Summer Internship at Orkla

My name is Jesper Arntzen Engedahl, I am a 2nd year Master’s student of Leadership & Organizational Psychology at BI Norwegian Business School. During the summer of 2020 I attended an 8-week internship at Orkla ASA, a leading actor of branded consumer goods in Norway. In this article I will share my experiences when looking, applying and working in an internship and I will give my key takeaways for what can be beneficial to consider if you want to take full advantage of the learning and development opportunities an internship can offer you.

"An internship is a wonderful way of gaining practical knowledge and experience in a professional field that you want to build a career in."

An internship is one of several activities you can participate in as a student that may prepare you for your career after you finish your studies. It is a fulltime job that normally lasts around 6-8 weeks during the summer, or the fall- or spring semester. You’ll have “foot in the door” at an interesting company that will give you meaningful and interesting assignments and tasks.

An internship is a wonderful way of gaining practical knowledge and experience in a professional field that you want to build a career in. You will be able to use your theoretical knowledge that you have learned during your studies and apply it to real life work projects and gain insight into the “working world”.

It is a fun, social, and great way to build your professional network and meet new and interesting people. You will meet both professionals in their fields and like minded students in the same position as you. The experience of having an internship will look great on a future job application and might help you land your dream job when you start your career.

"Attend career fairs and company presentations – both virtual and in person – and ask companies about their internship opportunities."

But where do you find internships? When looking for an internship, I would advise that you cast a wide net so that you have an overview of all the options available. LinkedIn allows you to use keyword notifications that will notify you by email when new internships are published on the site by companies. I used this a lot when looking for internships, so that I could be quick to apply before the deadlines expired.

If there are specific companies you want to work for, then go to the career portals on their websites and look for internships there. Companies will often advertise for internships on their own sites, and it shows initiative that you are actively seeking out a specific company that you want to work for.

Attend career fairs and company presentations – both virtual and in person – and ask companies about their internship opportunities. Make sure that you are noticed by the people in the company – show your interest in them and do not be afraid to ask questions.  

When applying for an internship, you should think carefully on how you want to present yourself to a future employer. When writing a cover letter, it can be a good idea to start off by mentioning where you found the job advert. Did you attend a company presentation or did you routinely check the company’s career page awaiting an internship announcement? Great - say that in your cover letter!

I would advise that you really dive into the internship job ad to understand what they are actually looking for in a candidate. Is this internship position something you want to do, are you passionate about the field, does the tasks seem interesting? If you think the internship seems like something you would enjoy, imagine yourself in the position and consider how you would behave and act. Do you have the skills and the motivation to do the job required? Does it seem like a good fit for you? Are you motivated for this position? Companies are looking for genuinely interested candidates that want to make a difference and do a good job, and they will notice during an interview if you are not properly motivated for the position. They want genuine interest.

"Use this opportunity to learn and to grow as a professional. That fact that you used your time to seek out an internship opportunity that could help you grow your skills and your knowledge will look great on a CV."

Internships are great sources of learning and development. Before you start your internship, consider what you want to get out of it. Are you looking for a unique summer job to earn a bit of money? Are you looking to network, socialize and meet new people? Are you looking to make an impact? These are important things to consider so that you get the most out of your internship. An internship is an unique opportunity to learn a lot about the life after studies, allowing you to use your theoretical skills in practice and to try out a field or a business to see if it is something that would fit you.

Use this opportunity to learn and to grow as a professional. That fact that you used your time to seek out an internship opportunity that could help you grow your skills and your knowledge will look great on a CV. This experience will help you build a stronger candidate profile and be a more attractive employee.

My specific internship tasks as a Human Resource intern included a variety of employer branding and recruitment activities. When organizing internships, Orkla assigns every intern a partner, or two, in their respective department. I was partnered with another HR intern, Thea, and Thea and I worked on several projects together. These included internal and external employer branding activities, such as the #HumansOfOrkla campaign that highlights the variety of the many employees and departments within the company. We posted job adverts, updated and edited Orkla’s career page and the job adverts for summer internship 2021. We also started the planning and organizing of Orkla’s first ever Virtual Career Fair that took place earlier this autumn.

In addition to my projects I also assisted my leader, the VP of Employer Branding and Recruitment in Orkla ASA with her daily tasks and meetings. She invited me to her meetings and let me participate in her work to show me what the daily life of a HR professional was like.

The internship consisted of learning opportunities, social activities and hard work. I worked in cross-functional teams alongside other interns and I had interesting and insightful discussions and talks with colleagues in my department. There is so much to do and so much to learn!

The most important thing I learned from my internship is that I had an excellent source of learning and development and I feel that I have grown both personally and professionally. It was a short, but intensive learning experience of what I can expect to experience in a HR department in a large company and the internship prepared me for what the daily work life can look like after I finish my time as a student. I got to use my skills and knowledge on real work assignments at Orkla, and I experienced that my colleagues and my leader wanted to hear my insight and ideas. Personally, I learned to be less afraid to share my ideas and to be more confident to take more space in a work setting. Orkla did not want me to just be an assistant or a helper – they wanted me to be bold and to be a confident worker. Do not forget that your thoughts and opinions are valued – that is why they hired you!  

"An internship can open many doors for you, so I would highly advise that you make the most out of the experience."

At Orkla I was not a student, but an employee, alongside every other employee in the company. I worked on real tasks and projects, and the results of my work will continue to be used after I finished my internship. I made great friends, socialized and had fun experiences with other interns, I made interesting connections at the company, and I grew my professional skills and I now feel more prepared for the day when I finish my studies.

An internship can open many doors for you, so I would highly advise that you make the most out of the experience. As a result of my effort, Orkla actually asked me to stay on for another week to help with the onboarding of the new group of autumn-interns. Soon I will also be starting a part-time job in the same department I interned in, and several of my intern-colleagues were given job offers for when they finish their degrees. The possibilities are endless!

I hope my advice might help you in your search for internships and that by sharing my experiences it might prepare you for what you can expect. I highly recommend that anyone interested in a fun and unique learning experience apply for an internship when doing either a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree – it will greatly benefit you both professionally and personally and it will help you build a stronger candidate profile and be a more attractive employee.

Search yourself and think of what you want to achieve from an internship. Be curious, confident and do not be afraid to take up space and to share your ideas. Have an open mind, and you may learn a lot. Good luck!