NCP Talk with Student Intern Vivien Graf

Vivien studies sociology at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität-Erlangen-Nürnberg in Erlangen. When she is not studying, she enjoys meeting her friends and playing tennis. During the two months of her internship at NCP, she worked in the field of Human Resources and Employer Branding.

First and foremost: Did you enjoy your internship?

My internship was great! I liked the varied tasks and the good working atmosphere best of all. I have learned something new every day and I am sure that this will also be useful for future positions. After I completed my initial internship, I have stayed on as student intern in a team where my work and my commitment are valued. This allows me to bridge the time until my Master’s degree starts.

What tasks did your internship cover?

I mainly dealt with recruiting and the application process, but I was also able to support the department in drawing up contracts and handling other administrative tasks. After a few weeks I even had the opportunity to participate in job interviews. That was really fascinating, because you meet different people every time.

How did you fit in at NCP?

In the first few days, I was introduced to the company and met with other employees in person if they were not working remotely. It helped me to get to know what the different teams at NCP do and how they work. I was also able to make contacts and setting in quickly. In general, I was warmly welcomed by everyone and when I had questions, there was always someone who was happy to help me. Although I was an intern and had no great experience in the field of Human Resources or Employer Branding, I was given great confidence from the start and was allowed to carry out my tasks independently.

Did it take much to adapt from studying to working life?

Not really, I worked in a restaurant regularly throughout my studies so I am already familiar with some aspects of the workplace. However, working full-time is much more demanding than just a few days a week. But I got used to it after a short time and as I enjoyed the internship, I also enjoyed going to work every day.

What hours did you work?

I worked full-time, which meant 40 hours per week. NCP have core working hours where you need to be present, but I was able to arrange the rest of my working time flexibly. That was really helpful because I was able to coordinate work and university assignments. I think that this is a great advantage, especially for students who do an internship, and, as far as I know, is not offered by all companies.

What are you planning to do in future?

As I enjoyed my initial internship so much, I was given the opportunity to continue working for NCP until the end of my studies as a student intern. After that I will probably do my Master’s degree in criminology, which is unfortunately a bit further away from NCP. I am definitely looking forward to continuing working at NCP as a student intern, because I believe that I can still learn a lot here that will be useful further down the road.