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08.12.2022 | Jennifer Blum

Interview with intern Onur

BA: Hey Onur, how are you doing? Can you tell us something about your studies?

Onur: Hello everyone, I'm doing quite well so far, certainly has a lot to do with the fact that my studies are slowly coming to an end. My name is Onur Pala, I'm from Narnia (but also known as Odenwald) and I'm studying Controlling at HWG Ludwigshafen, because I think it's a good addition to my education.

BA: How did you hear about our company and what interested you most about us?

Onur: Actually, I became aware of the company through a good and long-time friend, who told me a lot about the Brain Appeal and its work in advance. My intention with the internship was to actually participate in the company's activities and not to do the typical intern tasks, which is why only companies with short communication channels (like at Brain Appeal) came into question for me. Likewise, I think that the IT industry has been growing a lot in recent years and will continue to be one of the key industries in the future. So Brain Appeal GmbH was a good chance for me to get more detailed insights.

BA: What was your topic during your internship and what were your tasks?

Onur: My main tasks were in operational and strategic controlling. That means getting figures regarding customers, payments, projects, etc., processing them, working out results and, in the best case, drawing conclusions from the results. This also includes making rough forecasts and presenting alternative courses of action. My work was documented and presented to the team at the end, so that everyone could get a clear insight into the topics analyzed. In addition to controlling, there were also other activities, such as adjusting some texts on the website or helping to organize the internal Oktoberfest.

BA: What skills and experience did you gain during your studies that you were able to put to use at our company?

Onur: During my studies I learned a lot of theory about controlling and business management, but there was a lack of practical relevance from time to time. Accordingly, I was all the more curious to see whether I would be able to put what I had learned into practice. In fact, I was able to work out results from the given data and apply them in a realistic working environment and also draw conclusions for the Brain Appeal. The general understanding in the area of controlling allowed me to recognize connections in practice through pure numbers and to deal with them. Of course, you can't implement everything from the textbooks in reality, but I was surprised how much theoretical tools helped me in my practical work.

BA: How was your supervision during the internship?

Onur: My supervision was top! I was shown everything from the beginning and always had a contact person.

BA: What was your working environment like? How was the team you worked with?

Onur: There is nothing to complain about here either. Through my training and also reports from my fellow students, I know that things could have been very different. The team was helpful, respectful and nice to me from day one...even if I had unnecessary questions from time to time.

BA: To question is just part of it! How did the internship influence your career goals? Were there any new career prospects that you are now considering?

Onur: I would say: Jain....I wanted to gain practical experience in controlling and I succeeded in doing so, but pure controlling is probably out of the question for me. Rather a combination of several components, such as project management, marketing and controlling. In other words, all the topics that build on each other and that I was able to get to know during my internship.

BA: What did you particularly like about working at our company?

Onur: The trust and respect that everyone had for each other. Of course, I'm not as experienced as long-time employees, etc., but no one in the company let me feel that. On the contrary, many were interested in what I was doing and helped me a lot with their knowledge. It was also clear from the start exactly what work I had to do, so there was no "idle time" for me. This point was very important to me, because having little or no work can make everyday life monotonous and boring. Another point is the open-door policy that is followed in the company. From the project manager to the management, I could get on anyone's nerves if I had another question.

BA: What would you like to improve?

Onur: I noticed during my internship that I occasionally interrupt people in conversation because I have a thought in the meantime and want to express it before I forget it. This can rightly be taken disrespectfully, and I tried to work on that after the internship as well. Unfortunately, the time of three months was also too short to get even deeper insights into project management... Accordingly, from my point of view, there was nothing that the company could improve.

BA: What was your best experience during your internship so far?

Onur: Well, besides the work, it was the breaks, which were always fun, and of course the culinary offerings in the area...Tip for my followers: If a "restaurant" has Asian, Arabic, German, and Italian dishes on the same menu, you might want to switch to a different restaurant.

But I also found the Oktoberfest very fun and I felt like I had been working here for years. Everyone in attendance was nice to each other and the games were outstanding as well.

BA: How would you sum up your overall experience with us? Would you recommend the internship to others?

Onur: In summary, it could hardly have gone better. The working atmosphere was great, I was treated fairly, I was given tasks that were very much in line with my studies, I always had something to do and every day was different from the previous one. So I can recommend it to anyone who really wants to learn something in the short practical time and wants to combine work with a sense of achievement.

BA: Thanks to you! We're glad you enjoyed it so much and, above all, that you got something out of the internship! All the best for the future!

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