My name is Valentina Zirinova and I am a Glion Marketing Ambassador. As a part of the BBA program, we all need to complete two mandatory internships. My team and I wanted to share with you different students’ experiences to help you in the future with choosing the most suitable position to apply for.

Maria Bortignon is currently a semester five student doing her second internship. Maria has worked only two months out of six in her current role at Freeda in Madrid, Spain, but she was keen to tell us about her internship journey and share some advice and suggestions, starting with the interview process.

The internship interview

“The interview was divided into two parts. At the beginning there were some general questions about the company and then some specific questions about the department I applied for, which was finance.

The general questions included: Why did I want to work there? What do I know about the company? And what do I like the most about Freeda? After this, and because I wanted to work in the finance department, they asked me about my skills with Excel, what I liked most about finance and what I learned at Glion regarding the subject.”

Settling into the working environment

“Despite the fact that I am normally very shy and intimidated by new environments, it was very easy for me to adapt in the company. At Freeda everyone is very nice and patient, and I received a very warm welcome from the employees. I have been working there for two months now, and I already feel part of the team.”

It’s about more than work experience

“I chose to go to Spain because I wanted to improve my Spanish, because I studied it as an elective in Glion. Why Freeda? Because I really liked the values of the company and what they’ve done. I knew it was going to be a perfect environment for me.”

You’re there to learn

“I would recommend being more confident, curious and always ready to learn from everyone. Even though it is not very easy to find a job during these times, never stop applying because there are lots of opportunities for those who know what they want.”

Practical arts translate to the real world

“Since I am working in the finance department and not in a hotel/restaurant environment, the practical arts classes did not help me in a direct way. However, they helped me in terms of punctuality, perfect grooming and professionalism. But at the same time the ‘IT business tools’ classes as a part of semester three helped me a lot and I haven’t had any difficulties with technologies since I’ve started working.”

Thank you, Maria, for your time! We wish you a successful, cognitive and exciting rest of your internship. You are a great example of a person who wants to improve and challenge themselves in different aspects.