My Experience as an International Human Resources Intern at Foreign Staffing

By Ken Zwerdling on May 08, 2015

Backtrack to the beginning of January 2015 when I had my interview for this internship - I was working on my Master’s in Human Resources and working abroad as an English teacher in France. I was trying to map out my transition into the HR field at this point. After my initial interview with Ken Zwerdling – CEO of Foreign Staffing, I realized how perfectly this internship in International Human Resources and Marketing would tie together my experiences. This internship would allow me to gain my first professional human resources experience, and work remotely from France. In fact, this is one of the only opportunities where my residency in France was actually advantage bonus to my candidacy. I knew I would be able to use my international experience and language skills to my advantage throughout various steps of this internship. And the unique recruiting market that Foreign Staffing Inc. had created, considering the increase in globalization and international work today, intrigued me even further. 

Fast forward to 5 months later, and as I look back on all of the projects, research, and assignments I completed throughout my time with Foreign Staffing Inc. it is humbling to see how far I have come and what this valuable first HR experience has done for me. Prior to this experience, my knowledge in HR was limited to what I learned in classrooms, textbooks, and forum discussion settings. I was fully aware of the concepts, theories, and protocols from my studies. However, it was only through my hands-on Foreign Staffing internship that I learned the ins and outs of recruiting on an international scale.

My internship assignments had me researching the best online tools, methods, and resources to find potential candidates. I completed a project on contract recruiting, and how companies can transition from contingency to retained search. Not to mention, I gained practical experience that would be encountered in any recruiter position – from formatting resumes and creating job descriptions to designing a presentable portfolio for clients. Additionally, the format of this internship, an online remote experience, I gained even further because I was forced to develop my own organizational and time management skills.

While I was given assignments and projects from Ken each week, I was essentially my own boss working in my personal office setting from home. This opportunity enabled me to develop my own sense of scheduling which in turn led to a tremendous sense of self-accomplishment. It prepared me to be able to successfully work through my own projects in a future HR setting.

More importantly, besides all of the skills and knowledge that I have learned, this internship gave me the gift of confirming my interest and passion in HR on an international level. Thanks to this internship I realized that I am on the right track for my future career steps and overall goals. I look forward to seeing my future in international HR, and I am thankful for my time spent with Foreign Staffing Inc. as an international human resources and marketing intern.

Written by Cara Subasic – Spring 2015 Intern – Foreign Staffing, Inc.