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General Internships

Introducing John Weightman

My Internship Adventure Begins

John Weightman

My adventure as an Intern first began with an e-mail from the Hull University Careers team. They were offering a whole range of interesting Internship opportunities for the university. After a difficult start to post-university life due to the COVID pandemic, when job opportunities were limited, I hoped to work in the media possibly as a writer or editor and so began writing my own blog about Music John’s Music Hub. I also worked a few part-time jobs such as writing for a music magazine MXDWN UK. This then led me to think, well I really enjoy writing and with my BA History degree I’ve also showcased my writing qualities. Therefore, I want to focus on an Internship that will give me knowledge in new areas, maybe learn some HTML, and also expand upon my writing abilities. That’s when I saw an internship with the Library Skills Team, where I would support the team in the writing and implementation of the Digital Skills course. Here was an opportunity to further showcase my writing ability and really get my career running and expand into new areas. 

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I’m going on an adventure!

Then I got to work, updated my CV, and wrote my covering letter and I waited a few days, maybe a couple of weeks I don’t recall exactly, and I got an e-mail from Lee Fallin asking me for an interview. The interview with Lee was very pleasant and relaxed he gave me the chance to ask him a few questions whilst he told me all about the internship and ended with him confirming I had the job. Now I just had to wait with bated breath for my internship to begin.

You may wonder how other than my writing skills I can help people learn about digital skills, well let me tell you. As a blogger who runs their own website I have experience in how media is implemented in the digital world as well as how to keep my information safe online. I also learned many digital skills during my time as a university student where I improved my proficiency in Microsoft office and used many digital tools to aid in my study. As a former student, I also feel I would know how best to adapt the information we are delivering to a student audience. I’ve always had an interest in computers and everything digital and since I was about 4 years old, I was already able to use a computer (although mainly for games).

The first day finally arrived after signing all the necessary documents a few days before, as with most people on starting a new job I was a mixture of nerves and excitement. I was also joined by 3 other interns with various different responsibilities for the library or Skills Team, we then got to meet some of the staff including Lee my intern supervisor. The first week mainly consisted of basic training and meetings with all the other staff members as well as going through all the health and safety details. 

I’m now into my second week and have already written a few small sections of the Digital Skills course as well as writing this, my first blog post for the University. This will be the first of several blog entries where I will write about various study skills mainly focused on digital skills.

Categories
Internships

Introducing: Joanna (Jo) Rawnsley

Starting work as an intern with the Skills Team

An interview with oneself

“We’d like to offer you the internship position.”

Well, I wasn’t expecting that… 

Jo Rawnsley

via GIPHY

Last year I graduated with a BA in Creative Writing and Film Studies, afterwards, I went straight on to a masters to study English and Creative Writing. I am currently working on my dissertation, a poetry portfolio. I’m a Poet, wouldn’t you know it… Yes, with a capital P as I’ve had a few poems published in online journals, however, this portfolio is going to be my first complete collection. 

The main reasons I decided to do my degrees are the same for wanting to do this internship:

  • It’s a chance to let my creativity flow
  • To further pursue my passion for writing 
  • To gain more experience as a writer

“But Jo,” I hear you say. “What will your internship include?”

Ok, ok I’ll tell you…

I’m working as part of the Skills Team, in the library to develop new Skills Guides for students. Living in the digital age the way we work, and how we’re assessed is ever-evolving. We need new guides to help students working on Public Communication assessments, such as academic blogs, magazine articles, letters to the editor, and author wikis. My job is to research such assessments, compile the information and transform it into accessible and readable advice for all. 

via GIPHY

“Didn’t you say you write poetry, how is that going to help you?”

Good question and I can see why you’d think a poet may not have the expertise to write these guides, but I don’t only write poetry. Throughout my four years of study, I’ve put my hand to a vast array of forms. Just because it says “Creative” in my degree title doesn’t mean I got away from academic writing. On the contrary. I’ve written many academic essays, critiques, reflective journals, and commentaries, as well as some reviews here and there. In the second year of my undergraduate degree, I wrote a 5000-word project, in film studies, discussing whether makeover television programmes create a false sense of beauty compared to that we see in beauty vlogs. And, no I didn’t include any poetry. 

The academic side of my degrees provided me with researching and critical thinking techniques, whereas the creative side gave me the space to let my creativity shine and ideas flow. Both sides provided me with the techniques I need to develop content for the Skills Guides being created. 

“That’s great! Last question; after these 12 weeks, what then?” 

Once the project is complete, I will be able to state that I have expertise in areas such as copywriting and public communications. This will greatly increase my chances of completing my goals of working in social media and/or public relations. 

“Thank you for answering these questions and good luck!”

Thank you very much, it’s been a pleasure. 

via GIPHY

Categories
Internships

Introducing: David Moore

Travelling through the up and downs of my journey as an intern

Where to begin …….

David Moore

It all started last year at the end of my degree finishing Entertainment and Games Design in which I gained a 2:2. This is where I learnt my creative flare and learnt to level up my skills.  Then my journey hit a roadblock where I could not expand my horizon and lost my motivation and due to the lockdown did not know which way to turn.

Looking beyond the horizon I looked at LinkedIn for connections and contacts regarding opportunities and Udemy to make sure my skills with other tools did not fade and learnt new skills.  One day whilst looking through LinkedIn I saw an opportunity called Humberside Internship Programme (HIP).  After a few weeks and many conversations, I received an email inviting me on an internship.  I felt in disbelief and delighted to have been invited.

So that journey pressed forward…

So, first week arrives and I am introduced to the Skills Team and the project I would be working on. This was exciting but nervous.  Throughout the talks I felt that my head was going to explode with the information, websites and steps to take forward.  With the help of Lee and the other members of staff and interns it showed me a guiding light into the unknown and this has been a good learning curve for me.

In this internship my title is Visual Design Intern.  My focus is to look at the skills guide and create a more welcoming and easier experience to this website for the user.  This includes: 

  • Opportunities to add rich media (animations, quizzes, videos and so on)
  • Supporting the others to enhance their work with media

At my journeys end…

I would have enhanced the skill guide with rich media and gained experience in the working environment and working within a team. This experience would give me confidence to move on to the next adventure and hopefully many more experiences to come.

Categories
General Internships

Introducing: Codey McShane

The start of my virtual internship experience

In the beginning…

Last week, I began an internship working with the Library at the University of Hull, with a focus on Customer Engagement and Communications. The role is entirely based online, and while there is the option to come into the library, it’s not as viable now that I am living back in London after finishing my degree. I studied Computer Science and having been told all that, you might have some of the following questions by now.

  • Who are you, mysterious blog writer?!
  • What is Customer Engagement, and why should I care about it?
  • How can you do internship from home? Who are you making the coffee for?
  • What does Computer Science have to do with customers? Get back to fixing printers!

(It is possible that you did not actually have any of these questions, but for the purpose of the blog, it’s important that you know these things so that in several weeks when I tell you about the amazing progress I’ve made, it’ll all make sense. So, bear with me!)

Wow, those are some great questions! Let me explain a little…

Unmasking the mysterious blog writer 

Codey McShane

Hi there! My name’s Codey. I’m 22 years old and I’ve been at Hull University since 2017. I like reading (fantasy novels mostly), writing (this blog post), martial arts, and dogs. I’ve got red hair, and I’ve got a rare birthmark on the entirety of my right arm. I wear glasses and my hearing isn’t great. I know, I know, I’ve made myself sound way too cool, please forgive me.

Customer Engagement, what is it good for? 

This is a subject we’ll get into a lot more in-depth in my next blog post, where I will have done a lot more work on the subject. For now, I can at least give you the same surface detail that I have. Customer Engagement is all about actively building, supporting, and managing relationships with customers. I’ll explain more about what that means to me and my role specifically next time.

An internship, from the comfort of my own home?

It’s interesting. I’ve spent the last year of my academic study working from home, so you would think I’d be used to it by now. But it still felt weird to be starting a job in my bedroom. However, it’s been very easy to settle in. There’s been so much support and being a part of a group of other interns helps a lot. Over the last week couple of weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time just meeting people and learning about what they do, and with daily meetings over the camera, I really do feel like I’m a part of a team of people, instead of just working alone.

Computer Science with a focus on the customer? You’re mad!

Despite being a Computer Science graduate, I’ve found during my volunteering that one of the things I enjoy most is the opportunity to help people and problem solve. Personally, I don’t think I’d be able to enjoy a job that doesn’t involve some essence of customer service. This internship offers me a great opportunity to look at a professional environment from the perspective of the customer, while also getting some great experience working in a professional environment.

So! Hopefully, that gives you a little bit of an introduction as to who I am and what I’m doing, and I can’t wait to tell you more in my next blog about what I’ve been up to. See you next time!

Categories
Internships

Library Internships

The University Library is happy to be hosting four internships, providing four of our recent graduates with paid work experience. Our interns all started 23rd August and will be working with us for 12 weeks. They will be delivering defined projects, and we look forward to the energy and enthusiasm they will bring.

You can find out more about our new interns via our new University Library Blog over this week. Each of our interns have written an article to introduce themselves. Here is the publication schedule:

Tuesday: Codey McShane – Customer Engagement & Communications Intern 

Wednesday: David Moore – Visual Design Intern

Thursday: Jo Rawnsley – SkillsGuide Intern

Friday: John Weightman – DigiSkills Intern

Categories
General

Beating your top study worries

We asked our volunteers what their top study worries were at the start of their studies. This has helped us come up with this list to address your most common concerns!

Time management

Time management is an important part of university life, especially as it is your responsibility to ensure you manage your university deadlines, alongside your social life and other commitments. If you’ve come to university from school, 6th form or college, this can be quite overwhelming! To help you make the most of time, we’ve developed a full section on Time management in our Introduction to university study SkillsGuide.

Academic writing

Your first piece of written work at university can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. We have several SkillsGuides to help you including the writing academically and essay writing. If you’re stuck where to start, check out our seven top tips for writing academically.

Recommended reading

Reading is an essential part of all university courses, and it is one of the primary ways in which you can engage in self-directed learning. If you’re unsure what to read or where to start, you should check out the reading lists for each of your modules. These are linked in each module within Canvas, but can also be accessed directly via ReadingLists@Hull.

Searching for information

While ReadingLists@Hull is a great place to start, you need to eventually find your own material. This is a particularly important part of written assignments as you will require evidence to support the specific points you are making. The Library has an excellent range of Subject LibGuides that will help you find all the specialist resources we have in your area of study. This can be used alongside our SkillsGuide on Finding books and journals which will help you get the most out of your Subject LibGuide.

Referencing

Referencing can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. For advice on getting started or our full referencing guidelines, check out our Referencing your work SkillsGuide. Think of referencing guidelines as a set of important rules. Follow those rules, and you have nothing to worry about!

Notetaking

We like to think of ‘notetaking’ as ‘note-making’. This is because the most effective notes are not copies of what you have seen, read or heard. If you want to make the most of the notes you create, check out our Notetaking SkillsGuide.

Exams

Whoa! While it may seem a bit early to be worrying about exams, this does seem to be a concern for a lot of students. The important thing at this stage is that you realise your revision starts now. We don’t say this to panic you – just to make the point that ongoing effective notes are a great way to ensure you’re keeping on top of your learning. Check out our Notetaking SkillsGuide for now, and closer to the time you can use our Exams and revision SkillsGuide to make the most of your exam preparations.

Mental health

The University cares about your mental health and wellbeing. Through our Student Wellbeing Team and a range of external partners, we offer a whole range of services to support you. You can find all of these services on the Wellbeing and mental health pages.