Sofia’s experience as an HR intern at Yobbers

Yobbers’ People & Culture department consists of two people, and right now, one of them is me! My lead Anabell is working from abroad, so understanding how to prioritize tasks, ask necessary questions, and use time efficiently were some of the first things I learned during this internship. Unlike other departments that have a set weekly structure of tasks and meetings, my days can change by the hour, and that is a reason why I enjoy this position. I am a person that thrives in changing environments and while having structure is nice, arriving at the office with a flexible plan allows me to grow organically. 🌱

A day in the life

My main tasks are tracking attendance, planning coffee dates for our team, filling out working abroad forms, and managing the team calendar to make sure that everyone is on board with the general schedule. In the Leeuwarden office, I oversee the general “housekeeping”, meaning that we always have everyone’s favorite snacks in the kitchen, creating a nice atmosphere by being the dj of the office, keeping our inventory and equipment up to date and most importantly: taking care of people’s birthdays and anniversaries with gifts and heartfelt letters! 💌

Since we work together with our colleagues from sunny Valencia and the Spanish labor law is against working overtime, I track the attendance of each colleague. Everyone has their own schedule, so I am usually between text messages gathering fun holiday stories while filling up the time sheets!

The beginning of the month has more of a structure regardless of what comes up, as timetables need to be adjusted, upcoming holiday leaves need to be approved, and there are some other administrative tasks aimed at ensuring smooth working processes for all employees. Another important task is onboarding new starters or offboarding when the case arises. I create contracts, set up their profile, and make sure their first day/week is organized in such a way that they’re received in the company with open arms!

New skills

Being part of exit interviews taught me how to keep a professional attitude when parting ways with an employee. As an empathetic person, I struggle with neutrality in conversations. However, during my internship I continuously learn the benefits of communication skills and business etiquette. Even though I took part in online schooling during COVID-19, I am only now learning how to keep virtual conversations going, organizing meetings, presenting, and overall planning skills for a small organization. 

As previously mentioned, while working on my daily tasks, I get between 2-6 messages per day with various requests, administrative mostly. Think about registering working abroad forms to another country, asking about specific policies that we have for working conditions, or planning a music themed Friday afternoon quiz with my best desk buddy Laura. 🎶

In the meantime, I work on projects such as refining onboarding presentations, coming up with ideas for team building activities to keep both offices more connected, as well as learning about the touristic aspect of both Leeuwarden and Valencia so that when a new starter from abroad joins our team, they will have an easy welcome from their new team and city that they now call home!

Would you also like to join our team? If reading about my experience has sparked your curiosity, and you're ready to dive into a fast-paced and fun work environment, Yobbers could be the place for you! We're always on the lookout for passionate interns to join our team. Whether you’re looking to kickstart your career like me or bring your expertise to the table, take a look at our current openings—who knows, maybe you'll be the next person we welcome to our young team! 🧡