In our new interview series “How are things going with former employees?” we speak to former interns, among others, about their time at Issuemakers. We are also curious about their current field or place of work and how they can apply the insights gained at Issuemakers there. This edition we speak to Claar Meerstadt, who currently works at Considerati.
How long did you work at Issuemakers?
I interned at Issuemakers 3 days a week from September 2019 to December 2019. This was the period when I was looking for a job. During my months at Issuemakers, I supported the Public Affairs department, as it best suited my background and interests.
Where do you work now?
I currently work at Considerati, a legal and public affairs consultancy for the digital world. Here I work as a consultant focused on Public Affairs and Stakeholder Management. The work is comparable in many ways to the work I did for Issuemakers.
“Issue thinking is certainly a good addition to my current work.”
What did you learn at Issuemakers that is still useful to you today?
During my time at Issuemakers, I was able to conduct a lot of research into stakeholders for clients in healthcare, among others. I also carried out a media analysis for another client that was under a lot of time pressure. These assignments have taught me a lot about how you can quickly find the right information for your customers. Furthermore, I often had to look up information for colleagues on the House of Representatives website, which in my profession is a website where you have to know your way around. Finally, Issuemakers has its own way of doing things Issue thinking, a different way of influencing and reputation management than is traditionally done. Through conversations with colleagues about this, I have learned a lot about this theory and way of working in a short time. This is certainly a good addition to my current work.
What do you miss most about your time at Issuemakers?
The pleasant lunch with fries and croquettes from the market, and toasted sandwiches. Furthermore, it is a team where the atmosphere is really good. Partly because of the many nice drinks, the pleasant lunches and the team meetings every week, it was always fun to spend a day at the office. What was also very special was that I was fully involved in the Christmas dinner, even though it was already clear that my internship period would end early due to my new job. I really appreciated this. I look back on my internship at Issuemakers with great pleasure because of all the projects I was able to do there, and the warmth and friendliness of the team.
