By Abram Molelemane
Intern mentor shares some tips for making an impact in your first job
Having started her working life as an intern herself, 22 year old Azraa Noah is living proof of the power of internships to kick-start a career.
Her role as the intern mentor for the Graduate Asset Programme (GAP) involves assisting with queries from hundreds of graduates and interns daily; maintaining a professional comportment is expected from her at all times. GAP programme manager Chantal de Kock says that Azraa’s witty character and unswerving commitment to help others, solid HR background and her bubbly and selfless personality are a driving force behind the GAP concept, which is aimed at reducing graduate unemployment and growing the small and medium enterprise sector through internships.
“By helping place thousands of capable and willing unemployed graduates into internships, GAP assists host businesses to gain much-needed skills and the graduates to gain experiential learning, leading to a win-win for all involved,” explains Azraa.
After obtaining a B –tech in Human Resource Management from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, like many South African graduates Azraa started looking for a job. She came across GAP whilst looking for employment; she registered on the site as a prospective intern, and was selected for an internship as a junior member of the GAP team. She soon proved herself, and today she is a permanent member of the team and assists others to find their dream internships, by helping them:
- Improve their GAP Profiles
- Strengthen their CVs
- Draft Winning Motivational Letters
- Sharpen Interview Skills
- Handle GAP Technical Queries
- Online Support
“I love the work I do, and really believe that GAP has the power to change lives for the better, forever,” she says. “Every intern we place into a business holds their own future in their hands; studies show that as many as 70% of GAP internships convert into longer term jobs, so from a job creation perspective we feel we have found a winning formula for SA,” she adds.
As someone who started her career as an intern, Azraa points out that internships provide first-time employees with an ideal opportunity to learn about their field of work, to develop contacts, gain work experience, and possibly land a permanent job once their internship is up.
As someone who manages a database of over 20 000 graduates of interns and grads, her work can at times be gruelling and stressful. She adds however, that the positive feedback from grads and businesses motivate her to continue with the work that she does.
She shares a few tips on how to work with people effectively and increase your success:
Smile
This is the most simple and often the most powerful tip for customer service (and most other interpersonal interactions).
Make the clients feel welcome
“Use an appropriate greeting to make your customer feel welcome. Customers nearly always have a choice of which businesses and organisations they use, they didn’t have to pick yours and they don’t have to pick yours in the future.”
Listen
“You are unlikely to be able to help all your clients or customers effectively if you don’t listen to their needs. By not listening, you can frustrate your clients or customers and may lose them. Listen to the customer’s needs, empathise and find the best solutions.”
Know your work /product
“It is very important that you know and understand the ins and outs of your job or product, as this enables you to assist and answer any questions from your clients or customers with confidence.”
When she is not working, Azraa enjoys playing PlayStation, watching horror movies, eating and attending live music concerts, but her real passion lies in seeing young South Africans take their opportunity with both hands and carve out a positive future for themselves.
[hr style=”4″ margin=”40px 0px 40px 0px”]GAP is an initiative of Fetola (www.fetola.co.za) and is supported by the President’s Jobs Fund and others. To register or to learn more about GAP, visit www.gogap.co.za
