Want to attract Gen Z’s brightest and best? Write a great job description, advises Asmita Gupta (IBA, 2023). “When I was looking for internships, the Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR) stood out,” she says. “The job description was quirky and fun, detailing a typical day: ‘You’ll grab a coffee first thing in the morning, then you’ll chat through your latest project…’ and so on. Reading it helped me visualise what my working life there would be really like.”

That’s music to the ears of Nando Steenhuis (MSc Strategic Entrepreneurship, 2015), founder and CEO of AIHR. “We’re the Academy to Innovate HR, after all, so we have to practise what we preach and take a very people-centric approach,” he says. “It’s very important for me to have the best product out there – but also that we’re continually trying to become the best employer we can be. And internships are a key part of our talent pipeline.”

Gupta had initially struggled to find a specialism that suited her. Internships played a key role in helping her find not just what she wanted to do, but also what she didn’t want to do. “I was initially interested in marketing, but after an internship in that area, I realised it wasn’t a good fit for me,” she says. It wasn’t until her second internship – in the recruitment department at rental platform HousingAnywhere – that she found her passion. “Everything about recruitment fits my personality and my ambitions,” she says. “So I was delighted to be accepted for my third internship at AIHR.”

And it was the perfect fit. “Asmita added a layer of life to the team,” says Steenhuis. “She has a really vibrant personality. The moment she walks into an office, the energy level just goes up and somehow things get more fun.” Gupta applied that energy to everything she did, he says. “She was very proactive – always trying to find new ways to add to the experience. For example, she’d always find something new and exciting to do for our once-a-month Friday drinks, or making sure that everyone had a special present for International Women’s Day.”

Gupta gained a lot from her six-month internship as well: one vital lesson, she says, has been the importance of objectivity. “When you’re in recruitment, you need to have a strong sense of judgement and intuition. I learned how to be more objective, to ask the right questions, to get the most out of people you’re interviewing. It helped that I wasn’t instantly given tons of responsibility, but being able to shadow my manager was fantastic. I was able to listen, observe and learn.”

And she enjoyed the non-hierarchical structure of the company. “In my home country of India, organisations tend to be highly hierarchical. So it was great to be able to see Nando sitting down for lunch with everyone else. He works hard to create a culture of openness and feedback – an important takeaway for me.”

Gupta has since gone on to another recruitment internship – this time at multinational Henkel – and will start a Master’s in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in September. “I’m keeping my options open. But life is unexpected. Who knows what I might end up doing!”

Does Steenhuis have any advice? Make sure you stay true to yourself, he says. “As a professional, you’ll grow and change and do things differently as you advance in your career. But keep that vibrant personality. Keep bringing your authentic self into your work. Don’t conform to the boring corporate persona!”