We were delighted to have Hanisha Raikhy, BSc Psychology student from Royal Holloway, University of London, as part of our Client Success team for a one month internship! 

Interning at Arctic Shores has taught me so many things, about the world of work, about psychology and most importantly, about myself.

Before the internship, I had no idea of what I wanted to do after my degree. I did know that I liked data analysis and dealing with numbers. Even before my degree I knew that I wanted to understand human behaviour better, but struggled to find a career that could marry these interests together. 

During my internship, I was learning something new every day, but some experiences stood out more than others:

Business psychology is an option

One of the main things I learned while working at Arctic Shores was that Business Psychology is a genuine field that I can pursue. Speaking to the various teams, I was able to learn about the academic and professional journeys they had taken after graduating - and how they eventually ended up at Arctic Shores. I found these conversations really valuable, as they opened my eyes to career opportunities I hadn’t considered before.  

As a result, I have decided that I’d like to pursue a Master’s degree in Occupational Psychology. I finally have a clear path of where I want to go after my degree and how to get there!

Working in an office doesn’t necessarily mean 9-5

Whenever I thought about working in an office, I always imagined strict formal wear, packed schedules and a non-negotiable 9am start - where  everyone would just be watching the clock ticking away, waiting for the day to end. However, I am happy to say that this isn’t always the case, and it certainly wasn’t the case at Arctic Shores. Granted, I had tasks with deadlines, attended meetings and met with clients, but I was free to work how I wanted, which also encompassed flexible working hours, as long as I got my work done. For me this was one of the best things about my placement.

Gamified assessments are the next big thing

Psychometric assessments can be difficult, boring and are dreaded and disliked by many recent graduates, and so I never expected to find a psychometric assessment that I actually enjoyed. The assessment was genuinely fun and engaging. Not only that, but at the end of the assessment I got to find out a little more about myself in the form of an insightful report; something that can’t be said for traditional psychometric tests. 

Plans are always changing

For the first two weeks I was given schedules of deadlines and meetings which gave me an idea of how to plan my time efficiently, however I soon found that the schedule for the week rarely remained unchanged and I realised the importance of being agile and flexible.

Applying psychology is a science

At university we are taught how to apply psychology to the real world, but it was only after actually stepping into the working world that I realised that applying psychology is not something that can easily be grasped A couple times during my internship I had to apply my theoretical knowledge of data analysis, but quickly realised how difficult this task was in the context of a business - as there is no definitive method to analysing data.I found that the only way to get better at applying psychology to the real world is by actually applying it to the real world.

Interning at Arctic Shores has been a real eye-opener for me. It helped me learn more about what I like and showed me a glimpse into the world of work.