A day in the life of a Talent and Capability Intern - Kara Ackerman

Pre-register for the Internship Program

Q: How did you find out about the internship opportunity?

A: I found out about the internship opportunity through my University, University of Wollongong, through a Professional Experience in Business subject which connected me with Transgrid.

Q: Are you still studying? What are you studying at the moment? Why did you choose internship instead of the Grad Program?

A: I graduated from a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Psychological Science in June 2023. As I was still studying when I started the Internship in December 2022, the Graduate Program was not applicable to me. Now that I have graduated, I am beginning the Transgrid Graduate Program in January 2024 with the People, Culture and Safety team. This will begin in Inclusion, Diversity and Wellbeing, before rotating to 3 other teams to gain experience in human resources.

Q: Do you have any advice for people that are considering joining Transgrid as interns?

My advice for students who are considering becoming a Transgrid Intern would be to put yourself out there. Submitting intern applications can be a daunting experience as for many it is the first experience of applying for a job in their field. Let your personality show in the interview and communicate your enthusiasm to your field, this will help you stand out from the others.

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The below article was originally written and published in January 2023.

7.30 AM

I wake up to the sound of my constant alarm ringing, still half asleep as I gain the energy to get out of bed. I turn on a warm shower to bring me back to life before I begin a busy day. I enjoy a hot cup of tea as I get ready and take the time to put my makeup on.

8.30 AM

Realising I relied too heavily on my proximity to the office, I was running late for my train. After a fast walk, I make it on time, to join a busy train. I take a 4-minute train to Central Station. Now back on schedule, I can take a slower approach walking to the office, enjoying the sunshine and cool morning breeze.

8.50 AM

Arriving on time at the office, I brace myself for the third day as a Human Resources Intern at Transgrid. The nerves are still with me as I enter the lift to the office. I enter the office surrounded by Christmas decorations with anticipation of the Christmas break in everyone’s conversations around the office.

9.00 AM

As I arrive at the Human Resources desks, I am greeted by multiple colleagues, some of which I am meeting for the first time. After the morning chatter, we move to the common area to begin our day-long end-of-year team meeting. This meeting consisted of 10-15 Talent and Capability employees, with various roles and experiences in the business. The first meeting of the day involved outlining the changes to the team structure and how we will work together over the next year and beyond. This transitioned into a feedback session which provided insight into areas that need improvement and how we can practically achieve them.

10.30 AM

After the first segment, I left the meeting to join the graduates and other interns on a tour of the Ultimo Substation. The tour was conducted by a highly experienced engineer who had a great sense of humour! The substation was incredible in both size and technicality with multiple stages which are used to supply electricity to different areas in Sydney.

12.00 PM

Once we returned to the office, it was time for the Graduate and Intern Christmas lunch, which included sandwiches, wraps and a fruit platter. This is a good time to connect with the graduates and interns to hear about their experiences and their recommendations for the last 6 months of my degree and when I begin in the workforce. I received some good advice about maintaining connections and taking every opportunity available to me.

1.00 PM

After lunch, I returned to the Talent and Capabilities team meeting, which now included two colleagues who joined virtually. This next meeting is about planning and resourcing our workforce and how that will look in the next year and beyond. In line with this, we then outlined the performance management process and how it has been altered to maintain consistency and effectiveness.

3.00 PM

To conclude our team day, we had an interactive session on our DISC assessment which we completed at the beginning of the week. This is an interpersonal behaviour assessment that categorised us into a personality category: Dominance, Influence, Conscientiousness or Steadiness. This was an interesting exercise to see everyone’s personality and how they respond to stress and challenges in the workplace. My result was CS which means I am in between Conscientiousness and Steadiness. This was no surprise to me, as this aligned significantly with what I knew about my abilities in the workforce and my comfort zones at work. Once we identified everyone’s personality, we had a fun activity to see how we differed and interacted with one another.

4.00 PM

Finishing earlier than expected, we head home to freshen up before heading back to the town for a team Christmas dinner. The weather was beautiful and warm, the sign of a good summer day. I relaxed at home with my partner for an hour before I made my way to Cockle Bay Wharf to catch up with the Talent & Capability team.

6.00 PM

Arriving at the restaurant the view was amazing, with a table in the sun which found many people reaching for their sunglasses. It was a great opportunity to talk casually with the team and get to know each other better. Through this, I learn about the team and their experiences before joining Transgrid, especially since I am still new to the organisation.

10.00 PM

At 10.00 pm I called it a night as I had an early shift for my part-time job, and I managed to get a lift home and get ready for the day ahead.