Just as promised, I am back yet again, however, this will be my last time posting on my blog for my Ireland trip. I have been home for about a week and a half at this point, and I find it to be a good time to look back and reflect on my truly one of a kind experience abroad in Ireland.
The two months that I spent in Ireland have been nothing less than perfect. I went on so many amazing adventures, made unforgettable memories, and met some wonderful people, and for those reasons, this was a completely successful trip. I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the Irish culture, and I took advantage of that. Being able to explore all over Dublin, as well as other places around the country such as Skerries, Bray, and Westport, have given me a fantastic look at the kinds of people and places that Ireland has to offer. I was even lucky enough to take two weekend trips to London and Amsterdam during my time abroad – another great example of some amazing adventures I had this summer.
The internship I had at Wallace Myers International, though I didn’t know what to expect at first, ended up being wonderful. Not knowing a lot about recruitment or recruitment agencies, had me a little bit nervous at the start of my time abroad, but after two or three weeks there I began to develop a routine and thorough understanding of the function of my role and the company’s role in recruitment. Through my hands-on experience editing CVs and job descriptions, sourcing for jobs, etc., I was able to capture some valuable knowledge of the recruitment industry, despite my recruitment class taking place this fall (pressure is on to get an A in it now!). And not to mention I met some pretty amazing people along the way. This includes my manager Gareth and team members Lorcan, Sean, Nicole, Ryan and Simon. As I said to them, these people are truly talented and some individuals I hope to keep in contact with in the future.
With so many events and takeaways taking place this summer, it is clear that I have grown as a person personally, academically, and professionally. Personally, I forced myself outside of my comfort zone into new places and situations with new people. I’ve dealt with a wide variety of different people from different places, learning about many different cultures. Being exposed to so many new people and things has improved my cultural lens and given me a better understanding of how people function and interact internationally.
Professionally, as aforementioned, I lucked out being placed with a recruitment agency. This gave me the opportunity to meet many people and deal with many different customers in the workplace. This professional experience has developed me in several ways. I have become more confident in the workplace working independently and as part of a team. As an intern, I am of course at the bottom of the professional “food chain”, and therefore grew my ability to be a respectful worker who knows when to listen, ask questions and seek help. With the Irish working culture being a little more laid back than what I was used to, I was also able to adjust to this different environment and be able to express opinions and take part in conversation appropriately.
Academically, it is clear that I have learned a lot about Human Resources, and more specifically, recruitment. I was lucky enough to work with some very talented people and because of this I learned a lot about the recruitment process from start to finish. Although my role focused on the beginning of the process (i.e. sourcing, candidate preparation etc.), being surrounded by professionals has shown me how the rest of the process flows. This experience has really sparked my interest in recruitment, and I am excited to bring this knowledge back to my recruitment class this fall!
Pitt Business has stressed career development and leadership in diverse environments from day one through the classic saying “From the Classroom, to the City, to the World”, and I now have successfully taken my professional and social skills to the world! My new skills of dealing with people among different cultures and working through complex projects and problems in a fast paced workplace will prove to be valuable in the future. To be more specific, I will take these skills back with me to the classrooms at Pitt and exercise them while working through projects, whether independently or in a team. On top of that, this experience will allow me to excel and stand-out and in my future internship and job searches.
As I said in the first paragraph, this experience was truly one of a kind, and the knowledge and experience that I am taking with me can back that up. Spending my summer in Ireland was the best decision I have ever made and the memories, adventures, and friends that I made along the way made this possible. I want to give a big thank you to Pitt and EUSA for making this experience happen, and a huge shoutout to Wallace Myers International for giving me a great opportunity and wonderful summer.
Signing off,
Ryan Carr