Getting ahead through internships

Stint taught rapport, friendship and how to bounce back

After her A levels, Miss Eunice Usha Balasupramaniam, who is in her 20s, wanted to pursue a career in the tourism field as she likes meeting people and organising travel plans for her family and friends.

She said: “After graduating from junior college, I did my research on my available options. I chose to study at PSB Academy as it offered double majors (Marketing and Tourism) in the area I am interested in.”

Miss Balasupramaniam enrolled in PSB Academy in August 2010 and graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Marketing and Tourism) awarded by The University of Newcastle, Australia, in September last year.

In her final year of studies, as a full-time student she did a three-month internship at the marketing department of the Centre for Management of Technology.

She said: “As I had no prior work experience, I felt that an internship will provide me with greater exposure to the demands of working life. After I applied for the internship, I had a list of companies to choose from as recommended by the Career Services department of PSB Academy.

“I then made my choice from the list based on my personal criteria like interest and relevancy to my programme.”

Her internship duties included data research and extraction, as well as introducing and explaining the company’s events to prospective clients.

“I had a hands-on experience and gained wider exposure in an actual working environment. I understood the demands of different industries and improved my decision-making and organisational skills.

“The main lessons I learnt were how to prioritise my tasks, adapt to the working culture and being confident in performing my tasks. Most importantly, I learnt to be willing to learn and improve myself, regardless of the setbacks faced.”

She added that building rapport with her colleagues during her internship, especially during team projects, enabled her and her team-mates to share and cultivate ideas productively.

“The experience I obtained during my internship has been crucial to building my character and it has helped elevate me for future job opportunities,” she said.

Bank attachment boosted his confidence

An internship taught him the value of a good working attitude.

Mr Harris Prayogo, an Indonesian in his 20s, found this valuable while studying at ACCA Global.

He enrolled in July 2011 and graduated as an a liate in February this year. An a liate is not yet a fully qualified ACCA member.

During his studies, he did a three-month internship at the  nance department of Standard Chartered Bank, dealing specifically in Origination and Client Coverage.

He said: “I was one of the few students in Singapore chosen by ACCA Global to be part of the ACCA International Internship programme. Personally, I wanted to do the internship to broaden my knowledge and equip myself with work experience.”

During his internship, Mr Prayogo did finance analysis, prepared management level reports and was also involved in projects with other departments.

“I attended meetings and discussions, but most of my time was spent working on the projects,” he said.

The internship was a new experience.

“As I expected to face difficult situations, I thought that preparing myself was key. If you know what to expect, the experience will not be too much of a shock to you.

“It’s also important to realise that you go into the internship mainly to learn and contribute in your capacity as an intern. So you have nothing to lose and much to gain.

“With this mindset and an open mind, I faced di cult situations by telling myself that this was all part of the learning process,” he added.

The internship taught Mr Prayogo many things like technical  nancial knowledge and knowledge about the banking industry.

He said: “The main takeaway for me was interacting with people, adapting myself to the working environment and learning soft skills to use wherever I work and whatever I do.

“The internship was about taking what you’ve learnt in the classroom to an actual working scenario where you had to deal with a lot of factors.”

The real advantage, he felt, was still one’s attitude. He said: “Humility and the right attitude will help you go far, be it in an internship or a permanent job.”

She became empathetic and an active listener

Her internship reinforced practical skills necessary for her future career.

Miss Jasline Fong Sook Yee, 26, is pursuing a Bachelor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS).

The degree is awarded by the University of Sunderland, UK. She enrolled in September 2011 and will graduate by the middle of next year.

She said: “After graduating from Temasek Polytechnic with a Diploma in Product & Industrial Design, I worked for about 3½ years in a design company before deciding to further my studies. I chose MDIS because of the structure of my course.

“In the hospitality and tourism industry, not only theoretical studies are important, practical lessons and internships, which are also essential parts of learning, were incorporated in the course.”

Between February and August this year, Miss Fong did a seven-month internship at The Fullerton Hotel. She started her internship at the hotel’s Executive Straits Club Lounge, and was later posted to the Guest Recognition department.

“My duties involved check-in, check-out, arranging amenities for VIPs and special attention guests, serving breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails at the executive lounge. I also did duties like setting up the buffet counter for each meal period as well as mixing cocktails.

“I gained priceless knowledge, skills and experience in both front desk and food & beverage (F&B) areas. During di cult situations, I learnt to listen, understand the situations, apologise where necessary, and talk to the guests tactfully,” she said.

During her internship, Miss Fong maximised her learning time by observing how her seniors and managers performed their tasks or handled guests.

She said: “Team work and tactful communication is very important for smooth operations. Hand overs and follow-ups from previous shifts are essential.

“Effective listening allows you to establish a sincere interest and understand what the other party has to say. Sincere listening allows you to put yourself in their shoes, especially when feedback or complaints are received.

“I learnt to be passionate in my work, multitask and organise myself. I also gained wonderful memories interacting with guests and colleagues.”

A cross-cultural learning experience

Besides valuable work experience, internship provided Mr Adip Puri with a chance to see how work conditions here differed from those in his homeland.

Mr Adip, an Indian national in his 20s, is pursuing a Master of Business Administration awarded by Edinburgh Business School (EBS) at East Asia Institute of Management (EASB).

He enrolled at EASB last September and will graduate in March.

On why he chose EASB, Mr Adip said: “I graduated with a degree in English Literature and have a postgraduate diploma in Public Relations and Corporate Communications. I have about 4½ years’ experience in marketing & communications, corporate communications and public relations.

“EBS is a prestigious UK college and the quality of its MBA is well-respected in the corporate world.”

Between Jan 16 and May 10 this year, Mr Adip was an intern at the Enterprise Risk Services Department of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, an auditing and consultancy firm.

“I wanted to understand how the work and business culture in Singapore is different from back home in India.

“The other reason for taking up the internship was the opportunity to work with Deloitte, which is one of the Big Four auditing and consultancy  rms in the world.”

During his internship, Mr Adip undertook risk assessment for the real estate project of a Singaporean conglomerate.

He had to look closely at the company’s procedures and processes, recommend refinements and streamline the company’s practices.

He also had to conceptualise and develop an interactive online game on service excellence for Deloitte’s employees.

The internship was an eye-opener for Mr Adip, who said: “Work in an o ce is more task-oriented and there are mostly deadlines for everything. So you have to be practical and clever in handling different tasks at the same time.

“After this internship, I appreciated the value of time management even more. Proper time management was the reason I was able to do well at the internship and my studies.

“My ability to communicate clearly and con dence level has improved since I managed to work with different nationalities like Singaporeans, Chinese, Malaysians and Filipinos.

“As Singapore’s job market is not always easy to break through especially for newbies, internships are great platforms for students to learn the ropes and  ll the need gap. They can also be stepping stones to brighter employment opportunities.”

Overseas stint gave him great exposure

He wanted a varied work experience.

So Mr Narendran Panir Selvam, 26, jumped at the chance of an overseas internship.

Mr Narendran, who graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) with a Diploma in Electrical Engineering in 2008, enrolled in Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) in 2011 to pursue a Bachelor of International Tourism and Hospitality Management by University of Sunderland, UK.

He said: “When I was doing my  nal year project at NP, my team mates and I met many people. That was when I realised that I loved to meet people and interact with them, so I pursued my studies in the hospitality industry after serving my national service.”

Mr Narendran, who completed his studies this year, interned at the Hyatt Regency Dubai from May to November last year.

He said: “I wanted a varied and diverse work experience overseas. In Dubai, I was attached to the rooms division, where I mostly did front desk duties. I also did housekeeping, back end and banquet preparation duties. “When I arrived in Dubai, I knew nobody, but soon made friends with people of different nationalities like Dutch, Indian, Chinese, Filipino and German.”

Unlike his studies at MDIS, which mostly comprised lectures and practical lessons at Tropical Breeze, the school’s hospitality training centre, the internship at Dubai was an intensive on-the-job learning experience.

He said: “One guest flew into Dubai after a bad flight from Europe. When he arrived at the hotel, it was too early to check in and his room was not ready.

“He was upset, but I calmed him down and arranged for him to take a tour of Dubai while he waited for his room to be ready. While he was on the tour, I expedited preparations for his room and it was ready by the time the guest returned.

“He was very happy and commended me in writing before he left the hotel.”

Mr Narendran, who now works at the concierge department of Grand Hyatt Singapore, said the internship helped him develop good and lasting friendships, and his superiors at Dubai also helped him land his position here.

“I was working part-time at Grand Hyatt Singapore at first, and now am a full-time employee. I can imagine myself working in the hospitality industry for the next 15 to 20 years as it is what I really love to do,” he said.

Learning at two different restaurants

His love for cooking began when he was just 12 years old.

Mr Cliff Tan, 27, a sous chef at Au Petit Salut, a French restaurant near Dempsey Road, used to help out at his aunt’s chicken rice stall.

He said: “My first dish was fried bee hoon. I was hungry one day and decided to cook that for myself.” After completing his national service in 2006, Mr Tan worked for a few months at a friend’s logistics company before trying his hand at Barossa, a Western restaurant at the Esplanade.

He then worked for  ve months at the Southern Hotel in Jalan Sultan, where he helped set up the hotel’s French restaurant, before heading to At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy to pursue a Diploma in Culinary Arts.

He enrolled in At-Sunrice in 2011 and graduated on Nov 6 last year.

He said: “I chose At-Sunrice because of their standards and programmes offered. They have quali ed instructors who can share their knowledge and expertise, and they also have well-designed classrooms and kitchens.”

In At-Sunrice, Mr Tan spent the first five months of his course learning about service standards and the theoretical aspects of cooking.

He then spent the remaining 12 months being an apprentice at two restaurants – Absinthe at Bukit Pasoh, and Patara Fine Thai Cuisine at Tanglin Mall.

He said: “During the apprenticeships, I prepared food, served customers and did other work too. The main lesson I learnt was discipline and the need to keep up the best attitude at all times.

“As I knew the chef at Absinthe, there were higher expectations of me compared to the other chefs, so I had to live up to those expectations.

“At Patara, the chefs were Thais and their knowledge of English was poor. The cooking style was also different from what I had been used to. So I learnt to fit into their culture and understand their food.”

Mr Tan said that lessons at At-Sunrice were very easy to understand, and the academy maintained discipline and focus among the students.

“But during my apprenticeship, I had to learn quickly and deliver according to expectations. So I became more confident. At Au Petit Salut, my team and I prepare meals for about 160 people daily.

“The apprenticeships gave me the opportunities to work with different chefs and learn different things.”

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