Human Resources Internships and Vacation Programs

Human Resources Internships and Vacation Programs

Managing human resources – attracting, training and retaining quality employees - is an essential part of all business. The role of HR in company strategy is increasing in today’s competitive economy as managers realise that the right staff can be an important source of competitive advantage for the business. Graduates in HR will enter a workforce where the HR managers are expected to “add value” to the company, not simply administrate and facilitate the processes of “hiring and firing”. To gain experience in this important and changing industry before graduation, students should consider an internship or vacation program.

Vacation Program

Vacation programs tend to be more valuable and desirable than ordinary internships, since they are generally of extended duration (between 3-12 weeks), involve training, facilitation, professional development, networking and application of the student’s technical/theoretical knowledge to real world problems. They also often include attractive pay packages and social events. Summer vacation programs are the most prevalent type of vacation program – occurring between November and February.

Vacation work for a human resources intern may vary, since there are various jobs that fall under HR umbrella. These include strategy, recruitment, selection (making sure that the prospective employees have the right skills, values and fit with the company’s objectives), training conflict management, employee relations, compensation, benefits, staff development and more. Human resource managers may be hired by a company to manage their internal affairs full-time, or they may work as “human resource consultants”.

Due to the expenses involved in running a vacation program, typically only the largest organisations will offer them (while SMEs may offer ordinary internships instead). Examples include the Big Four accounting/financial services firms (Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young, PwC), the Big Four commercial banks (Westpac, ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, NAB), luxury hotels and mining companies. Spaces are limited and competition is high. The desirability of a vacation program is enhanced by the fact that the primary function of the program (from the point of view of the host company) is a HR one – recruitment. The vacation program gives the company the opportunity to preselect the best and most motivated new talent and to test their abilities and fit for the company. They also take the opportunity to attract these prospective employees for a full time position. Vacation programs are in themselves excellent examples of human resources in action and are so successful that the majority of vacationers secure an offer of full time graduate employment at the conclusion of their internship.

For more information on the differences between internships and vacation programs, and for tips on how to successfully apply to these programs, check out our general internships and vacation programs guide.