and have a strong interest in what they do as that will shine through. This is somewhere you can be supported and learn in a safe space, something hard to find in many companies so take advantage of that!