Cian joined the Veolia Water Technologies Ireland team in May as part of our Work Experience Programme. Cian is currently studying Business Management (BBS) and has been providing support to the Finance, Commercial and HR Teams while gaining experience in these areas. As Cian comes towards the end of his time with us and the start of his final year of study, we asked him to share his experience with us.
Describe your role and what a typical day looks like for you?
For me, everyday was different. My role in Veolia was Business Support which allowed me to work between the HR, Commercial and Finance Team. This meant that I was able to grasp a clear view of how exactly the business functions through its different departments. While working with different teams, I was always given different tasks, all with their own challenges. Some of the daily tasks included processing Invoices & Remittances, Scanning CV’s for a new role in the business, keeping the social media page updated and digitising old company documents, amongst many other tasks. While some tasks were particularly challenging, it was all the more rewarding once they were completed. These are areas which I have keen interest in and those which I have had no prior experience, and so to get that with Veolia is something for which I am very grateful for.
Was there any one particular aspect of your role or area of the business that you found most interesting?
The area which I found the most interesting would have to be working with the HR team. This surprised me a lot as in my degree, it focuses more so on managerial and marketing aspects and so my knowledge of what exactly the HR team would do on a day to day basis was quite basic. However, after working hard with the team for the past three and a half months, I have a much better understanding of what they do. One of the reasons as to why I found working with HR so interesting was how there was something always going on which had to be done. For example, you could go from scanning important documents, to creating new job descriptions to greeting candidates at the foyer and bringing them to the conference room to pre-prep them for their interview, and this could all happen in the same day.
Has your time with Veolia helped influence or inform your choices for the future?
I would most definitely say that from my time working at Veolia, I now have a more clear idea as to what I plan to do once I finish my degree. From the time working here at Veolia, I noticed a lot how aware they are of climate change and I was quite impressed with their multitude of campaings which they run both in the office and on their social media page to spread awareness about climate change. I was fortunate enough to be part of a small campaign which was called “Think before you print “ in which posters were placed around the office with the goal of employees reducing paper use in the hopes they would only print essential documents. This emphasis around sustainability in Veolia has given me a better understanding of the importance of being more environmentally friendly and has made me consider to look into a masters in Sustainable business management after my degree
What is your favourite part about working with Veolia?
I would have to say my favourite part of working in Veolia would have to be the amazing people that work here. All the departments are only a desk away and so it is very clear to see how the whole process runs. The people here are very hardworking and experienced in their fields and follow through on the Veolia ethos of Excellence every day. However, they are also very welcoming and easy to approach. If I ever had any problems with anything I knew I would be able to talk to anyone. I really felt part of the team working here which made the work experience all the more enjoyable. I leave here with a plethora of new skills and experience which I will be able to use as I venture into a career after college.
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