Zoom through Fiji with me

The process of applying for the Think Pacific internship

Welcome to my blog post (Bula) about my completed 4-week work placement based in the sunny and tropical island of Fiji. Through zoom calls… So join me as I zoom you through my work placement with Think Pacific in 4 weeks filled with culture and new learning experiences.

My reference Style for my Blog Post

I will critically reflect on my learning experience through the Borton model of reflection [1]. Utilising this model to condense my work experience in a simplistic structure that will best recollect my thoughts from the duration of my work placement from start to finish. Reflecting on what beneficial experience I have gained from the internship throughout my time.

Applying for the internship

What better place to start than the beginning of my internship journey. It was a rainy day in Belfast when my phone lit up with an email from Queens. To my surprise, this was not the usual email I would, admittedly, typically skip over. Instead, this email regraded working with an award-winning organisation, Think Pacific, which offered five students from the School of Arts, English, and Languages a fully funded internship. Reading this information challenged my self-confidence as, to whether I was good enough to get one of the five placements against a vast selection of potential canidents.

After a bit of faith in myself and setting aside the number of potential combatants, I started to focus on how best to sell myself to this organisation and stand out in the application process. To further my odds of securing my place in the interview stage. After researching Think Pacific further and understanding what they do, I then started to evaluate if this organisation’s goals align with my own, to whether this internship will benefit myself and Think Pacific by the end of my placement.

With my personal interest in travelling within the creative industry, this internship would give me a worthwhile experience through an award-winning global internship. In addition, this would expand my employability skills and my cultural knowledge outside of Ireland.

Once I finished reading the application questions for what felt like the one-hundredth time, I started to tailor my answers to best aline myself, with what Think Pacific was looking for within their canidents. By referencing how this internship will further benefit myself and Think Pacific with my presence on the team. Finally, when I was content, I hit submit and waited for a response to determine if I had secured an interview.

Planning for the Interview

*Ding* my phone lit up with an email asking me to confirm a time for my interview with a team representative at Think Pacific. Who would conduct the interview to decide if I would be one of the selected applicants from my department to earn a place on the internship.

With the interview coming closer, day by day, I started to panic and researched interview techniques that could help me feel more relaxed and confident. My research was vital as I learned that the interviewer would judge me within the first 15 seconds of the interview [2]. As I researched Think Pacific further, I expanded my vocabulary on the standard greetings within the Fiji language to display my enthusiasm, and basic understanding of Fiji culture in the first 15 seconds of the interview. For example, I learned how to greet someone with a welcome and good morning in Fiji (Bula) and to thank someone (Vinaka).

I felt that learning these common phases would help to make my interview stand out from the rest of the interviewees and demonstrate my interest in the culture within Fiji. I also maintained relevant examples from past and present work through the Star Technique [3]. All of this information and research would help me in the next step and the most significant step of all.

The Interview

During the interview, I was asked an array of questions about why I wanted to do the internship in the first place. I kept a casual yet informative tone with my interviewer, to address my personal interests in different cultures and travelling. Whilst also stating my creative journey so far and how my previous education and productions, have taught me how to utilise my theoretical knowledge in practical filmmaking.

With the star technique in mind, I used relevant examples to convey my previous work to the interviewer by mentioning my previous education at South West College, and examples of how I have produced and created industry-standard productions. This demonstrated my standard of work and professional work ethic, to the interviewer without being too forward to maintain a casual tone and atmosphere throughout the interview.

The Pit

I then clicked end call, that was it; my fate was sealed. Inevitably I spiralled to reassess the interview, and by reflecting on it, I felt confident that my best self was presented to the interviewer. As I used references to past and present work in the creative industry in my introduction, and demonstrated a basic understanding of Fijian culture.

This interview gained me invaluable practical interview skills with not only talking to an interviewer but, reseaching techniques regarding topics about the interview prior to it, to best prepare myself in advance. But never the less, a pit opened in my stomach, awaiting a response to confirm if I earned a place on the internship.

The Verdict

As I waited to see if I earned my place in the internship, I finally received an email confirming my place on the program. The relief washed over me like a wave on a pacific beach. With great enthusiasm I lunched my web browser and was ready to zoom through tropical Fiji with Think Pacific.

This stage of my work placement taught me invaluable experience in interviews, but also taught me how an opportunity can land in the palm of your hands, and most important of all, to always read your emails from Queens.

Bibliography

1 Janse, B. (2022) Borton’s Model of Reflection from Toolshero Personal Development. Available at https://www.toolshero.com/personal-development/borton-model-of-reflection/ (Accessed: 20th November 2022).

2 Maureen Reese (2019) The First 15 Seconds: Mastering Interview Impressions from Lucas Group. Available at https://www.lucasgroup.com/your-career-intel/first-15-seconds-mastering-interview-impressions/ (Accessed: 17th November 2022)

3 Kate Boogaard (2022), The STAR Method: The Secret to Acting Your Next Job Interview from The Muse. Available at https://www.themuse.com/advice/star-interview-method (Accessed: 14th November 2022)