Navigating My Internship - Alyssa Kwong

Braving the Uncharted with Guidewire

As a recent college graduate, I can empathize with those who have anxiety about finding employment or work experience after finishing school. I always told myself that the first step through the door is always the hardest one to land, but from there, the sky is the limit. As someone who was looking to go into Human Resources, I knew that I wanted to be at a company that valued and cared for their employees. Especially during this difficult time, kindness and empathy is what we need to keep the world going. I had the pleasure of experiencing my first internship at Guidewire and it’s safe to say that this company has set the bar high when it comes to what I will look for in other companies for my future career path. Being a new and young professional in the workforce can be overwhelming and nerve-wracking, but I hope I can provide some insight from my experience working at Guidewire.

A Day in the Life of a People Operations Analyst Intern

A little bit about myself and my role at Guidewire, I graduated from UC Davis (Go Aggies!) this past spring with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Development. Over the summer, I interned with the People Team as a People Operations Analyst Intern. My team and I worked remotely but occasionally we arranged a day in the San Mateo HQ office to create quality time for collaboration with the team. My typical day would include approving any tasks or changes that employees submit in Workday, providing support to Guidewire employees through our ticketing platform, ServiceNow, and working on various projects that I'm involved with. As my team is spread across the globe, it requires the ability to connect with people across multiple time zones. I personally found this part so interesting and amazing because I can’t think of another opportunity to talk to so many people around the world. Although most of the conversation was work-related, there were moments where small, fun conversations ended up forming a great work relationship.

Every New Career Journey Needs a Guide

A few things I learned from my experience that I will carry throughout my career include; not being afraid to ask for help, being bold to share your ideas, and to reach out to others to connect. As students or new graduates, we can sometimes feel the need to refrain from asking questions out of fear that we appear unknowledgeable. However, it’s important to understand that asking questions is how we gain knowledge and, in turn, that knowledge is power. Asking questions displays a motive to learn rather than a sign of weakness. Once I understood that concept, I began to feel more comfortable with asking more questions.

Secondly, as it relates to being afraid of asking questions, be bold and share your ideas. I again feel that sometimes as young professionals, we think our ideas are not worthy of voicing or we are afraid of rejection. In supportive environments all ideas are welcomed, and those ideas you share may be the next big thing.

Lastly, I want to stress the importance of connecting with others, especially outside of your team. This can sometimes be outside people's comfort zone, especially with working remotely. Instead of passing by someone in the snack area and striking up a conversation, a meeting has to be scheduled and booked on a specific person’s calendar. Taking every opportunity to connect with others was key during my internship and there were events set up just for that purpose. Take advantage of those events to grow your connections, expand your network, and to make an impression!

Guidewire is a great place to be, especially for those just entering the professional world. I hope my insight as an intern gave you a small snippet of what kind of company Guidewire is, and that my takeaways are useful for your own future endeavors. 😊