I still clearly remember my first day of the internship; I was excited yet nervous, not knowing what to expect. I walked into the office, and I sat in the waiting area nervously. As people were coming into the office to start work, a few of them greeted me. Honestly, I was not expecting that although during the interview, Alicia (HR) has mentioned that the people in HealthMetrics are extremely friendly and welcoming. I appreciated the fact that Alicia and Sanah (HR's) made the orientation and onboarding process very informative and as simple as possible.
To say that my time at HealthMetrics as an intern was amazing, would be an understatement. I was allowed to learn from many passionate and eager minds; people who were so generous with their knowledge. My team members, especially, whom I worked very closely with every day, were always supportive and understanding. They regularly made it a point that I should take ownership of the tasks I have, but at the same time, they were always ready to help and guide me should I ever needed an extra hand. Whenever I was unsure, they would always encourage me and patiently support me.
I can clearly remember last year's Christmas and Chinese New Year celebrations, which I helped organize as part of the company's employee engagement activities. The overwhelming support I got from not just my team, but the group of people who assisted me along the way is excellent (the employee engagement champions). People in the company never saw me as just the "HR intern", but they saw me as one of them, which made me feel a huge sense of belonging, and everyone feels like family. Even the bosses (CEO & CTO) have always been welcoming and friendly.
Whenever I share about the company's culture with my peers, they are always shocked to hear about the fun and open culture we practice here. If I may add, some even express their jealousy. My internship period at HealthMetrics flew by so quickly, and little did I know I was already two months into the internship. Alicia then reached out to me and wanted to have a quick chat with me. Frankly, I was worried at first thinking I was not doing a good job, but things took a big turn very quickly.
Unexpectedly, Alicia was asking about my plans after my internship and if I would be interested in coming back as full-time after my internship. It shocked me because I joined to learn and have new experiences-- without having the expectations to be retained as a full-time employee. In my head, I was already saying a big "Yes!" but of course, it was only fair that I took some time to consider such a big decision properly. Fast forward a few more weeks, and my internship was coming to an end.
Prior to that, I have also discussed with Alicia that I would want to take a couple of months off before starting my career pathway, which she very kindly agreed to. Unfortunately, the pandemic hit, and things took a big turn. At that point in time, I was very unsure if my employment was going to proceed, understanding that many companies were affected by the lockdown and the economy of the country. Thankfully, Alicia still reassured me that although the employment would be delayed, the spot was still open for me. I was very relieved after hearing from her.
I am very glad that although HealthMetrics was affected by the pandemic, we still stood strong with continuous hiring even during the lockdown and growing stronger as to date. No words can express how grateful I am to have stumbled across the vacancy of "HR Intern" for HealthMetrics and decided to give it a try. As a full-time employee now, I am still enjoying my work and am still very grateful for the amazing team that I am in. We learn from each other every single day. We are growing to improve ourselves not just in terms of skill sets, but also in many different aspects of life.
To be working with such fun, enthusiastic and amazing people and team, work doesn't seem as much like a chore and is much more enjoyable. Also, if I had to choose again, I would still choose HealthMetrics to undergo my internship.