So…what did we learn from our interns?

It was our quarterly Town Hall meeting earlier this week and there was a special presentation by our interns. Wiley Singapore had the largest summer internship program ever this year, with 9 intern-hires from NTU (Nanyang Technological University) and SMU (Singapore Management University). They each went through a rigorous interview process before they were hired and it has been 2 months this week and most will be heading back to school this month.

They were posed three questions around their experience with us and to suggest any future recommendations: 

1- What struck you most about Wiley and your experience?

Our initial perception of the 'publishing industry' was of a traditional ‘printing’ company with ‘editors’ and how wrong we were, instead, we were welcome to a modern office and a forward-thinking company culture. Next the interns spoke of Wiley's culture - and that got me reflecting... what set this company apart was the kindness they had experienced from everyone: caring managers and colleagues; an organization that recognize them as individuals with equal standing as full-time employees and they were thrilled to be included on the company’s organization chart as that gave them a sense of belonging. The culture of inclusiveness and a large happy family was how they described the Singapore office. They were also happy to be trained on systems and processes, given the opportunity to be exposed to most departments and global colleagues from different regions and cultures within a short work stint here. I paused again and nodded my head with agreement, this is what many of us enjoyed about working at Wiley, the industry, the inclusiveness and exposure to a multicultural environment with continuous learning opportunities, where we shared knowledge and refine on cultural intelligence. 

2- What were some things you could use as part of your learning journey?

To Ask and Question the 'Why' behind the 'What' for each assignment. Who is this meant for and how will the assignment be use in the business? Our team's intern, Cherylyn Lim, had presented this and the critical-thinking skills she learned here will benefit her in her future school/work assignments. She felt good with the autonomy to initiate her ideas and experience in some of the projects, one of which was around 'student-patron experience' which she had chosen to embark around the University library and she knows the outcome can help our organization improve our understanding of the customer’s challenges and needs. Along the discovery path, she learnt more about her university library and the rich resources and services they have to offer to their patrons.

3- What were the things you think the company should/could do better?

Include intern- hires in the company's TALEO portal. Make internship a regular program for the organization! (I sense that we have won over these interns' approvals and believe they will be strong advocates for our future recruitment). Build your brand presence at the university job fairs. These were pragmatic suggestions and certainly achievable approaches.

I reflected on their share and was struck by their professionalism, enthusiasm and a sense of belonging in an inclusive organization, I couldn't help but agree on many of their feedback and am glad I had also chosen this path and have through the years benefitted and evolve together in this organization. The welcoming culture and respect from colleagues is still evident, even though there have been many rounds of organizational changes, our DNA remains! 

Here’s a quote from one of our interns-

“For me, I think of the word “culture” as a tradition that dates back many years. But as an intern in a company where the Wiley family line is still a part of the board of directors, it allows me to understand that culture is a way of life - something that is constantly practiced until it is permanent. I could feel this practiced daily in the Singapore office.”     ~Daniel Palit

Thank you interns for reminding us of the true value of a great organization!