In November 2022, we interviewed Janet Bedolla-Salinas (she/her), 2022 Emerging Leader who worked as People Experience (HR) Intern at Viewpoint, a Trimble Company.
ELI: What attracted you to ELI?
Janet: What attracted me to ELI was its mission of connecting diverse talent to top companies in Portland and empowering them as future professionals. It really means a lot to have these kinds of internship opportunities and support, especially for first-gen folks.
ELI: What was your biggest challenge or obstacle, and how did you overcome it?
Janet: My biggest challenge was the self-doubt I had before applying to ELI and during the first couple of weeks of my internship. I was unsure whether I was fully prepared to take on my first internship, and truthfully, I did not know whether I would secure one. However, all that doubt and uncertainty eventually disappeared by the third week. I overcame this challenge by trusting myself, and remembering all the accomplishments and abilities I have shown myself and others to have in me. ELI’s first professional workshop was really empowering as well, which helped me overcome this doubt. Receiving positive feedback from my supervisor, mentor, and coworkers reassured me of what I was capable of from the beginning.
“I overcame this challenge by trusting myself, and remembering all the accomplishments and abilities I have shown myself and others to have in me.”
ELI: What industry does your host company work in, and what are their core values?
Janet: Viewpoint is a construction software company under its parent company, Trimble. It works in the software and hardware industry. [Their values are:]
Belong – Be yourself and thrive together
Grow – Be intentional and humble
Innovate – Be curious and solve problems
ELI: How do you feel your host company has benefitted from the experience?
Janet: My host company has benefitted from this experience through not only my contribution to small HR tasks but other bigger projects I was able to help with. For example, I researched, gathered, and compiled over 50 resources to use for developing a career growth module. I also had the opportunity to research data privacy laws in several countries as background information for rolling out a new Workday option, which I also gave a presentation on. Lastly, I am very thankful to have been delegated a compensation analysis project that involved presenting key findings to the Sr. VP of Product Development. Overall, during my internship, I was able to help out with different HR functions that are valuable to the company from a talent management and employee retention perspective.
ELI: Would you recommend ELI to your peers?
Janet: I would highly recommend ELI to anyone who qualifies to apply. It is such a great opportunity to gain work experience as an intern and boost your confidence as an upcoming professional.