As we bid farewell to our most recent Human Resources intern, Matthew K. Studen from West Virginia University, he has shared these words about his experience at our corporate office.

"When I first accepted my position as a Human Resources Intern here at Real Hospitality Group, I was not entirely sure what to expect. The only two things I really wanted from my internship were to work for a company where HR had a seat at the table and to work for a manager who would do everything in their power to help me navigate through my first work-related exposure to HR. What I have learned at Real Hospitality is that HR does not have a seat at the table, it is the table. HR is valued so much here that it is involved in every business decision that is made at the corporate level and down. There is not a single thing that happens here that HR does not know about or does not have an active role in. As for my manager, Slyne; she gave me every opportunity to learn about as many different areas of HR as possible. The way she has structured the internship is effective and full of opportunity. I had the opportunity to both meet and work with individuals from every area of the company, including my HR peeps: Yesenia and Matthew. If I requested additional learning, Slyne made sure it happened. Her door was always open to the hundreds of questions I had. And my role within the organization was something I was very appreciative of.

            The work I was assigned to here at Real Hospitality was both educational and enriching. My first day began with three different assignments. I started off putting together new hire packets, which gave me an opportunity to learn about the onboarding process and the vast amount of paperwork involved. I also began screening candidates for the first time, which blew my mind. I also spent my first day conducting what would be my first of many hundreds of exit interview calls. As time went on, I was exposed to even more. I was attending weekly Corporate HR conference calls, learning about the different things going on in the company and the different issues HR professionals face on a weekly basis, and contacting general managers to gather information for record keeping. I was also spending time at home checking many emails and researching and studying up on topics such as the I-9 process, the EEOC, FMLA, and USERRA.

            At the end of the day, I can honestly say that I couldn’t image having a better group of individuals to both worth with and learn from. Every person I have met within the company has made an impact on my studies and the beginning steps of my career and they have each left a footprint on who I am as a person. I am very thankful for the opportunity to have been a part of the Real Hospitality family."

We are very thankful for Matthew's assistance and wish him success on his journey!