Hello! I’m Katya, a senior HR Business Partner at QIC digital hub. My work revolves around supporting and developing our employees while balancing their well-being with the company’s business goals. We’re growing fast, and we’re always looking for talented people.
At some point, we realized something was missing — the energy of young professionals who could bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas to our team.
That’s how the summer internship program was born. In this article, I am going to share how we brought this idea to life, faced with challenges, and most importantly — achieved the results.
Let’s imagine: it’s late January 2024, and I’m in a meeting with our Top Managers. Suddenly, an idea floats into the room: “Why don’t we start growing our own talent?”
Sounds simple, right? But then came the real questions:
After some discussion, we decided to launch the program in Qatar. Not just because our office is there, but because we wanted to bring more Arabic cultural perspective into our products.
The goal was straightforward: build a program that helps young professionals grow — and helps us find future team members.
Preparation: Laying the Foundation
A successful internship always starts with solid planning.
1. Finding the Right Partners
Our first thought was to collaborate with a local university. We reached out to Georgetown University in Qatar — and it turned out to be the perfect match. They helped us source candidates and founded a high level of students who met our expectations.
2. Selecting the Focus Areas
We decided to concentrate on three key specialisation: analytics, product management, and marketing. Why these? The university has strong programs in these disciplines, and we wanted to implement fresh ideas and energy into these areas of our business.
3. Testing
We crafted challenging tasks for students: for example, create a concept for marketing campaign about a new product or to analyze real users data and make a report about it. This helped us realise how candidates think, solve problems, and deal with real-world challenges.
When everything was set, we published applications, ran the selection process, and got ready for the next stage.
Talent Screening: The day when everything was decided
On May 1st, we held our online event “One Day Offer — Summer Internship at QIC”. This wasn’t just a selection day — it was a chance for candidates to get to know our company.
I opened Zoom that morning and saw 45 young faces — a little nervous but ready to shine.
Onboarding: The Interns’ First Steps
On June 9, 2024, we welcomed our interns — some joined us in person at the office, while others connected online as they’d already left for summer break.
How did we make their onboarding smooth?
We kicked things off with introductions: explaining how the company works and introducing key team members. The interns particularly loved hearing our leaders’ stories:
2. Corporate Culture
We organized a series of events to show that QIC isn’t just a workplace — it’s a true community of like-minded professionals. This helped our interns feel they were part of something bigger.
3. Hybrid Work Model
The adjustment wasn’t easy for everyone: while most of our team works remotely, the interns were primarily office-based. We facilitated their adaptation through regular online check-ins and continuous task support to ensure no one felt left behind.
4. Learning sessions
To support our interns’ professional and personal growth, we launched weekly learning sessions led by our managers. Each session explored different practical topics, such as:
Many of these topics align with talks our experts give externally — you can find some of them on the QIC Digital Hub YouTube channel
What made these sessions special? Beyond theory, interns gained:
✔ Actionable advice from practitioners
✔ Direct Q&A access to leaders
Internship: Growth, Learning, and First Achievements
For two months, the interns not only worked on real projects but also continuously learned.
Results: 5 new hires and a wealth of impressions
At the end of the internship, we held project presentations where the trainees showcased what they had learned and achieved. We were impressed by their progress and how much they had grown over these two months.
Out of 15 interns, we extended job offers to the top 5 — their contributions to our projects were significant, and we were truly energized and inspired by their enthusiasm and passion.
Inspiration for other companies
This internship became much more than just an HR initiative for us. It demonstrated how important it is to give young talents a chance to grow and develop.
If you’re considering launching an internship program, I can say this: go for it! It’s not easy, but the results will exceed all expectations.
