My Talent Acquisition Internship at Riviera Advisors 2019-2020

Riviera Advisors has given me a life changing and enriching opportunity that I am very grateful to be a part of. In the beginning of my college career, I was uncertain of what area of specialty expand my career in Human Resources but with the Talent Acquisition Data Analyst Internship, I found my path in Human Resources. Having the Talent Acquisition Data Analyst Internship has help me gain insight into the Human Resources function, specifically Talent Acquisition and see how organizations can optimize and build their recruiting teams.

I have had the pleasure of preparing strong data analysis reports for top HR Executives in the nation and able to contribute my recommendations to our clients on how to greater build their function for the future. One of the most rewarding experiences I have had so far in my time as an intern at Riviera Advisors was working on a project with a major health care organization on the east coast. Within this project I was able to create and provide strong data that showed our client that there was an opportunity to create change and expand on their recruiting processes and systems. After completing my data analysis for this client, I was invited to join the rest of the Riviera Advisors team to conduct a workshop on the findings and recommendations we found in their organization. Working on the data analysis was rewarding enough but to be able to meet the HR Executives that have read my reports and have used that information to grow their team was absolutely incredible. I had always had an interest in Training and Development, and I was given a chance to facilitate a workshop with HR professionals who had extended years of experience in Talent Acquisition. Engaging with these established HR professionals can seem intimidating but it was a chance for me to not only represent Riviera Advisors but to also showcase my talents and work I had put forth on this project. The great advantage of this internship is that you get to meet HR professionals across multiple industries who can see your potential and possibly extend an opportunity at their organization. Not only does this internship give you the tools to build as an HR professional but it also gets your foot in the door to other organizations for a job after graduation.

Within this internship I got to work alongside our Riviera Advisors team of consultants. They are well-established and well-connected with organizations across the world. Working with them is like being in the presence of professionals and the best part of it all, they are there to help you grow and give you the chance to become a superstar too. The Riviera Advisors team has become mentors to me and a guiding light into what potential I could have in my career. I am extremely thankful for the insightful and rewarding experiences I have had with Riviera Advisors and look forward to giving this opportunity to our next Talent Acquisition Data Analyst Intern.

Opportunity in an Uncertain Time

Going into the second half of my internship at Riviera Advisors, I was anxiously anticipating the events to come. We would be travelling to Orlando, Florida for the SHRMTalent 2020, San Diego for the ERE Conference and continuing our visits to clients for optimizing internal recruiting. I was looking forward to my upcoming graduation and becoming a first-generation college graduate. This year was going to be a monumental moment for myself. Life was feeling pretty perfect. Unfortunately, plans were put on hold and unclear of how they would proceed. COVID-19 came to the US and placed a large scare onto us and the world. For while it did not seem like anyone knew what the next steps were. How do we transition our teachings to completely online? How do we continue to conduct business? When can we perform the 2020 graduation?

At first, all I could worry about was the potential loss of experiences I was anxiously waiting for, but then I realized this was something that would impact the way of my future career and the way we at Riviera Advisors would conduct business. Within the Talent Acquisition and Human Resources community there was uncertainty as to how we would recover and maintain our work. Unfortunately, many organizations had to let go their recruiters and many other Human Resources divisions. But what really helped me get out of my state of worry was when my fellow Riviera Advisors consultants we saw the opportunity to reconnect with our community and expand our knowledge of how we can still conduct business in our community while staying safe.

Riviera Advisors continued to show support to our major conference vendors that we would still gladly participate in the seminars and we continued to show our community that this crisis is a chance for us to adapt to new ways of conducting interviews, recruiting and hiring. Everyday was a chance to learn more about the technologies that can bring together our interview process. I had the chance to do a full cycle interview process for my successor. We were able to conduct effective and highly manageable interviews with many talented and remarkable candidates. Even with the in-person interviews taken out of the equation, we were able to find our next Talent Acquisition Data Analyst Intern.

As the community begins to reopen, we come to wonder how our new normal will be for our jobs, community events and many more. Though it may seem eerie it is an opportunity for us to learn where we can still find connections and experiences even if they are from a distance.  

Katherine Pierce is a Talent Acquisition Analyst Intern, providing overall analytical and administrative support to the Riviera Advisors team. Katherine works directly assisting the firm’s principal consultants on tasks supporting Riviera Advisors’ clients including qualitative and quantitative analysis of data collected from client companies as part of Talent Acquisition optimization projects. Also, Katherine manages Riviera Advisors’ social media communities including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. In addition to her work at Riviera Advisors in the successful, Talent Acquisition Analyst Internship program, Katherine is a senior at California State University Long Beach (CSULB) where she is majoring in Human Resources Management. She is an active member of the CSULB Human Resource Management Association (HRMA). Katherine has had a successful career in the Spa and Wellness industry. Prior to joining Riviera Advisors, she was Office Manager at Newport Beach Wellness responsible for HR activities and office administration for a busy Chiropractic and Wellness practice. Previously, she was Spa Coordinator at Spa Radiance in San Francisco, California. Katherine received her Associate in Science in Business Administration and Management from Orange Coast College, and expects to receive her Bachelor’s degree from California State University Long Beach in 2020. Katherine is based in Long Beach, California.