The Pure Human Resource team has expanded over the last couple of years, as the business has grown, and in 2022 we took on our first intern, to support our HR consultants in the role of HR Assistant.

Ellie Hunt joined the Pure Human Resources team in July to complete a work placement as part of her university studies at Bristol University of the West of England.  As she recently passed the halfway mark, we asked her some questions about her time with us and her aspirations (and wonder what we ever did without her!)

What are you studying?

I’m studying a Business and Human Resource Management degree at Bristol UWE

What are your favourite modules/ subjects on your course?

My favourite modules have been the HR ones such as ‘Equality and Diversity’ as this one in particular is so relevant in today’s world, both in and out of the workplace. I think a company that has strong EDI values can be beneficial for the business in terms of finding a wider, more diverse pool of talent as well as for the employees in terms of promoting an open and safe workplace culture.

What have you been involved with at Pure?

I have been doing a lot of recruitment with Marta which I’ve really enjoyed.  We always have such a variety of roles so recruitment here at Pure is always interesting to work on. I started by shadowing Marta when she was doing interviews which was really helpful, and she has also taught me about writing job adverts that will attract the best candidates and also screening the best candidates for our clients. I’m now in the process of hiring the next placement student for Pure HR for next year which has been a really good experience as I’m using everything I’ve learnt!

I’ve also been doing some HR work with Nicki such as drafting letters and contracts for clients and also taking the minutes when we have disciplinary or appeal meetings. I’m going to be doing more HR work in the new year so I’m really looking forward to building on the things I’ve already learnt in the last couple of months.

What have you found most interesting?

To me, all our different clients and the variety of issues they come to us with are so interesting! I’m also working with such an experienced team who are so knowledgeable and professional, its interesting to see how they each approach their work and how well informed their advice is.

What has been most surprising so far?

I think probably how much I’ve learnt since I started in July! I’ve had so much exposure already from recruitment, grievances, disciplinaries, and contract writing and I’m only just halfway into my placement! I definitely feel like I’ve learnt a lot of the practical side of HR in my time here whereas a degree focuses more on the theory and academic side of it. I think that’s why I’d so recommend doing a placement year because the experience and learnings from the placement compliment everything you learn at uni.

What will be your key take aways going back to university?

I think a big one will be that I’ll be able to apply all the real-life practical knowledge that I’ve learnt in my 12 months here to my final year uni work; I remember my lecturers saying they can always tell the difference between the students who did a placement and those who didn’t as they can use their real-life placement examples in their work. This year will help me with my dissertation topic as it’s now broadened my knowledge of possible HR issues in the workplace that I could explore.

What path do you hope to take going forward?

After uni, I would definitely like to carry on working in HR, I think I’d like to focus on a more generalist role to build my knowledge and because I enjoy the variety that comes with it. I also think at a young age it’s important to gain as much experience as possible before thinking about specialising into a certain area. That’s mainly why I chose to complete a placement, the opportunity to gain experience even before you graduate is too valuable to throw away.

On completion of her placement with us, Ellie will return to university to continue her studies.  We are delighted that Ellie has been able to put her learnings into action by taking on the recruitment of our next intern, who we will welcome in the summer.

As an Award Winning Employer, Pure Human Resources is proud to be able to offer such a beneficial learning opportunity for the next generation of HR professionals.