University Internship Report: HR Skills and Knowledge Application

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of an internship experience within the human resource (HR) field. It explores the practical application of knowledge and skills acquired during a degree program, highlighting how theoretical concepts were adapted to real-world situations. The report details the range of duties performed, including administrative tasks like posting job openings and screening resumes, as well as the development of essential interpersonal and organizational skills. It evaluates the learning process during the internship, including training programs and the understanding of organizational culture. Furthermore, the report identifies opportunities for on-job development within the industry, emphasizing the importance of permanent roles for deeper engagement and skill enhancement. It critically evaluates communication and organizational skills, emphasizing their significance in the HR department's interactions with other departments and the external environment. The report also discusses the challenges and dilemmas encountered during the internship, such as heavy workloads and lack of feedback, along with the strategies used to resolve these issues, such as seeking support from program managers and proactively seeking feedback. In conclusion, the report underscores the critical role of training and development in organizations and how the internship program facilitated the practical implementation of academic knowledge and skills.

Introduction
Training and development is very critical especially for new employees joining an organization. Training
helps in familiarizing workers with their new work environment and also helps in introducing to them to
new processes followed by the organization (Alias, 2014). Interns also require a lot of training and mentor-
ship as they try to apply things learned during their program to their new working environment. It enables
interns to learn communication and organizing skills as well as technical skills which they may require
while working for a similar organization in future. This paper therefore discusses how the knowledge and
skills acquired in the degree program have been adapted to the practical situation during internship

Demonstration of how knowledge and skills acquired in
degree programme were adapted in practical situations.
The internship program has been very critical in applying the knowledge learned during
the degree program. Internship opportunity is a like a training program why the
theoretical things learned in class are applied. For an organization to have quality human
resource, it must invest time and resources for training and development of employees.
As an intern, it is easier to undergo training because someone is familiar with most of the
things that take place at the workplace.
The knowledge acquired in the degree program is used in planning schedules for
employees. Planning work schedules is critical since it enables a human resource
manager to allocate duties and tasks in such a way that productivity of each employee is
maximized.
 Internship skills also helps in developing interpersonal skills which are very critical in
future career. Interpersonal skills involves communication skills and other skills
necessary for interaction between employees at various levels in an organization. Having
good interpersonal skills is critical in establishing good relations between employees.

Evaluate learning and explain how this was applied during the internship
During internship, there are several training programs which are organized by the
organization to help the interns understand the practical work environment.
Induction training helps new employees familiarize themselves with the operations
of the organization.
Research indicates that 25% of new employees or interns decide to stay or quit the
organization in the firsts weeks (Elnaga & Imran, 2013). Their stay depends on the
training that they are offered once they join an organization.Additionally, learning
through training and development during internship helps in understanding the
culture of the organization.
During training, technical aspects of production were learned in the production
factory. This were applied during internship because I was allocated roles in various
stages of production. This gave me an opportunity to understand the challenges
faced by employees in each and every department.

Definition of range of duties completed whilst on
Internship
An intern has a wide range of duties and responsibilities that
they are expected to perform in the course of their internship.
This duties and responsibilities are designed to help the intern
gain practical skills which are required to perform tasks in a
real organizational setting.One of the duties carried out by a
human resource intern is posting new positions on websites
and job boards. This is an important and basic administrative
aspect of human resource. Understanding administrative
duties of a human resource manager is crucial in preparing for
a future role in the human resource manager position.

Another duty of performed by interns at the organization
includes assisting the human resource manager with
screening resumes and applications (DeCenzo, Robbins &
Verhulst, 2016). Furthermore, interns are expected to learn
on how to arrange various documents in the office.
When conducting interviews for applicants, human resource
interns are expected to help in arranging for the interview.
Interns are also expected to coordinate the efforts and offer
any support that may be required during this exercise.

The intern is also expected to maintain payroll data which
includes employees leaves, working hours as well as issues
relating to payment and salaries. They also assist in preparing
documents for the human resource manager.

Identification of opportunities for further on-job
development within the industry
Within the jewellery manufacturing industry, there are
various opportunities for on-job development. The
experienced gained in the first internship is critical in
performing various tasks within the organization. I need to
work permanently under the human resource department of
any organization in this industry. This is because,on-job
development when working on a permanent basis will offer
me a better opportunity to interact with employees at various
levels within the organization.

In my previous internship, my roles were limited to
administrative functions and hence I was not able to learn all
important aspects of human resource manager role. Working
on a permanent role will enable me to be more innovative and
will give me an opportunity to solve disputes that may arise
between employees. This opportunity also offers an
opportunity to develop communication skills as well as
negotiation skills which are very critical in negotiating deals
on behalf of employees and also the management of the
organization.

Critical evaluation and discussion of communication and
organizational skills during the Internship
Communication skills are very important in human resource
management. This is because three human resource
department is interlinked to all the other departments within
the organization (Helyer & Lee,2014). It is therefore very
important that an intern develops good communication skills
because they are critical in exchange of information within
the organization as well as between the organization and
external environment.

Communication and organizational skills
During internship a person is able to learn both verbal and
non-verbal skills. This aids in communicating effectively with
employees who are from different cultures, religions and who
have various values and beliefs.

Communication skills are very important in human resource
management. This is because three human resource department
is interlinked to all the other departments within the
organization (Helyer & Lee,2014). It is therefore very important
that an intern develops good communication skills because they
are critical in exchange of information within the organization
as well as between the organization and external environment.
During internship a person is able to learn both verbal and non-
verbal skills. This aids in communicating effectively with
employees who are from different cultures, religions and who
have various values and beliefs.

Identification of dilemmas, challenges and problems faced and
discussion of how these issues were resolved during the Internship
The other challenges and problems faced by interns at the
organization include being overwhelmed with the work that
they are assigned at the organization. Interns meet
themselves in situations where they have a heavy workload
with little training and experience (Festing, 2012). Interns
therefore need to persevere in the early stages and ensure
that they are eager to learn in order to perform most of the
functions assigned to them with ease. It is also critical for the
intern to speak to the internship program manager who can
assist in resolving this problem.