Bright Networks Internship Experience and Academy learning courses

This is a guest post from Year in Business student Kiran Kandola who shares her insights from the recent Bright Networks 3 day Internship Experience UK. Hopefully this blog article will inspire YIBs to sign up for this programme when it runs again next year and also to take advantage of the numerous Bright Network Academy learning free courses available to students now.

My name is Kiran Kandola, and I recently joined the Bright Network Internship Experience 2022 for Business, Operations & Marketing stream. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirankandola20/  

1.       What is the Bright Network Internship and how have you found the experience? 

        The Bright Network Internship is an internship-style project created by top global employers to help familiarise yourself with the types of tasks you’d be doing as a graduate. The internship is designed to give students a flavour for many topics and learning experiences, the best part is that the intense and informative programme is virtual. Students are required to complete the work sample and free courses provided, this enables students to have tangible examples from their learning to talk about at future interviews, that can make you stand out from the competition.

 

The Bright Network Internship experience has been amazing for me. I was able to connect with several students studying a similar course and able to network, share my thoughts and ideas on a forum called Guild recommended by Bright Network. It was interesting to hear what other students are doing around the world and hearing their stories as to why they wanted join the Bright Network Internship. I also enjoyed hearing from different companies and employees, learning how they operate on a day to day basis. In addition to seeing what they look for when they interview a graduate student and what makes them stand out. And lastly, I enjoyed completing the task given on the second day of the internship which was to create a one page word document for the KitKat website.

 

2.       What have been particularly insightful sessions and what have you learnt? How will this be valuable for you?

I believe Tim Campbell keynote speech was definitely an insightful session because he was honest and authentic. He spoke from his experience and shared what he has learnt during his career journey which was very inspirational and that anything can happen if you are passionate and have a purpose. And lastly to always ask “why”. When you’re applying for a graduate job or internship, you want to see what problems you can solve and fix. Hearing from Tim Campbell really motivated me to step back and think what I’m passionate about and what job / sector do I see myself working for in the future. To then start researching those jobs and sectors to then see if that job is right for me and what I can do to help.

I also found Ben Triggs session really insightful as well. This is because Ben talked about a number of important things and they were having a routine, creating your quarterly, monthly and yearly goals and most importantly identifying what your strengths and weaknesses are and what action are you willing to take to improve that. Ben’s session was really valuable as it taught me about the importance of planning, having a routine and setting your goals.

 

And lastly, I enjoyed the two wellbeing mindfulness sessions hosted by Jess Lamela and Sarah from F45 Training. I learnt the importance of having the work life balance and it was really valuable as it is important to make the time to do some exercise. Whatever you are feeling it is important release it through the form of exercise as it a form of stress relief and also a good form of meditation.

 

3.       How did you sign up to the internship?

        I went on the Bright Network website, I then clicked on the Internship Experience UK and Business, Operations & Marketing. I then completed the application and at end answered why I wanted to complete the internship, which was to gain some experience and insight, to make new connections and develop more skills.

4.       What other courses have you done with Bright Networks? 

        I have completed many courses with Bright Network: Application Process, Commercial Awareness, Core Career Skills, Getting Started with your career, How to get into Consulting, How to get into Marketing, Leadership Skills and Sector 101s. https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/academy/

5.       Any other thoughts for students thinking of signing up in the future? 

        For students considering to register for the Bright Network Internship just go for it. You have nothing to lose and if anything, you are gaining some experience and insight from different companies and hearing from different employees. The benefit of this is by hearing from different companies and global employees you can then apply your skills into practice. For example, when writing your CV, going for an interview and doing an online presentation in front of clients. You will learn tips and tricks along the way that will make a huge difference.

 

https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/