Olivia Hickman joined us for a three-week internship through the charity GAIN (Girls Are Investors). We asked Olivia to share her reflections on her time with CapGen and her advice for other prospective interns on how to approach the experience.
Although she hadn’t heard of CapGen before, after a bit of research she was keen to find out more as “any company which supports young women makes a good impression with me.” After a good look through our website and LinkedIn, Olivia was excited to get started, particularly as she “loved the office” at her interview.
Olivia was a little nervous before her first day, particularly as “joining a small company makes you more visible as you can’t hide as one of the masses - everyone knows who you are as the only intern”. But she soon relaxed when she realised that “everyone was genuinely interested in meeting me and in what I had to say”. We were pleased to hear her have such a positive experience of the office, “It was great to be part of an environment where everyone supported each other, and no one was ever too busy to help.”
We asked Olivia if she had any top tips for anyone considering an internship. She began by suggesting “Work out what you want to get out the internship. Not just the role, but also the type of company.” For her, after applying to some bigger companies, she recognised they just didn’t feel like the right fit for her. She reflected that “working for a smaller company generally means you will be offered more support, and everyone will be more invested in you”. In world of internships, there can be a push towards getting big companies on your CV, but you can still get a great experience from smaller companies.
Olivia’s final piece of advice is something we all could think about. She wisely suggests, “It’s important to be authentic and true to yourself. As an intern there can be an expectation to be intelligent and polished, but the people you meet do actually want you to be a human! Don’t just say what you think everyone wants to hear; it is a two-way street, and you need to know that you will truly fit in with that company.” Any successful career begins with authenticity.
We wish Olivia the best of luck with her future plans.