Alumni Advice | Landing Jobs during the Pandemic?
Alumni Advice
校友经历分享
Internship Advice Part 2:
Tips & Tricks on How You Landed Jobs
during the Pandemic
疫情间求职技巧和小贴士
What's up IBS?
In this article, we will look at Part 2 of Internship Advices, specifically on landing jobs during the pandemic.
IBS 伙伴们，最近过的怎样啊~？
今天，我们准备了实习小贴士的第二部分，关于疫情间求职的小技巧！
Our Alumni
<< Swipe left for more >>
Karensia Clara Himawan
2019 Fall Undergraduate, Indonesia
Lim Hao Yee
2019 Fall Undergraduate, Malaysia
Lee Tze Chian
2019 Spring Undergraduate, Malaysia
Joey Chow Cheuk Yee
2020 Spring Undergraduate, Malaysia
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01
What are the specific skill sets that helped
you get an internship during the pandemic?
您能分享有哪些个人技能帮助您在疫情间找到
实习吗？
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Karensia Clara
The perseverance gave me the confidence to keep going, and it is the most important skill for this question in my honest opinion. I remember myself applying to an array of every job opening in my LinkedIn jobs section until it reached a tipping point where opening LinkedIn made me very self-anxious. On the verge of giving up, just remember that everyone got rejected at some point in their lives. You could always try again.
Note that rejections are steppingstones, you can be in the place where you want to be only after you went through a series of rejections, it is a part of growth, and it provides you the skill of perseverance and confidence. It is what distinguishes you from others who easily give up along the way and make you appreciate the job if you get accepted even more!
我认为在疫情间寻找实习是最重的要技巧是要坚持。这种坚忍不拔的毅力给了我继续前进的信心。 我记得申请了一系列职位，直到达到临界点。那时候，打开 LinkedIn 会让我非常焦虑并且觉得自己不够资格。在想放弃的时候，请记得每个人都在人生中的某个时刻被拒绝过。你总是可以再试一次。请注意，拒绝是垫脚石，只有在经历了一系列拒绝之后，你才能到达心想的地位。这是成长的一部分，它提供你毅力和自信的技能。这就是你和轻易放弃的人的区别。如果你被录，你就会更欣赏和珍惜这份工作！
Lim Hao Yee
I want to say Networking. It is essential since it will help you build and strengthen your skill set, stay on top of industry trends, meet potential mentors, partners, and clients, and gain access to the resources you'll need to advance your career. If you have good people skills, it means you will also make a good team player. Having a collaborative approach to working will assist the team to achieve a shared goal most effectively.
Self-confidence in the workplace is also significant for your success. You'll be more driven, less stressed, and more likely to drive performance, career progress, and work relationships if you have greater confidence.
我想说拓展人脉。这很重要，因为它能帮助你加强你的技能、了解行业趋、结识潜在的导师、合作伙伴和客户，并获得提升你的职业生涯所需的资源。如果你有优秀的人际能力，那就意味着你也会成为一个优秀的队员。在工作中采取合作的方式有助于团队以最有效的方式实现共同的目标。
此外，自信对事业成功也很重要。如果你有更大的自信，你将会更有动力，更有可能提高工作表现和工作关系。
Lee Tze Chian
I think that having leadership skills is necessary since it can help you make critical decisions and have the flexibility to solve problems in an ever-changing environment. Recruiters also favor candidates that can learn quickly because they can adjust quickly and require less time, effort, and money to train. Thus, you may improve your employment opportunities by learning how to be a fast learner. Furthermore, responsibility can be one of the things that distinguish you from other candidates. Future employers are interested in your ability to write and communicate professionally. In your cover letter, you can demonstrate your writing skills, as well as your verbal skills by providing relevant answers to interview questions.
我认为领导能力是必要的技能以解决问题,因为它可以帮助你做出关键决定，并且在瞬息万变的环境中随机应变。雇主也比较喜欢灵活的工作人员，因为这些员工能快速地适应环境与职责，并省时间、精力和训练费用。因此，你可以进步你的学习和灵活能力以提高你的就业机会。另外，责任感也是你与其他候选人的区别之一。大部分的雇主也对你的专业写作和交流能力感兴趣。在求职信中，你可以展示你的文笔能力。你也可以通过面试提供相关答案来展示你的沟通与表达能力。
Joey Chow
Having good communication skills is a must. Being able to communicate well with the interviewers through online interviews and using proper language, knowing what to answer even if it is a sudden interview is also very important. Hard skills such as the ability to speak multiple languages and operate software like Microsoft Office are also highly valued by employers.
Moreover, you need to be willing to learn new things. Some companies might require to try on new things. Be adventurous and explain that you’re willing to learn even though you are not good with it or you have not learned about it. Besides that, it is also important to be proactive and constantly seek job opportunities.
我们必须具备良好的沟通能力。我们要懂得如何与线上的面试官进行交流和使用适当的语言。即使突然进行面试，知道该如何回答也很一个重要的沟通技巧。此外，你也必须拥有一些硬技能，例如懂得说多种语言或操作 Microsoft Office 之类的软件软。
我们也需要愿意学习新事物。有些公司可能需要你去尝试新事物或完成新任务。敢于冒险并解释说，即使不擅长或尚未了解任务，你也愿意学习。除此之外，积极主动并不断寻找工作机会也很重要。
02
What are the things that you would
recommend others to pay attention to when
we want to apply for an internship during
the pandemic?
在疫情间申请实习时该注意什么事项？
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Karensia Clara
Pay attention to your CV or resume, keep it straight to the point, and just be professional with it. A tip to note is to have your experience bullet points written starting with action verbs (i.e., generated, analyzed, presented, proposed, etc.). Also, perhaps try to list your achievements from high school or universities that are only relevant to the job. Try to appear in interviews wearing your best confidence, don’t be nervous and don’t forget to smile!
注意自己的简历。简约，直接和专业就行了。一个需要注意的小窍门是以动词开始你的要点（例如生成、分析、呈现、开发、提议等）。另外，你可以列出你在高中或大学取得的成就，但只提出有关工作职责的成就。尽量带着最好的自信出席面试，不要紧张，也不要忘记微笑！
Lim Hao Yee
If you have decided to enroll yourself in a specific industry for the long term, get as much information as you can before applying to the specific company to ensure the company best suits your skills and interest. If you are just looking for an internship where you can gain more working experience, try applying to as many companies as you can, and not be scared of trying or failure.
Try to come out with an appealing resumeto attract the company's recruiters, that will be your first step. After that, just try to apply to the companies that you are interested in through their official websites or LinkedIn.
如果你已经决定长期从事某一行业，在向特定公司申请之前，尽量寻找该公司的资料和背景，以确保该公司最适合你的技能和兴趣。如果你只是想为了累积经验找实习，你可以多多申请一些公司，不要害怕尝试或失败。
此外，你需要准备一个能吸引公司招聘人员的简历，这将是你第一步。只要你的简历已完善好，你就可以通过官方网站或LinkedIn向感兴趣的企业申请工作。
Lee Tze Chian
If you do not have a specific role or industry you are interested in, I recommend tryingto intern in some companies to find a suitable job after trying. Besides, we also have to consider whether to choose to work in a real work environment or a WFH (work-from-home) model.
Due to the pandemic, we cannot deny that WFH is a good option for us (we can focus on both our internship and university life, and our safety is also guaranteed), but this work model will decrease our face-to-face communication with others. Therefore, I think that it would be better to work in a real work environment. In addition, the real company's environment will let us learn more than WFH.
如果你没有一个特别想要应聘的公司，我建议先尝试去一些公司实习，我们尝试之后才会找到自己到底对什么样的工作感兴趣。此外，我们还必须考虑是否想实体工作，还是选择在家办公（Work-from-home）模式工作。
由于疫情的问题，我们不能否认WFH对我们来说是一个很好的选择（我们可以专注于我们的实习和大学生活，我们的安全也有保障），但个模式将减少我们与其他人的面对面交流。因此,我认为在实体的办公室工作比较好。另外，在实体办公室工作会比WFH学到更多的知识。
Joey Chow
I would recommend making sure that you suit the job requirements, constantly try new things and get out of your comfort zone. Check if the company/employer is legitimate, as well as read through the contract or any other details of the job, especially during the pandemic, and make sure that your rights are valid.
我建议你确保你符合工作要求，不断尝试新事物并走出你的舒适区。检查公司/雇主是否合法、阅读合同或其他工作细节，并确保你的权利被维护。
03
What advice do you have for those looking to
network to find an internship while social
distancing measures are in place?
您对想在疫情间与专业人社交和找实习的同学
有什么建议?
<< Swipe left to read >>
Karensia Clara
Network through LinkedIn and have a lot of connections with people. Especially those who have work experience and also seniors. If they have worked or are still working for a company, they could refer you and put a good word for you internally in the company. Point is, don’t be shy to reach out to people, it’s the only way to make connections. Once I replied to a senior’s Instagram Story and he offered to help refer me to the company if I was looking to apply there. The more you connect with those who are motivated and those within the right circle, you will get benefit from learning from it. So, choose your circles wisely as well as they can have some degree of influence on who you could become.
多使用 LinkedIn，并且与身边的人好好建立关系。特别是有工作经验的人和前辈。如果他们曾经工作过，或者还在公司工作，他们也许可以帮忙推荐你，并传达公司的一些工作机会或消息。重点是，不要羞于与人交流，这是建立关系的唯一途径。 有一次，我回复了一个学长的Instagram Story，他说，如果我想在他公司申请工作，他愿意帮我做个介绍。当你与有干劲的人和在正确圈子内, 越能从中学到很多东西。因此，明智地选择你的圈子，同时它们也会在一定程度上影响你的人格。
Lim Hao Yee
With social distancing in place, a lot of companies offer remote/hybrid working methods, and you could find those jobs via online websites also. Before really getting into the job, you could ask about this specific question during the interview, and of course, they will still prefer working in the office.
如今，许多公司提供远程/混合工作方式，你也可以通过招聘网站找到这些工作。在正式投入工作之前，你可以在面试中询问这个具体问题。当然，有些企业还是更喜欢在办公室实体工作。
Lee Tze Chian
I think we can pay attention to the internship information shared by professors in our WeChat group. It means that the internship is approved by the university, and also is safe and good for students to apply. Besides, I also recommend to find internships on a formal recruitment website. The website reviews the real profiles and contents of the companies to ensure the applicants will not be cheated, it is a safe place for us to find an internship through the network. Nowadays there are a lot of real and fake jobs on the network, so we have to learn to distinguish them clearly.
你可以关注我们微信群。有时候，教授们会共享一些实习信息。也就是说，该实习得到了大学的认可，给学生们申请和学习也很安全。此外，我还建议在正式的招聘网站上求职。这些网站已经审查企业的真实简介和内容，确保应聘者不被骗，让我们通过安全的通道寻找工作。现在网络上有很多假公司和工作，所以我们要学会分辨清楚。
Joey Chow
Do some research on companies that you plan to work for, see if you can meet their requirements before applying (this will save your time). This would not need social distancing measures as you can do it at home. Be prepared that interviews might be done online due to the current pandemic, also be prepared if they changed it to a physical interview. If you are worried about their social distancing measures, feel free to ask them about it.
提前对你想工作的公司进行一些调查，看看你是否满足他们的要求（这将节省你的时间）。由于这些事情都可以在家里做到， 你不需要担心社交隔离措施。由于疫情的关系，你要有心理准备进行线上的面试，也要预计如果公司把面试改为实体面试。 如果你对设计阿格里措施有犹豫，你可以直接询问此公司。
04
Can you tell us about your current job and
how you landed that job?
您能分享您目前的工作吗？您是如何找到这份
工作？
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Karensia Clara
Currently, I am not working since I just relocated to London for this semester. Previously, I worked as an E-commerce intern at OPPO China. I landed this job from seeing a chat broadcast in one of the group chat hubs that I am in, then inquire to the HR’s email, then they asked for my CV and other information. But at first they did not directly reach out to me. A month after my first email, they asked once again for me to resend my CV and then still no decision until the third time they actually reached out back to me they asked for an interview. It was a very sudden interview that I actually got no time to prepare for. It was during the highs of the pandemic so my internship was fully WFH.
因为这个学期刚搬到伦敦, 所以现在没有在工作。此前，我在OPPO中国做过电子商务实习生。我是从群聊中看到一个聊天广播，再发邮件给该公司的人事部。之后，他们向我要求简历和其他信息。但一开始，他们并没有直接联系我。在我第一封邮件的一个月后，他们再次要求我重新发送简历，直到第三次给我回信时，他们才要求面试。那次的面试非常突然所以我也没有充分的时间去准备。当时正是疫情的高峰期，因此我的实习期完全为WFH形式。
Lim Hao Yee
I’m not having a job right now. My previous job was mainly about completing collaboration between influencers and my company. My roles are to contact the influencers, negotiate collaboration fees, tracking the whole process of the collaboration, and also some document translation works. I found the job through an online advertisement and was lucky to be chosen for the job.
我目前没有在工作。我之前的工作主要是促成KOL和我的公司之间的合作。我的职责包括联系KOL、协商合作费用、跟进合作的全过程以及一些文件翻译工作。我是通过网络广告找到这份工作,很幸运被录用了。
Lee Tze Chian
I am currently an intern as an influencer marketing specialist in the SocialV Media Group in Beijing, China. This company has collaborated with a lot of international brands and companies, and my work tasks include helping our customers to find their ideal KOL and letting them have an opportunity to have business collaboration. I landed the job with my resume experiences, soft skills, and language skills.
我目前在北京的一家媒体企业，SocialV Media Group 担任KOL营销部的实习生。这家公司与很多国际品牌合作过。我的工作职责包括帮助客户找到他们理想的KOL和促成他们之间的合作机会。我通过往期的工作经历、技能和语言技能成功被录用。
Joey Chow
My current job is as a Finance Intern for a Shanghai Company. As an intern for the financial department, I’m responsible for shadowing upper-level management in the financial department to gain industry knowledge. My main tasks are data maintenance and assisting with financial audits. To land this job, it can be found through the person in charge of the company to get an opportunity for interviews.
我目前在一家上海公司的金融部门实习。作为金融部门的实习生，我负责辅助高层管理搜寻行业知识与趋势。我的主要职责包括数据管理和协助财务审计。你可以通过公司负责人或公司网站找到面试的机会。
05
Is that still a reasonable expectation to have
or should we recalibrate if the job searches
may take too long?
如果求职的时间太长， 您是否认为是个合理的
期望或者应该重新设置标准？
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Karensia Clara
It took months. I almost gave up applying to another position or company until I got another reply from them because sometimes companies do not respond to your application. However, don't give up and persevere!
我花了几个月时间寻找实习机会。那时，我差点放弃，直到他们终于回复我的邮件，因为有时候公司对你的申请没有给个回复。虽然如此，别放弃和继续坚持！
Lim Hao Yee
It is uncertain how long we could get a formal job or internship because we need to find a suitable job for us, and also the company needs to find people that suit their needs the most. All we can do is keep on sending our resumes and don’t be scared of rejection.
说实话，我们不能确定该花多久的时间才能找到一份工作或实习，因为我们也需要考虑到自己适不适合那分工作和企业文化；公司也需要找符合它们条件的人。我们唯一能做的就是继续给各种企业发送简历，不要害怕拒绝。
Lee Tze Chian
If we have spent a lot of time looking for a job but have been unsuccessful, I think we should first think about our interview process. If there is any part or question we did not answer well, we need to try to improve it. We can also think about whether the job is suitable for us (abilities, etc). If we are sure that this is the job that we want to apply for, then just stick with it; if we find out that we just want to have an income, then we can reconsider. There is also a suggestion for our juniors, such as participating in student council activities or being on the organizing committee of an event thatcan help us improve our abilities and find out what we are good at and interested in.
如果我们花了很多时间寻找工作但已失败,我想我们首先要检讨面试的过程。如果有任何部分我们没有回答，我们必须设法改善。我们也可以考虑这项工作是否适合我们（能力方面等)。如果我们确定想应聘这份工作，那就要把这份工作做到好。如果我么只是想要一个收入途径，我们可以重新考虑选项。我也建议大家参与学生会的活动或加入活动筹委团，组织一些活动。这些经验可以帮助提高各方面的能力和让我们发现自己的兴趣和工作取向。
Joey Chow
Commonly, job searches could take up a long time as some applications could be complicated. Some companies get back to applicants within a week, some might take up to a month, and some put you into consideration but only plan to hire you during their next hiring process in probably the next year. For big companies, they have more applicants, and going through the resumes and letters is a lot to be done for the HR, hence it will take some time for them to get back to you. By the time they get back to you, there will be 2-3 interviews that have to be done before they decide on whether they want to hire you for the position.
一般情况下，由于应聘过程复炸和多步骤，因此求职需要很长时间。有些公司在一周内回复求职者，有些公司可能需要一个月的时间。有些公司会考虑你，但只打算在下一年招聘你。大公司的应聘者多，翻阅简历和信函对于人力资源来说还有很多工作要做，因此他们需要一些时间才能筛选和回复应聘者。当他们回复你时，你应该需要进行2-3轮的面试才会知道在他们是否决定雇用你。
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Thank you to our alumni for sharing your experiences!
Stay tuned for the next and final part of Alumni Advice about Work Life Experience Sharing and Recommended Companies.
非常感谢校友们的珍贵分享和小贴士！
请期待最后一弹校友经历分享，
校友们将分享关于职业场经验和推荐一些值得实习的公司哦~
Previously on Alumni Advice 往期回顾
<< Scroll left for more >>
Interviewers 采访者丨Priscilla Winata, Jason Febriand (Official Relations Department)
Interviewees 受访者丨Karensia Clara Himawan, Lim Hao Yee, Lee Tze Chian. Joey Chow
Article Design 推送设计与排版 | Adalia Tan
Editing & Translation 推送编辑与翻译翻 | Alex Park
Proofread 校对 | IBS Union