Intern Words of Wisdom - Shae

As promised, I am going to share words of wisdom that I have received from my colleagues during my summer internship with the Indiana State Personnel Department. This past month has given me such rewarding and valuable experiences. I am unsure if I can really capture it all in words. For you, I will try. In the past few weeks, I was sent to several different agencies to complete human resource type projects for them, such as I-9 audits and documentation of past employee relations investigations. This allowed me to job shadow HR Generalists, HR Managers, and Employee Relations Managers. Given I just graduated, it is time to start figuring out which avenue I would like to take in my career path. Sitting in with these individuals gave me insights and first hand experiences that have really swayed my decisions. It has also opened my eyes to the fact that there are so many opportunities in State Government. All of these individual agencies need personnel to sit in the central office as well as some in the field all over Indiana. Many of the individuals I have met started in one agency, say Department of Corrections, and then moved to an HR Generalist role for Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Lateral moves happen all the time which allows these individuals to grow and understand a completely different avenue of the public sector, growing their public sector acumen.  Employees are aiding in the efforts to make the State of Indiana a better place to live and work. From my seat, they are succeeding.

During each meet and greet, my colleagues left me with some insight into the professional HR world. I would like to share some paraphrased accounts of them with you.

2.       Business Acumen

One must understand the business that they work for during their employment. You should understand the key metrics and performance measures that drive the company.  You should know the goals of your colleagues, which may mean adapting to their behavioral style in order to learn. This is important because not one gear turns the wheel. In order to gain this tacit knowledge, you must build relationships. This will include creating, cultivating and fostering relationships with many different colleagues.  Gaining their trust will excel your knowledge sharing even further. How do you gain this trust? You must jump in, stay accountable, get feedback, get better and top yourself. You will have shown your worth by building and showing your personal brand. Whatever you are, be a good one.

I am here to say, I am jumping in and ready to top myself. Are you willing to do the same?

Shae 

Payton's Intern Guide to SPD

Hello Everyone!

During the past few weeks I have had the opportunity to work on multiple projects in the Talent Acquisition (TA) division as well as travel to different agencies to see what their HR professionals did from day to day.

Throughout the past few weeks my fellow intern, Shae Siokos, and I have been continuously working on a Social Media plan for TA. Working on this has given me the chance to view social media as a recruiting tool rather than just for personal uses. We also have been working on recruiting for different jobs for TA.

Two weeks ago we visited with the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI). When we arrived I was amazed at how beautiful the school’s campus was, and felt lucky to visit there for the day. We shadowed the school’s HR director and had the chance to learn about the different tasks and challenges she faces regularly. This helped a lot because it put into perspective what a typical day in the HR world could look like. We also helped recruit and get the word out for the school’s career fair! Next week we will get to go to the actual career fair and see how it works from an employer’s side.

Earlier this week we met with a System Consultant. This was a very interesting meeting because we learned about HR metrics and how important they are. We learned how data can really improve a business or organization’s effectiveness and efficiency when you ask the right questions and observe the right correlations. Before this meeting I didn’t realize how much metrics could help the different departments in HR, but afterwards it sparked my interest and caused me to think of HR from many different perspectives. 

This past Tuesday we visited the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). We job shadowed the HR Manager and the Executive Recruiter, and learned what they do from day to day. We also got the chance to start I-9 audits, which was an interesting project to work on. There were four binders full of I-9s that needed to be checked for completion and separated from the employees that currently work for INDOT, and from the employees that have separated from the state. I’m looking forward to going back next week to finish these audits!

I’m so grateful for everyone who is bringing us interns in, letting us tag along and giving us important advice, it helps a lot! I can’t wait for the next few weeks!

Payton Reardon

HR Intern

State Personnel Department 

SPD Welcomes Intern Payton!

Hello Everyone!

My name is Payton Reardon, and I am the summer intern for the Indiana State Personnel Department (SPD). I am from Avon, Indiana and have lived in Indiana for about 13 years. I will be a junior at Indiana University this coming fall, majoring in Human Resource Management with a minor in Business.  I plan to graduate May of 2018 and pursue a career in Human Resources. After I finally locked down my major in HR, this past year was when I really grew a passion for HR and started searching for internships. I found this summer internship opportunity through the School of Public and Environmental Affair’s career website. What really attracted me to this internship was all the different projects and departments in HR I would be exposed to. During my interview I learned more about the projects I would be doing and the culture I would be exposed to, and I decided it was the perfect summer job for me.

            Looking back at my first two weeks I am amazed at how much I have already learned. Within the first week of this internship I had the opportunity to have multiple meet and greets with the different directors within SPD and learn about what they do. By the second day I already had my first recruiting project in the Talent Acquisition division. During the first two weeks, I also had the opportunity to job shadow the Employee Relations and Benefits division, and through that I was able to meet their teams and learn about their day-to-day schedules.  

            In the two weeks I have been interning at SPD, I already feel like I have learned so much. It has been satisfying to be able to use what I have learned in classes and bring that knowledge into a real world experience. I am beyond excited to see what other opportunities I will have throughout the summer as I continue with my internship.

  

SPD Welcomes Intern Shae!

As I walked across the stage at graduation, a moment of fear rushed over me. I began wondering if I had learned enough to become an HR professional. Did I know all of the current recruiting laws in place? Furthermore, am I able to regurgitate them when a colleague askes me? I was fairly certain, but not totally sure. I just graduated from the Kelley School of Business with a double major in Human Resource Management and Management. I better know what I’m doing! All of the stakeholders of IUPUI, Kelley School of Business, and the HR program depended on me being qualified to have my name on that piece of paper. And now all the stakeholders for the Indiana State Government.  I was feeling the pressure.

After sitting in my role for the past two weeks as a Human Resources Intern for the Governor’s Summer Internship Program, my fears started to subside. The wonderful onboarding routine made me feel like part of the State Personnel Department family. While job shadowing the Employee Relations unit, I knew exactly what Executive Order 00011246 meant when brought up in conversation. I was fascinated by their affirmative action plan for each agency within state government. I wanted to hear details for each ongoing investigation. My 15 minute ‘Meet & Greets’ turned into an hour. I am a sponge for the information with plenty of follow up questions and these executives were willing to speak with me.  I was having stimulating conversations with the staff attorney and it was inspiring. The past four years were worth it! I had the vocab, engaging questions, and a fellow intern, Payton, with whom to experience it all. We were on fire. The State Personnel Department gave me the platform to use the intelligence that I had absorbed.

As I sit here, working on projects, relaxed from yoga in the State Library, I am certain that this was the perfect internship for me. Now, as for what I have learned during my time with SPD. To know it all, you will have to stay tuned each blog.

During each meet and greet, my colleagues left me with some insight into the professional HR world. I would like to share some paraphrased accounts of them with you.

1. Break the HR Stigma

Other agencies can see Human Resources as the bad guy, the enforcer. You, as an HR professional, will have to combat that paradigm. You need to be able to convince them to see your way. You need to be able to influence. You are now an influencer! Have the mentality of a flipped pyramid with HR at the bottom; we work for them. All for one, and one for all! We are a family. Without them, we would not be here.

I am here to say, as a new HR professional, I am here for you. For more words of wisdom I have gained these past weeks, look for my blogs bi- weekly! Stay with us. 

Shae