SPD welcomes our new intern, Jon DeArmond

My name is Jonathan DeArmond and you will get the chance to read my blogs over the next couple months. First, let me start by telling you about myself. I am in my final semester at Kelley School of Business-Indianapolis majoring in Human Resources and Management. I have had the opportunity to complete an internship at a different company and have been in food service for 10 plus years. I realized that college does not give you everything to be ready to launch a career as a professional. It is the need for “real world” experience that makes internships so valuable. I first learned of the State’s internship opportunities at a career fair in the spring. I spoke with H

eather Whitaker, recruiter for the SPD, and became interested in the opportunity an internship with the State Personnel Department (SPD) could offer. I decided to link with her and the State Personnel Department on LinkedIn and follow IndianaGovJobs on Twitter. Late in the summer I noticed an e-mail in my inbox about the fall internship opportunity. I emailed my resume and expressed my interest. Shortly after I received a request to fill out an eScreen survey online and answer questions about why I wanted to be an intern and what would make me a good fit.

I was called in for an interview and met with three of the recruiters. The following week I was asked to meet with Nicole Russell, Director of Talent Acquisition. We discussed the type of learning experiences I would have as an intern and what would be expected of me. I really wanted an internship that would focus on learning opportunities and expose me to a wide range of HR related situations. The SPD is the central HR hub for over 100 state agencies. Interns have the chance to rotate through some of these different agencies and in the central office. Most other internships will not provide this type of opportunity.

I just finished my first week and it is everything I was hoping. I spent my first week shadowing each department in the SPD. The first two days were spent with the Recruiting team. I was shown the process that you don’t see when you apply for a job with the State. Application processing, sorting, and review are only some of what they do. I also learned about background checks and employment verification. Wednesday I shadowed the Benefits department. With around 28,000 employees, this is a busy department. They make sure that new employees are given the chance to enroll in benefits. They are also the department to call if you have a question about what benefits you have or anything related. Open enrollment once a year is what they look forward to most. Thursday I had the chance to shadow many people from the Employee Relations team. This is an exciting side of HR! If anyone has an issue with anything it seems to find its way to Employee Relations. I learned about the grievance process used by the state and what is done to comply with the Family Medical Leave Act and Americans with Disability Act. Finally, Compensation was my last rotation on Friday. I was taught how jobs are assessed and pay levels are determined. This is a very interesting department that solves a lot of issues.

I now have a project list to get working on. Check back in a couple of weeks for an update!