27 years old, a master’s student of Public and Business Communication at the University of Milan, Matteo Viganò just finished his internship at our company a few days ago. We didn’t miss the opportunity to ask him a few questions to find out how a young man who is about to enter the world of work sees us. A portrait emerged, in our opinion, interesting!
Matteo, you have been with us for almost two months. It’s not much, but maybe it was enough to get an idea of Grassi 1925. If we asked you to describe us in one word?
“If I had to choose just one adjective, I think I would define it as” Italian “for two reasons. Firstly because it is a truly historical business reality, present and influential in the area for almost a century. Secondly, because in Grassi I see what are some of the best qualities of Italians: creativity, passion, innovation, sense of responsibility and professionalism “.
What impressed you the most about our company?
“I was positively surprised by many things, but at the end of my internship, the aspect that struck me most was the quality of the people. And I mean the most disparate levels of the hierarchical ladder, albeit with different nuances. In Grassi 1925 I not only had the pleasure of making pleasant personal acquaintances; I was even lucky enough to relate directly to some elements of top management. To feel that your opinion and ideas are being taken seriously, despite being a simple intern, is a really good feeling. Extremely rewarding”.
A comparison between the world of work that the University has presented to you in these years of study and the “real” one, of which you have had a taste in these weeks with us!
“When we study we tend to idealize what we have learned. Let me explain: it is easy to structure a marketing or communication strategy when playing the role of both the company and the consumer, just as it is easy to talk about Problem Solving when problems and unforeseen events are only on paper and the actors involved behave exactly as they are expected to do.
The University tries to prepare us students for the world of work and, at times, offers us the first real test beds. In the Statale in Milan, for example, we had the opportunity to compete with various projects commissioned by companies and NGOs, but it is still a safe environment.
However, it took me a few weeks to understand that operations in a real company are completely different. You find yourself relating to an infinitely more complex context made up of structures, people and hierarchies, timelines and expectations. Of results. It is much more complex, but also much more challenging!”
Do you think it is useful to have experiences like these?
“For us students it is absolutely fundamental, in my opinion. Studying, but also reading and deepening for your own personal pleasure is wonderful, but I am also convinced that being able to test your knowledge puts you on another level.
Experiences of this kind offer you the opportunity to relate directly to professionals and to better understand, more concretely, the strategies they use to approach the problem or task they are dedicating to.
However, I believe that there can also be advantages for companies. Introducing students into the organization means sourcing new minds, new ways of thinking. Offers a comparison“.
Un consiglio ai tuoi colleghi universitari e uno alle aziende per far sì che l’esperienza dello stage sia veramente utile per entrambe le parti?
“I would like to give university students two: the first is not to be afraid to ask and ask as many questions as possible to anyone, but be careful not to become intrusive or burdensome for those who are working. The second is to be proactive. Proposing to perform, or to help perform, a certain task rather than waiting for it to be assigned.
As for companies, I think it would be useful to invest resources to offer a concrete training path. It is clear that this represents a cost, in terms of economic, temporal and human resources, but I cannot help but think of Richard Branson’s words: “train people well enough to leave the company, but treat them well enough to not want to to do it”.
I believe it is the real key to attracting talent and ensuring that the company derives its benefit from the inclusion of trainees, interns and apprentices“.
