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«The diversity of the tasks on offer during the internship and the multiligualism armasuisse encourages caught my attention and immediately attracted me.»

After completing her Master's degree in multilingual communication technologies, in summer 2021 Lea Alves started a graduate internship at armasuisse. In an interview, she talks about her placement and future challenges.

Lea Alves liest einen Aritkel im armafolio

 

Where are you assigned, and what are your daily tasks?

At the moment I'm a graduate intern in the armasuisse Real Estate competence sector, specialising in communication. My daily tasks vary depending on the time of year. Since spring, I have been busy coordinating articles on our current projects that will be appearing in the next issue of armafolio; I'm also helping with the production of our sustainability report for armasuisse Real Estate. Otherwise, I regularly prepare a range of content for what we publish on the intranet, the internet, LinkedIn and our blog. I check the quality of the texts before publication and I'm also responsible for preparing the different visuals like the pictures and videos posted on our website, LinkedIn, our portfolio and our blog.

What made you apply to armasuisse? What were your reasons?

Having finished my studies, I was looking to broaden my horizon and gain as much experience as possible before settling into my future career. My degree meant several paths were open to me and allowed me to explore both technical areas like managing web pages and different programming languages, and languages and communication. The diversity of the tasks on offer during the internship and the multiligualism armasuisse encourages caught my attention and immediately attracted me. Of course, an opportunity to work in one of the most beautiful cities in Switzerland also had some bearing on the matter!

How do you see your daily tasks fitting in to the big picture at armasuisse?

In the same way a translator is a bridge between languages, for me communication is a bridge between different areas of specialisation. My job is to be able to pass on the message from a specialist in a way that is understandable and consistent with our image using means of communication appropriate for the target group. I see my position as a way of supporting the various specialist areas with armasuisse Real Estate. 

How often do you get to challenge your knowledge and abilities?

My Master's in multilingual communication technologies taught me both technical and linguistic skills, so I can use my knowledge every day, especially when I am working in the CMS (content management system) or DAM (digital asset management) environments, or when I am checking the quality of a text, a picture or a video.

Looking back at your first day at work, where are you now compared to what you were initially expecting?

After the pandemic, my first challenge was to adapt to a new way of working that was completely different, because I had spent the previous year studying from the comfort of my room. I'm proud to see how rapidly I have fitted in with the new rhythm and a completely different way of living, both personally and professionally. Learning about my various tasks has not been a problem and I have fitted in to my area very naturally. I am also grateful for the trust that people have shown in me by giving me more responsibilities and the appreciation my colleagues and superiors have shown for my work.

Where do you see yourself three years from now?

Managing projects and web content in general are two of my activities I enjoy most. So a job that involves more independence and responsibility is definitely one of my aspirations for the future. My experience during this internship has already shown me that if I had a chance to continue working at the Confederation, especially armasuisse, I would not hesitate a second.