Tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
I was born and brought up in Mumbai, India and relocated to the UAE in 2015 for my high school.
I am currently a senior at Manipal University, Dubai, pursuing my career in the creative field of Interior Design (ID). My inclination towards art and design, out-of-box thinking and my passion to create something unique and elegant led me to choose ID as my career. I believe this would help me give wings to my dream of designing visually appealing spaces.
“One of my favourite aspects of ID is capturing the essence of space by discovering every little detail of it. After all, bringing positive changes for people is truly a rewarding job!”
How did you hear about Havelock One Interiors and why did you decide to apply?
Being an Interior Design (B.Des) student, I was actively looking for a position as an intern to gain practical experience in this field. I came across Havelock One on LinkedIn; and I found it a potential fit for me.
This opportunity would allow me to learn more about the industry and – at the same time – help me build my career further. I feel privileged to be a part of such an esteemed organisation, and most importantly, obliged to have been collaborating with such great professionals.
What have you learned so far that is related to your studies?
Each project is a challenge. And this is where we need creativity and technical skills to meet the requirements of the client while developing a productive relationship between creation (ID) and implementation (fit-out).
The ID and fit-out industry requires a systematic coordination between co-workers, external suppliers, contractors, and most importantly, clients, to ensure the smooth completion of a project.
While in university, the majority of design projects are a hypothetical version of a professional situation. For example, the budget is often taken lightly, and more focus is given to the design aspect. Moving to ‘the real world’, there are drastic changes as a designer needs to deal with concepts such as sourcing, multiple preliminary cost factors and the realities of value engineering, for example.
What was the most interesting non-related insight so far?
My six-week internship with Havelock One has helped me to broaden and enlarge my understanding, not only on designing and planning but also on relevant marketing aspects. Interning here has helped me to gain insights on the importance of marketing in the ID industry.
“I reached to a sense of professionalism and a clearer view of what it really means to juggle between day-to-day tasks and special assignments.”
As I am interning with the marketing department, I also learned about particular topics such as brand identity and guidelines, increasing brand awareness, how to present content to a specific target audience, finding new/potential leads and working with channels such as social media. Especially, digital communication is on the rise, be it email automation or SEO/SEM. And that’s exciting!
Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?
In the future, I would like to lead a design team in some capacity where I can really build a career and gain valuable experience. I’d like to have taken the lead on projects as I am passionate about spaces and aim to giving them a new dimension. I’d also like to develop my skills in user experience to create more user-focused designs all around.
Would you recommend fellow students an internship with Havelock One?
I think that this kind of internship is extremely valuable for a student. It is a small taste of the real world; it is a platform to explore your career opportunities.
Furthermore, such a work experience prepares the students for what to expect in their field and it increases confidence in their work. I am thankful for all the support and guidance I have experienced at Havelock One.
“To sum up my Havelock One internship experience in 3 (4) words, I would describe it as: “Learn. Contribute. (Have) Fun.” You will definitely learn a lot and also have a laugh at Havelock One!”
