This year, CCEA was one of the companies, where a social psychology student like myself could complete Status’ mini-internship. The annual mini-internship provides students with a possibility to gain some early work experience from their own field, while simultaneously scoring study credits.
Throughout my time at University of Helsinki, I have enjoyed learning about social psychology’s theories, but at the same time, I have been somewhat questioning whether I could really use this information in my future working life. This is partly why I was intrigued by the opportunity of completing the mini-internship and based on their job ad, CCEA instantly seemed like a good fit for me.
1. Work atmosphere
I was given a very warm welcome at CCEA, which included a tour of the office, a gift basket and a complimentary first day lunch with some of my co-workers. I could tell right away that CCEA has a work atmosphere, where people actually enjoy each other’s company and everyone is treated with respect. I liked how during these two weeks, people always seemed interested in how I was doing and what type of job assignments I had been given. I felt really secure working at CCEA thanks to my assigned support persons, who offered their assistance at all times. Also, CCEA seems to take good care of having new employees get acquainted with their colleagues by organizing slots for them to just chat and get to know each other. I think it’s a great way of integrating new people as a part of the team!
2. Job assignments
I was aware that without previous experience from consulting business or a thorough orientation, the tasks I could be assigned were quite limited. Still, I think the assignments I was given provided some actual value to CCEA. They consisted of editing internal and external PowerPoints, participating in workshops and orientation sessions, making notes in a meeting, exchanging ideas over co-workers’ projects – and of course, writing this blog.
3. What I learned
While I can’t say I got to use my knowledge of social psychology a lot during this mini-internship, I definitely gained a better understanding on why social psychology can be valuable in the business world. Organizations undergoing changes affect the working lives of many people and can therefore also birth negative social reactions like resistance. Understanding human behavior in a group setting can be quite useful – for example – in avoiding and resolving such situations. In addition to now knowing more about my own strengths in the business world, I learned a lot about CCEA as a company, a brand and a place of work. The image I have of the world of consulting is now looking clearer and more approachable. Thanks to CCEA for choosing me as the intern! I’m feeling confident that it will help me in my future career.
Henrik Ala-Hokka
