From first day to first hire-ready skills: learn the craft, do the real work, leave something that lasts.
The Internship Academy exists to offer full‑time roles. This syllabus sets out how Talent Acquisition trains, coaches and assesses Back Office interns during their TA rotation: what they learn, in what order, how we check it, and how we know the programme works.
| Track Leader | Rich Pham |
| Supervisor | Gam, Talent Acquisition (scores every Sprint 1-1 and the Rotation Review) |
| Mentors | Ngoc (Rachel), Nhi |
| Rotations | Duong Vu · 2–30 Nov 2026 · 1 month Trang Pham · 1 Dec 2026 – 29 Jan 2027 · 2 months Thu Nguyen & Minh Duong · 1 Feb – 31 Mar 2027 · 2 months, as a pair |
| Document type | Syllabus and supervisor guide. Companion to the TA intern rotation plan. |
The Internship Academy exists to offer full‑time roles. The interns were chosen from more than 750 applicants. Every part of this rotation is designed to help them grow into a full‑time role, and to give the Supervisor and the Track Leader clear evidence for that decision.
| What Gradion looks for | How the TA rotation builds it | Where it shows |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · AI literacy and delivering above expectations | Daily use of the TA AI tools, always checking the output. One side project held to the bar "would the TA Lead actually use it?". Self-initiative bars that ask for more than the brief. | AI Literacy in every Sprint 1-1 · Trello cards · demo · Delivery (35%) in the Rotation Review |
| 2 · Proactiveness | Ownership grows stage by stage until outcomes are checked instead of every step. Risks raised before Friday. A development goal agreed in week 2 and acted on without reminders. | Weekly report · Growth Mindset · work discipline · Full-time Fit (20%) |
| 3 · Teamwork | Interns in TA at the same time build their projects together. Projects such as the Team & Project Information Repository and the market research are done with colleagues across the company. Every handover lets the next person win. | Communication & Collaboration · Attitude & Fit (30%) · handover note |
The three things are checked in every assignment and in the daily and weekly rhythm, not only at the final review. Every assignment ends with three short lines: AI: which tool you used, what you asked, and what you checked or corrected. Beyond the brief: one thing you did that was not asked for. Team: who you worked with or helped, and what they said.
| Assignment | AI literacy and above expectations | Proactiveness | Teamwork |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment Process Map (A1) | Uses AI to draft, then shows what was corrected against the Playbook. Adds one thing not asked for, such as an SLA risk spotted on a live role. | Asks questions during the week instead of on Friday. Submits on time without a reminder. | Has the process map checked by one recruiter and notes what changed. |
| Lever System Test (A2) | Zero errors in stages, tags and archive reasons. Names one Lever hygiene issue noticed on the way. | Raises anything unclear in Lever at standup the same day. | Asks a recruiter to review the test job and acts on the feedback. |
| Newcomer Onboarding, Countries & Benefits (A3) | Uses AI to draft the timeline or the cheat sheet, then checks every date and benefit against the Playbook, never from memory. | Raises anything unclear in the onboarding steps or the benefits at standup the same day. | Has the timeline checked by a recruiter and acts on the feedback. |
| Side Project Brief (A4) | Uses AI to pressure-test the scope and risks; the 'done when' lines are measurable. | Names the risks and the scope to cut first before anyone asks. | Brief agreed with the person who will use the result. |
| AI Process Review & Mapping (A5) | Maps every TA AI tool to a step and shows where AI could help next; checks each tool's output before relying on it. | Brings ideas nobody asked for, each with the problem, the evidence and a way to test it. | Checks the maps with a recruiter and a recent hire, and builds on the previous intern's handover. |
| Demo and handover (A6, A7) | Shows a measurable result, where AI helped and one AI error that was caught. | Ends with 'what I would do next' and a handover the next person can act on without asking. | Credits who helped and shares one quote from the person who uses the result. |
| What Gradion looks for | Checked every day | Checked every week |
|---|---|---|
| AI literacy and above expectations | Uses a TA AI tool where it fits and writes on the Trello card what was checked or corrected. | Boolean strings tested on the top 20 results. Hiring post drafted with AI and edited by the intern. Weekly LinkedIn report beats its own target. |
| Proactiveness | Blockers raised at standup the same day. Picks the next card without being told. | Weekly report names risks before Friday and one thing done without being asked. Development goal acted on without reminders. |
| Teamwork | Keeps Trello current so others can see the work. Helps the pair or a recruiter when asked. | Win of the week credits who helped. Pair feedback once per phase. Hiring post agreed with Marketing; stakeholders kept informed. |
| What Gradion looks for | Strong signal | Red flag to raise early |
|---|---|---|
| AI literacy and above expectations | Picks the right tool unprompted, checks the output, catches an AI error; delivers more than the brief asked. | Pastes AI output unchecked; delivers exactly the brief and nothing more, or less. |
| Proactiveness | Raises problems early, proposes a fix with the problem, acts on feedback the following week. | Problems surface on Friday or at review; waits to be told the next task; the same feedback comes up twice. |
| Teamwork | Shares progress without being asked, helps others, credits colleagues, leaves work easy to pick up. | Works in isolation; others learn about blockers late; handover needs follow-up questions. |
Mentors note one dated example for each of the three in every Friday review note, so the Sprint 1-1s, the Rotation Review and the Academy gates rest on evidence.
An intern who feels stuck, meets a blocker or needs support to improve talks to their buddy, their mentors, the Supervisor or the Track Leader. Raising it early is itself a sign of proactiveness.
Every intern moves through the same four stages. A mentor shows the work first, then does it with the intern, then hands it over, and the intern finishes by showing what they built. Rotation length stretches the third stage, nothing else.
One TA Playbook module a day from Monday to Wednesday, self-study on Thursday, a knowledge check and three real cases on Friday, then sign-off.
Lever test with every step checked. Walk the candidate journey, inventory the AI tools, map and bring first ideas.
Outcome checks only. The intern designs the agent workflow, tests an idea and leads the project to its milestones.
15-minute demo, handover note, Rotation Review, retro. Nothing left half done.
The programme follows the 70-20-10 model used in workplace learning: most growth comes from doing real work, then from people, then from formal study.
Coaching means standups, Friday reviews, Sprint 1-1s and feedback on maps and ideas. The Academy's 60 / 40 rule still sets the week: 60% TA work and learning, 40% side project.
Outcomes build in three tiers. Each tier has its own evidence, so progress is visible long before the final review.
Each phase ends when everything in the "must be true" column is true. The evidence column says where a reviewer can check it.
| Phase | Must be true by the end of it | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 · Learn | Three days of modules, a day of self-study and the Friday knowledge check passed. Signed off on Lever actions and data privacy. Hiring content and poster #1 started. Side project assigned. | Recruitment Process Map (A1) · sign-off on Trello |
| Week 2 · Do with | Lever test passed; live Lever actions open. AI tool inventory and first journey notes started. Project brief approved. Baseline SPARC note and one development goal agreed. | Lever System Test (A2) · Side Project Brief (A4) · Friday review note |
| Week 3 · Do with | Candidate and newcomer journeys and the AI tool map checked with a recruiter and a recent hire; top ideas proposed. First project milestone met. | AI Process Review & Mapping (A5) · Trello milestone |
| Week 4 · Deliver | Project finished, demoed and handed over. Rotation Review saved on the last day. Written handover to the next Supervisor. Retro held. | Final Demo & Handover (A6) · handover note · Supervisor's scores |
| Phase | Must be true by the end of it | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–3 | As in the 1-month rotation. | Recruitment Process Map, Lever System Test, Newcomer Onboarding, Countries & Benefits, Side Project Brief, AI Process Review & Mapping (A1 to A5) |
| Week 4 · Mid-point | Mid-rotation demo shows progress against the brief. Risks named; scope for the second half agreed in writing. | Mid-point Demo (A6) · revised plan |
| Weeks 5–7 · Do alone | Agent workflow designed with inputs, outputs and human checkpoints; one connection or idea tested with TA. Milestones met or risks raised before Friday. | Weekly report · Trello milestones |
| Final week · Deliver | Project finished, demoed and handed over. Rotation Review saved. Supervisor handover sent. Retro held. | Final Demo & Handover (A7) · handover note · Supervisor's scores |
Holiday weeks (1 Jan, Tet) carry no deadlines. A Sprint 1-1 that falls on a holiday moves to the first working day after.
The routine keeps work visible; the rituals give the rotation shape and give the intern moments to be seen.
Expectations said out loud, including the behaviours judged at the Academy gates. Trello, standup and ground rules explained.
10–15 minutes: today, blockers, who can help. On Mondays it runs right after the TA weekly meeting.
What went well, what to improve, next week's goal, written down every week.
The intern names one thing they did that week that helped the team, in one line in the TA Intern group.
Scores given by the Supervisor, each tied to evidence from Trello, the assignments and the Friday reviews.
Mid-point demo for 2-month rotations; final 15-minute demo, handover and a retro with the Track Leader for everyone.
Daily work lives on Trello: one card per assignment with its brief and checklist, in the lists Start Here & Resources, Checkpoint: Reports & Feedback, Syllabus Assignments, Side Projects (60/40 Rule), Recurring Tasks & Rituals, Doing, Review and feedback, Done. Interns do not join the TA internal weekly meeting, which carries confidential updates. Mentors log observations in the Intern Academy 2026 evidence log as they happen.
| Day | Module | TA Playbook source | Practice | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Recruitment Process | Recruitment Process (including SPARC, Appendix 1, 2 and 4), TA SLAs | Kick-off. The 12 steps and who owns them, SPARC and candidate levels. Trace one live role from its Resource Request to today. | Wed: recap check (draw the 12 steps and owners; place 3 sample CVs at a level) |
| Tue | Lever | Day 1 Essentials, Tag Guidelines, Archive Reasons | Build a test job; move sample candidates through every stage. | Thu: recap check (explain each stage and archive choice) |
| Wed | Newcomer Onboarding, Countries Benefit, AI Projects | Newcomer Onboarding, Countries Benefit, AI Projects | Opens with the recap check on Recruitment Process. The newcomer journey to Day 60, benefits by country, the 16 TA AI tools. Optimize LinkedIn. | Fri: recap check (walk through the onboarding phases; name the AI tool for a given task) · Newcomer Onboarding, Countries & Benefits (A3) |
| Thu | Self-study | Mon to Wed modules again; Personal Data Protection Policy (Law 91/2025 and Decree 356/2025) | Opens with the recap check on Lever. Then the intern studies alone, practises on the Lever test job and writes down questions. Afternoon: pick the role for hiring poster #1 with the mentor, then hiring content and a first design. Mentors stay available. | Fri: knowledge check on the whole week |
| Fri | Knowledge check and sign-off | Everything from the week | Recap check on Wednesday's modules and a knowledge check on the whole week. Three real cases with the Playbook open. Side project kick-off. Submit the Recruitment Process Map (A1). | Sign-off on Lever and data privacy<
Recap checks overlap from Wednesday: each day opens with a check on the module from two days earlier, so the intern has a day to study first. The mentors share the modules between them. /td> |
From week 2, three tracks run in parallel: enhancing the recruitment process with AI, the weekly tasks below (hiring content and the poster already start in week 1), and the side project on Tuesday to Friday afternoons. Most of the TA time goes into the AI brief, which carries on from one rotation to the next; each intern starts from the previous intern's handover.
| Part | The brief | Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Candidate and newcomer experience | Walk the hiring process and the onboarding process the way a candidate and a newcomer live them; find where AI could make them faster, clearer or more personal. | A journey map from first contact to Day 60, with pain points and evidence |
| 2. A fresh pair of eyes | As an outsider: if you were a recruiter, what would you do differently? New ideas, each with the problem it solves and how to test it. | An idea list, ranked by impact and effort |
| 3. Connect the agents from A to Z | Find the AI tools TA already has, map them onto the 12 hiring steps and onboarding, spot the gaps and hand-offs, and design how the agents work together, with human checkpoints. | An AI tool inventory, a step-by-step map and a workflow design; later rotations test connections |
| Task | When | Guardrail |
|---|---|---|
| Hiring poster and content on a role TA is hiring for | Every 2 weeks, from week 1 | TA approves the text |
| Daily LinkedIn & Social Scan: Open to Work and strong candidates for TA's open roles logged in a sheet; network growth; weekly report | Daily from week 2 · weekly report | Candidates go into Lever as leads; outreach approved by TA |
| Boolean strings for the roles Gradion hires most, tested and shared | From week 2 | Strings tested before they go into the shared library |
| Lever practice on the test job, then the Lever System Test (A2) | Weeks 1–2 | Live Lever actions only after the Lever test is approved |
The Supervisor assigns each intern one project in week 1, and the intern scopes it in the Side Project Brief (A4) in week 2: sized to the time really available: about 10 afternoons in a 1-month rotation, about 25 in a 2-month rotation. Interns in TA at the same time each lead one project and build both together. A later intern starts only from a finished result. The bar: would the TA Lead actually use it?
| Project | The question it answers, and why it matters | Deliverable | Success looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. TA Playbook in TA DashboardPriority: Medium · Effort: Medium 7 weeks (Week 2–8) | How can we make TA knowledge, processes and working guidelines easier to access, understand and apply through the TA Dashboard?TA team members rely on different documents, guidelines and internal resources to perform their daily recruitment activities. When information is scattered, outdated or difficult to navigate, it can create unnecessary effort, inconsistent practices and dependency on other team members for basic information. | The specific deliverables will be proposed by you and agreed with your mentor during Week 2. Deliver tangible outcomes that can improve how TA knowledge is accessed or applied. | Initiative; Critical Thinking; Ownership; Practical Value; Communication. |
| 2. CV Upload ImprovementsPriority: Medium · Effort: Medium 7 weeks (Week 2–8) | How can we improve the CV upload experience and ensure candidate information is captured accurately and efficiently in our recruitment system?CV submission is one of the first steps in the recruitment process. Problems during CV upload or information extraction can affect candidate experience, create incomplete candidate profiles and increase manual work for the TA team. | The specific deliverables will be proposed by you and agreed with your mentor during Week 2. Propose a practical improvement approach based on the findings. | Initiative; Critical Thinking; Ownership; Practical Value; Communication. |
| 3. Candidate Experience & Recruitment Content ImprovementPriority: Medium · Effort: Medium 3 weeks (Week 2–4) · Duong Vu | How can we improve the way Gradion attracts, engages and communicates with potential candidates throughout the recruitment journey?The candidate experience starts long before an applicant submits a CV. How Gradion presents jobs, communicates with candidates and manages recruitment touchpoints shapes whether they apply or stay in the process. | Proposed by the intern and agreed with the mentor in week 2, after exploring touchpoints such as recruitment content, job descriptions, candidate communication, channels and employer branding. | Initiative, critical thinking, ownership, practical value for the TA team, and clear communication of direction, decisions and outcomes. |
| 4. Team & Project Information RepositoryPriority: Medium · Effort: Medium 7 weeks (Week 2–8) | How can TA access and use reliable team and project information to better understand hiring needs and communicate opportunities to candidates?To recruit effectively, TA needs to understand more than the job description. Knowledge of Gradion's teams, projects, technologies, working environments and client contexts helps recruiters explain opportunities accurately and assess candidate fit more effectively. | The specific deliverables will be proposed by you and agreed with your mentor during Week 2. Deliver tangible outputs that help TA access and use relevant information more effectively. | Initiative; Critical Thinking; Ownership; Practical Value; Communication. |
| 5. Sourcing Guide for Hard-to-Fill RolesPriority: High · Effort: Medium 7 weeks (Week 2–8) | How can we improve our sourcing approach to identify and engage relevant candidates for hard-to-fill positions?Some recruitment positions require specific combinations of technical expertise, seniority, industry experience or market exposure, making suitable candidates difficult to identify through conventional sourcing approaches. | The specific roles, deliverables and evaluation criteria will be agreed with your mentor during Week 2. Deliver tangible outputs that can support future sourcing activities. | Initiative; Critical Thinking; Ownership; Practical Value; Communication. |
| 6. Market Research: Companies in Gradion's SegmentPriority: Medium · Effort: Medium 7 weeks (Week 2–8) | What can we learn from companies operating in Gradion's market, and how can these insights help TA better understand the talent market and position our opportunities?Understanding the market helps TA make better recruitment decisions. Knowledge of companies operating in similar segments, their business focus, technology environments, talent profiles and hiring activities can provide useful context when sourcing and evaluating candidates. | The specific companies, research criteria and deliverables will be proposed by you and agreed with your mentor during Week 2. Propose practical implications or recommendations for sourcing, candidate assessment or recruitment positioning. | Initiative; Critical Thinking; Ownership; Practical Value; Communication. |
Projects 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 run 7 weeks (week 2 to 8), so they are for 2-month rotations; project 3 runs 3 weeks (week 2 to 4). Each project also carries a self-initiative bar, set out in the rotation plan. Project list set by the TA team.
How each project moves through the rotation. A 1-month rotation finishes at week 4; a 2-month rotation uses week 4 as its mid-point and finishes in the final week.
| Project | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Weeks 5–8 (2-month) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. TA Playbook in TA Dashboard | Explore & define: how TA uses the Dashboard; proposal agreed | Execute: review, organise or prototype improvements | Mid-point demo: progress against the proposal; feedback from TA users | Weeks 5–6 execute and validate; weeks 7–8 deliver and reflect |
| 2. CV Upload Improvements | Explore & define: workflow tested with sample CVs; proposal agreed | Execute: further testing; issues documented | Mid-point demo: issues with impact; improvement direction agreed | Weeks 5–6 validate and test the improvement; weeks 7–8 deliver and reflect |
| 3. Candidate Experience & Recruitment Content Improvement | Explore & define: touchpoints explored, own proposal agreed with the mentor | Execute & learn: approved direction carried out, feedback sought, approach adjusted | Deliver & reflect: outcomes, evidence, presentation, handover | – |
| 4. Team & Project Information Repository | Explore & define: what TA needs, current sources; proposal agreed | Execute: collect and structure information | Mid-point demo: structure and first content validated with owners | Weeks 5–6 refine with user feedback; weeks 7–8 deliver and reflect |
| 5. Sourcing Guide for Hard-to-Fill Roles | Understand & explore: role and target profile; proposal and criteria agreed | Test: sourcing approach run on permitted channels | Mid-point demo: results so far against the criteria | Weeks 5–6 refine the strategy; weeks 7–8 deliver and reflect |
| 6. Market Research: Companies in Gradion's Segment | Explore & define: research question, companies and criteria agreed | Research: public sources gathered on the agreed criteria | Mid-point demo: first comparison and patterns | Weeks 5–6 analyse and validate; weeks 7–8 deliver and reflect |
Every project brief in the rotation plan also sets out ideas to make it great, how to use AI well, and what to cut first if time runs short.
Assignments are numbered A1 to A6 in a 1-month rotation and A1 to A7 in a 2-month rotation. This syllabus names each one and keeps the number in brackets.
| Assignment | What the intern submits | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Recruitment Process Map (A1) | Hiring process map, candidate level guide, three solved cases | Friday, week 1 |
| Lever System Test (A2) | Lever end to end on the test job; live Lever actions open once approved | Tuesday, week 2 |
| Newcomer Onboarding, Countries & Benefits (A3) | An onboarding timeline for one newcomer, from offer acceptance to Day 60, with owners, the TA onboarding SLAs and the common mistakes; a one-page countries benefits cheat sheet; three candidate questions answered from the Playbook | To be set |
| Side Project Brief (A4) | Side project brief: goal, output, "done when", weekly milestones, who will use it | Friday, week 2 |
| AI Process Review & Mapping (A5) | Candidate and newcomer journey maps, the AI tools mapped to each hiring step, and the top ideas to improve them | Friday, week 3 |
| Final Demo & Handover / Mid-point Demo (A6) | 1-month: final demo and handover · 2-month: mid-point demo | Week 4 |
| Final Demo & Handover (A7) | Final demo and handover note (2-month) | Final week |
| Review | When | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| Sprint 1-1 | Every two weeks | Growth Mindset 15%Critical Thinking 15%Communication & Collaboration 15%AI Literacy 15%TA core competencies 40% (process and SPARC, Lever, sourcing, AI and process improvement, work discipline) |
| Rotation Review | Last day | Delivery 35%Attitude & Fit 30%Growth 15%, from the Sprint 1-1sFull-time Fit 20% |
Three checkpoint cards sit in the Checkpoint: Reports & Feedback list of every intern's Trello board. They track the formal reviews between the intern and the mentors.
| Review | When | Objective | Definition of Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Performance Review | Every Friday | The intern copies the weekly report template into a comment and moves the card to Review and feedback. The mentor reviews the week's work, deliverables and observations, and agrees priorities for the next week. | Weekly feedback is discussed, documented and translated into clear improvement actions for the following week. |
| Assignment Review & Sign-off | Whenever an assignment is submitted | Ensure all syllabus assignments meet the expected quality standards and show the intern can understand and apply what they have learned. An assignment is marked complete only after mentor approval. | All required assignments have been reviewed, feedback has been addressed and mentor sign-off has been recorded. |
| Final Performance Evaluation | 1-month: 27–30 Nov · 2-month: final week | Overall performance, development and readiness for future opportunities at Gradion, based on evidence from the whole rotation, not only the final presentation. Areas: Delivery & Quality of Work, Attitude & Team Fit, Growth & Learning Agility, Ownership & Proactiveness, AI Literacy, Potential Full-time Fit. | The final evaluation is completed, feedback is communicated to the intern and the rotation outcome and recommendations are documented. |
Gate 1 (end of month 2) and Gate 2 (week 2 of month 6) are attitude decisions by the Supervisor and the Track Leader, separate from scores. If an intern does not improve, the gap and a date go in writing at the Friday review, and the Track Leader hears it at the next Sprint 1-1 with the evidence. No decision comes as a surprise.
Share the outcomes, the assignments and the behaviours judged at the gates in the kick-off. An intern can only be judged fairly against a bar they heard first.
Follow the journey: show how the team works, do it together, then check outcomes instead of every step. Move faster for an intern who is ready, slower for one who is not.
Between the project and the AI process work there is always a next card. Keep the Trello board full, and give the intern the people and tools they need to test ideas.
The same four parts make written feedback usable as evidence and keep three mentors consistent.
By the end of week 2: one baseline SPARC note and one development goal agreed with the intern. Log evidence as it happens: what, when, in one or two sentences.
Ask which TA tool the intern used and how they checked the output. No AI output goes to a hiring manager before TA has reviewed it.
In every Friday review, look for one example of AI literacy and above-expectation delivery, one of proactiveness and one of teamwork. Use the red flags as early warnings and raise them the same week.
Last day: the intern's handover note, the Supervisor's written handover on attitude and working style to the next Supervisor, and a retro with the Track Leader.
We measure the programme at four levels after every rotation, then use the retro to improve the next one.
| Level | Question | Measure | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Experience | Did the intern feel guided? | End-of-rotation pulse: "I knew what to do each day" and "I got feedback every week" | 4 or more out of 5 |
| 2 · Learning | Did the intern learn the core skills? | Knowledge check and Lever test passed; every assignment (A1 to A6, or A1 to A7 in a 2-month rotation) on time | Every assignment passed, on time |
| 3 · Behaviour | Does the intern work differently? | Sprint 1-1 trend from baseline to the last 1-1 | Upward on the development goal |
| 4 · Results | Did TA gain something lasting? | Project in use by TA after handover; Sprint 1-1s and Rotation Review saved on time | Every project in use · 100% on time |
Continuous improvement. After each rotation the Supervisor and mentors review these measures and the intern's retro, and update this syllabus before the next intern starts. Each version notes what changed and why.
Prepared by Talent Acquisition, Gradion · 2 Nov 2026 · Sources: TA team meeting notes, Nhi's TA Intern Training Plan, TA Playbook v4.1, Back Office Track syllabus.