Late last year, Buddle Findlay found out that the Halberg Youth Council members, mostly university students, find it really difficult to get work experience during the holidays so, with the help of the Halberg Foundation we created the Buddle Findlay & Halberg Career Experience programme.
The main objective of this programme is to assist university students from the Halberg Youth Council, who all have physical disabilities, to gain work experience.
Kiran Dixon was the second Halberg Youth Council member to gain work experience at Buddle Findlay, joining our Wellington office from 8-12 July. We spoke to Kiran before, during and after his placement to gain insight into his experience and find out about the benefits and challenges of the programme.
Before placement
Tell us a bit about what you are studying and your long-term career goals.
I have a BA majoring in Communications, Minoring in History and Music Technology. My main career goal is to work on tours as either a technician (audio/lighting/set design), production manager, or as tour operations crew. My secondary goal is to work in media and communications either in graphic design, video/music production, public facing media/communication development, or communications direction.
What do you like to get up to outside of work?
I love to travel, exploring new cultures and places. I also enjoy creating and exploring new music, learning production techniques, cycling, walking, and basketball as well as watching movies.
What are you most looking forward to ahead of your work placement?
Working with a new group of people, in a different city, in a fast paced environment. I'm also looking forward to spending time exploring Wellington, while learning as much as I can.
What do you think will be the biggest challenge?
I'm really not sure, this is an entirely new experience and I don't really know what to expect.
What is the main thing you are hoping to gain from your placement?
I am hoping to up-skill fast, learn as much as I can from the professionals, so I can apply the new skills I learn to my own career and use these skills to find the ideal job.
During placement
What are you enjoying most about your work placement?
The fact that it is so varied and I am getting to experience different parts of the company - how it works as a whole and the fact that everyone is just super cool, they are all really nice people.
Has anything been more difficult than you anticipated?
Not really. In terms of experience, it’s been way better than I thought it would be.
How it the placement helping you?
Its upskilling me, showing me new ways to do things, ways to structure companies and ways to lead. I am definitely going to take the skills that I learnt here back and use them in the future.
Following placement
What are you most proud of, following your work placement?
The fact that I was able to fit into the office as well as make it through each day without getting too tired. I didn't feel out of place at all which was really nice. It was a fun and enjoyable week.
Did you enjoy working in an office? Was it in line with what you expected?
I loved working in an office, it gave me the opportunity to interact with people from all departments. The atmosphere in the office was better than I expected. Working long term at Buddle Findlay would be a privilege because it is so focused on employee wellbeing.
How do you think this work placement has benefitted you and your career?
I have learnt new marketing concepts and ideas as well as gained a better understanding of how a large company operates. It has up-skilled me while helping to understand the bigger picture. I also benefitted from meeting everyone in the office, learning about their career experiences and how they do their job. That was my favourite part of the placement, the people.
Has the work placement made anything clearer for you? Do you still have the same goal?
I have similar goals, however, they have been adjusted based on the work placement. I realised how much I enjoy marketing and thinking about creative ways to work on business development.
Would you recommend a work placement to others?
Yes, I think it is very beneficial to spend time in a functioning office environment, so you can adjust your expectations when you enter the work force full time, as well as building experience.
