Hello!

Some of you may recognise me, some may not. My name is Sarah Beslic, I am 24 years old and have been on placement in the HR Department at the Proton Group for the past 10 weeks. At the time of writing, I am in my final semester of the three-year Human Resource Management Programme at Linnaeus University in Växjö.

I usually say in jest that it was fate that brought me to Proton. I began searching for a placement in Värnamo during autumn 2022. Proton was one of the companies that interested me and that I contacted. Naturally, I was delighted when Proton’s HR manager, Mari Lundqvist, got in touch and at my first meeting with Mari she offered me a placement with her in the HR Department. Six months later, here I sit having completed my 10-week placement.

Mari has really taken me through everything an HR function might conceivably be required to do. It has involved everything from writing recruitment ads and employment contracts to conducting interviews and attending various meetings at which I have been welcome to offer my own thoughts and opinions. At first, I was simply glad to have the opportunity to be here but everything I have been allowed to do during these weeks has truly exceeded my expectations!

After three years of study, it feels somewhat daunting to throw oneself in adult life “for real”. Study has been a large part of my life over recent years and life as a student differs from working life in many ways. This placement has therefore provided a good and smooth transition from study to working life, by allowing me to apply the theoretical knowledge I have learned in school to the “real world”.

My placement here at Proton has of course been the best part of my entire study period and, for this, I have Maria and everyone else in the company to thank! Better still, I do not need to leave my time at Proton behind me on leaving my placement. This is just the beginning of my journey, as from 7 June I will be working as an HR partner together with the rest of the HR department. For that, I am incredibly grateful and I look forward to what is to come!

“Collaborating with schools and universities is tremendously important to us. To a large extent, it’s a matter of securing long-term skills provision and attracting young, highly motivated people to Proton. If we can also offer students an insight into working life, to practically apply the theories they’ve learned, then I think it’s our responsibility as an employer to do so. And, of course, meeting and working with young people provides a lot of energy. As a company, we need people who think differently if we are to thrive and develop and this is something that young people from different backgrounds can really contribute. I would say that, the more diverse we are, the more we can learn from one another.

Having Sara here at Proton on a work placement has been incredibly rewarding. She has demonstrated great courage, but also wisdom, in the tasks she has been given. Her learning capacity has been enormous and she is already involved in recruitments and really contributing to the discussions we have internally. I’ve learned a great deal through her and it’s great fun and very energising to have young people around. There’s an openness to youth that I sometimes miss in us older people, so that’s something I’m trying to embrace myself and live by a little more.

Aside from that, we are absolutely delighted that Sara has started work with us!”

Mari Lundqvist, HR manager at the Proton Group