Working as an intern at Star Anise: Sophie Abrahams

by Guest contributor in Blog

DatePosted on November 25, 2022 at 03:59 PM
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Sophie Abrahams is a secondary school student at ESF School, Hong Kong. Below, Sophie gives an account of her two week student internship at Star Anise, which she attended with her fellow student, Nathanael Hon (see guest contribution from Nathanael of his work experience). Banner photo: Sophie Abrahams, Nathanael Hon, and their supervising teacher, Ms Wells. 

I got to spend two weeks interning and gaining work experience at legal recruitment agency, Star Anise, in Hong Kong. One of the first tasks I did on starting was to create a Linkedin account. This was the first time I was introduced to Linkedin properly. I got to get a feel for the business networking site and explore its functions and networks. Linkedin is undoubtedly an incredibly useful platform and I’m glad that I got to learn about it earlier so I could get a head start.

Throughout the two weeks of my internship, I got to shadow a few members of the staff and learn about their roles in the company. To help me get a better grasp of what it’s like in the working world I was given some tasks to complete. Being in a workplace feels a lot different from school, it’s a lot less structured in the sense that you get to pick what work you’re going to do on that day and how you’re going to allocate your time.

It’s been a great experience, and I feel like I’ve been able to learn more about what it’s actually like to work in an office. It has definitely helped me break down some of the misconceptions that I’ve had about what it’s like to work in a company. When everyone in my year was first told about WOW (Word of Work) I was excited to be able to go into an office and work there properly. At the same time, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to manage the tasks that I was given or maybe I wouldn’t get along very well with the people working there.

When I got to Star Anise, I was glad to find out that I was worried for nothing, working in an office isn’t so different to what I imagined but what the environment was actually like is the real thing I was shocked by.

Originally, I had the idea that offices were just full of stone-cold silence, with just the sound of people typing away in a soulless atmosphere. The first thing that I noticed when I walked in the door was that the office was surprisingly aesthetic and nice to look at, the lighting wasn’t super intense and there was calming work music playing in the background while people worked.

I was a bit shocked again when I found out that everyone in the office was very friendly with each other. I’m not sure where I got the idea that offices were depressing places to be, but I was quickly proven wrong. It’s nice to watch how the team members at Star Anise interact with each other and work together to make this business run smoothly. Everyone’s been very kind, and I settled in quickly despite how nervous I was on the first day.

I have learned a lot while working here. I know more now about the Hong Kong legal industry and profession, as well as what you need to qualify as a lawyer. I wasn’t fully aware of the sheer amount of areas a lawyer could choose to specialise in before this. I also found out more about how law firms worked, bigger law firms employ more than just lawyers. They also need support staff to help them do their job properly. There are many jobs you can find in a law firm that isn’t being an attorney.

Sophie and fellow ESF Student, Nathanael Hon, attending their end of internship farewell

Along with learning more about the world of law, I know more about what it’s like to be a recruiter. Throughout my stay here, I have helped with and listened to the work that’s done here. I don’t have any prior experience working with recruiters, so I don’t have anything to compare with. Despite that, with everything I’ve heard and seen, I think Star Anise is a highly professional company to ask for help from if you’re having trouble either finding a job or finding people to hire. Everyone here has been easy-going and easy to talk to without feeling super awkward.

This work experience has opened my eyes. I’ve learnt what it’s like in an office workplace and I’ve gained a lot of valuable work experience and knowledge. 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Guest contributor

Thought leadership articles and blog postings on careers, recruitment, professional life, or the legal and compliance industries, from guest writers. Opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily represent those of Star Anise, its employees or other representatives.

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