Internship at The Norwegian Refugee Council

What tasks did you perform during your internship?

–  I was employed in the Human Resources Management System (HRMS) Adoption team during my internship. The main task assigned to me was to implement the instructions (Knowledge Base) for global staff on how to use the NRC administrative platform. Previously existing on a Microsoft OneNote page, a small part of the Knowledge Base had been moved to a more user-friendly SharePoint page but it had been left unedited until my arrival.

I was initially requested to enhance the visibility and readability of the content of 49 sections from HR CORE processes by editing the draft English version. That included proofreading all existing texts and changing the page layout and the text format. The relevance of such an assignment was of extreme importance, as the instructions are essential to NRC’s newly hired staff worldwide.

Simultaneously, I was responsible for creating a multilingual version of the Knowledge Base, so that the information would be available in French and Spanish as well. Thanks to my Translation and Interpreting background and my current studies in Multilingualism, I was able to collaborate and coordinate with the contracted translation company to create trilingual content. Upon receiving the translated texts in French and in Spanish, I proofread these and inserted the final product in newly created multilingual sections on SharePoint.

Finally, I built a glossary of technical terms to be preferred to literal translations, after consulting with French and Spanish native HR colleagues, and shared this with the translation company to enhance their future official translations. As I became more proficient and quicker in my work, and although not part of my initially assigned task, I proceeded to proofread 315 out of the 350 existing sections in English and create their correspondent pages on SharePoint.

How did you use skills you have acquired from your education at the Faculty of Humanities?

– My studies in Multilingualism provided me with a theoretical knowledge of multilingual practices in the workplace, so that I was able to find solutions in a real professional context. I felt fully aware of the responsibilities assigned to me and how my role would grant a non-English-speaking audience access to content in their language, thus promoting linguistic equality.

What do you think is or was the greatest benefit from your internship?

– My internship allowed me to gain professional experience in HR Management Systems, which is an optimal starting point to build a career in that field. Moreover, I was able to build an extensive network within the organization, and I had the opportunity to get acquainted with different teams’ work to have a better idea of what I would ideally like to work in the future. I had also the opportunity to access free e-courses on humanitarian topics on the international Kaya platform, so that I could learn more about a field I am passionate about.

In my case, working as an intern was also a necessary step to be offered employment: after my internship, my manager offered me a three-month contract in the same team as she had been impressed by my results. Finally, being an intern at NRC entails the advantage of being considered an internal applicant in any job postings for the following two years, thus giving an advantage on external applicants.

Anything else you would like to add?

– I would recommend preparing well for a potential interview to be selected for an internship, as there is much competition to join NRC: be up-to-date on the latest news on humanitarian crises and conflicts in the world, explore the NRC website to know about its values and missions, and demonstrate your involvement in, or passion for the humanitarian field.

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