Going into week eight with my internship with the Centre for Fundamental Rights at the Hertie School. This is now the final week with my internship in Berlin. I have spent a lot of time thinking and reflecting on my time here. The word success has many meanings depending on the context. For these situations, I have spent time thinking about how success is seen at the professional level in Germany. Global competency and expectations play an important part in being successful. The work success in the situation will be seen differently, opposed to past experiences.
When I think about success, I reflect on my professional and academic experiences. Two different areas, but connected to the meaning of being successful. In my academic experience, I have been able to maintain a good standing in college and past schools. When it comes to my professional experience with my past internships success is different in each one. Being in the United States I think that being an intern provides opportunities to show your skill set along with gaining new skills. I have work at few different law offices in my past years. Things that I have noticed that I have made me successful in those areas has been showing hard work. There’s also a need for space to show that you want to learn and take advantage of work opportunities.
For one of my past experiences I worked at a law firm. One of the things that they told me I needed to learn was the fundamentals. This provides a solid foundation for anyone in a career path. The Lawyers had me spend my first week learning from current interns on the day to day operations. I learned how to draft a subpoena which is something that is usually not taught until law school. I also learned of to file cases into the court system. Any new case that was taken by the firm needs to be recorded into the Justice system. Learning these skills at the law firm will benefit me in my future position.
During my time interning with The Hertie School Centre for Fundamental Rights, I have had to adapt to a very different environment. German work culture is very different compared to my experience working in the United States. Germans are very direct with their communications. The feedback could be taken as very harsh or critical. In the United States, people are more lax in their comments. When it comes to an office meeting, there is always an agenda set up. The start time and finish are very on time. These were things that I had to adjust to during my time in Germany.
In my experience of interning in Germany, I have started to identify and develop skills that are needed to be successful in a German workplace. I think professional success in Germany involves needing to be adaptable, precise, and process-oriented. Being at the Hertie School, I have learn through my supervisor but mainly from the co-workers on what has made them successful in the workplace. I have noticed a common skill that those people had in common, which was to take the initiative. There will be times when it is best to deal with a problem on your own. This shows that you’re a person who you a problem solver instead of handing off the issues. Being able to ask questions up front when assigned a project. If you are unclear about an assignment, ask for help before showing the final results. By doing this, you could limit the amount of criticism from your supervisor. Asking questions reflects your concern for making sure that you provide high-quality work.
Communication is an important skill needed for success. Being able to articulate your thoughts coherently is critical for any profession. At the Hertie School, there are formats for emailing people in the office. You must be as short and to the point. This is seen as being efficient in the workplace. Another element is time management. When it comes to a work meeting, there is always an agenda of what will be talked about. The agendas are meticulously time-stamped when a subject changes in the meeting. This is similar to an assignment needing to be completed. There are several assignments given to you at once, and prioritizing is very helpful.
Comparing my experience in a German academic work space is very different from a law firm in the United States. In a law firm, you are dealing with very serious cases that impact people’s lives. The work environment is in high gear every day. One minute you are preparing for a meeting, the next you’re off to court. The Herties School has a lower level of productivity. People do not seem to be stressed or worried about meeting deadlines. Being an intern, you have limited space to make a significant impact. Comparing these two different experiences, I would say the law firm in the US gave me more freedom than the Hertie School.
A Agrawal #01