My first week in office, where do I begin?

I recently published this post to LinkedIn and I thought it would be great to publish it here as well as I would love to share this experience with as much people as possible. To say I was a little worried would put it lightly. I have always been the type of person to really go for new challenges that came my way and I got excited by the possibility of a new opportunity, but I always had that little bit of anxiousness in the back of my mind. As a Business Information Systems student studying in the University of College Cork I knew I had a passion for the industry and a growing desire to know more about the technology side of things. After two years studying my degree and knowing that I will be spending 6 months of my 3rd year on placement whether it may be here in Ireland or abroad somewhere in the United States or even in the United Kingdom I knew that I had to put myself out there and start my journey to pursuing a dream career in the field of Business Analysis.

With second year being so compact of multiple projects and constant study I was definitely a bit late on the bandwagon for applying for internships with various companies. I contacted my lecturer to ask on her advice about some companies that were still accepting application forms. She responded quickly informing me of some company's that I should take a closer look into, but even though I was in great need of an internship I was still quite hesitant about the type of companies that were on offer at that time. The saying "Beggars can't be choosers" really does apply here. Around a week later my lecturer got in contact with me informing me of the possibility of working with a company here in Cork called HireHive.

On instant glance at their website and talking with John Dennehy the CEO of HireHive.io I knew that there was a reason why I was so hesitant to those other company's just hoping that a company with such high aspirations and a friendly organisational culture would come along.

My first day walking into the office I was definitely nervous like anyone would be, not knowing what is about to come their way. As soon as I stepped through those doors I was instantly met with such a warm and friendly atmosphere. The team at HireHive consist of 7 individuals who convey such great talent and expertise. To see that I had my own desk with a very large computer screen, I guess you could say I was like a deer in headlights. Every Monday morning starts off with a meeting of how the previous week had went and establishing new goals for the coming week. It was great to get that first insight into how an organisation works and how they strategise to meet their objectives.

Siobhán Hasner is my mentor while I work in HireHive. HireHive was launched in 2011 by John Dennehy. HireHive helps you find the best candidates suitable for the job you are advertising with the addition of tracking applications, reviewing applications and contacting candidates. We started the week off by setting goals that I hope to achieve during my internship here at HireHive, as well as some skills that I wish to develop. My Goal for week one was to increase my knowledge on HireHive and the software we provide, to identify the main competitors in the market and to get to grips with the Application Tracking industry as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed the research I undertook in order to expand my understanding of the software. It was a challenge and that's what motivated me. During my first week I had to perform a demonstration of HireHives software to Siobhán which was definitely a new experience but it was great to be able to show the interest I have in the company as well as all the information I had gathered from those first few days. By the end of my first week I was in my element, and to top it all off I had my first Japanese/sushi experience. Now if that doesn't scream out adventurous I don't know what would.

The experience thus far has been truly incredible. I have gained a huge insight into the world of business, technology and most definitely recruitment. I learned a huge amount on making connections to really grow my networking abilities and the opportunities that may hopefully come my way. Considering the magnitude of information that I have gained insight into from just my first week here in HireHive is just mind-blowing. I am so honoured and grateful for this experience thus far, not only have I seen such a growth in my work ethic and my knowledge of the business sector but I have also seen a growth in myself. I have seen such an improvement in my confidence, I have experienced new things which may seem small but have a huge impact on the way I look at the world. It truly is great to say that I look forward to stepping through those doors every morning and I am excited for what is to come during these next 11 weeks.