There are many college students who decide to do a summer internship.  I am one of those students. I am 21 years old, I study Psychology and I am a few days away from starting my master's degree. The decision process of choosing my field has not always been linear: I entered in the university with a fixed idea of what I wanted to study, but throughout the three years of my degree I became interested in other subjects. I think I even seriously considered each of the masters' options that my university offered, and I kept swinging back and forth between them. In the end, I found myself enrolling in the area that I had considered before I even started my academic career: Organizational, Social, and Occupational Psychology.
 
I can say that I was not 100% sure that this was what I wanted to study when I enrolled. I always felt that my course has a very strong theoretical component, which leaves less space for the practical part. Also, the focus of studies, in the undergraduate course, is often on the clinical side of psychology, somewhat neglecting the other possibilities that the course offers, among them the area of organizations, education, and deviant behavior, for example. As I wanted to counterbalance these points and increase my percentage of certainty, I decided to do an internship in the area, which I believe is always an enriching experience and would allow me to clear up some doubts.
 
I decided to do a summer internship because it seemed to be the most appropriate time of the year: the school year was already over, so I could fully dedicate myself to the internship instead of trying to reconcile it with my studies. Still, summer is the time of year to take a break, and I wanted to do that too. Of course, it was a busier summer, where I had to make some compromises and manage my free time better, but I feel that I managed to reconcile responsibilities and fun, and enjoy it to the fullest.
 
And that's what happened. I had the opportunity to experience what it is to be in a company and what the work is really about. I will enter the master's program more confident that I have chosen the right area. When I attend classes next semester, I know I will be better able to think critically about the subject and the content, because I have seen the merging of theory and practice in the real world.
 
Interning at Argo has exceeded my expectations for this experience. I had a pre-defined idea of what the Human Resources and Recruitment area is, but Argo completely changed the way I see it now. I learned from the most basic skills to the most complex ones. I have acquired new skills and developed some that I already had. I can't single out just one major learning experience, because there really were many. That was given to me the opportunity to be involved in different projects, and even though, due to timings, I couldn't participate so actively in some phases, I could always follow the whole process. All this in a friendly and dynamic environment, but always professional.
 
I learned how to use LinkedIn from a recruiter's perspective, which was also helpful in understanding how I can improve my profile in the future, for example. The same happened with analyzing candidate resumes. This research and screening component helped me develop a more analytical and objective view. On the other hand, I was able to attend interviews with several people, with different backgrounds, which allowed me to see their "B-sides". There I realized that an interview that aims to get to know the candidate as a whole person, including his or her more personal side, his or her life path, and not just as a candidate for a position/job, is more human and richer. This is an approach that is in Argo's DNA and that I truly admire.
 
Obviously, there were challenges along the way as well. As this was my first dive into the world of work, I had some fears about my ability to live up to what was expected of me. However, the whole team made me feel at ease to ask any questions I had. I was never afraid of making mistakes, because I always felt accompanied.

Now that I have finished this internship, I would like to thank the entire Argo team for welcoming me and providing me with this opportunity. It was a great experience that helped me expand my horizons and will certainly open doors in the future. I learned a lot and I will take these learnings with me for the rest of my academic and professional life.

Por Ana Sofia Freitas