Class of 2023 graduates share how they landed coveted roles in sizzling sectors
by Kenny Chee
Photo: Luke Loo
Banking and finance student Luke Loo was in Japan earlier in 2023 to represent his employer, blockchain company Polygon Labs, in business discussions with companies there.
Eager to secure a summer internship in his second year of studies at the Nanyang Business School, Luke Loo jumped on social media network LinkedIn to look for new opportunities as applications he made to top banks and accounting firms did not pan out.
What caught his eye was a business development opening at Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Luke applied for it partly because months earlier, he had nurtured a keen interest in the blockchain technology that underpins how cryptocurrencies and tamper-proof documents like vaccination certificates work, specifically in one use of the tech called non-fungible tokens (NFTs). NFTs are akin to digital certificates of ownership for physical or virtual items.
“During the interview, I shared candidly about my interest in NFTs, which shocked the human resources person that was hiring me back then as it had nothing to do with the job scope advertised,” he tells HEY!.
Impressed with Luke’s NFT market knowledge, the recruiter recommended him for a different role in NFTs. Luke got the internship and he credits his Binance experience for landing him a full-time work-from-home job with American blockchain company Polygon Labs when he was still in his second year at NTU. The graduating student is now helping to lead Polygon Labs’s NFT efforts.
KNOW THE SECTOR TO JOIN THE SECTOR
Photo: Low Ann Don
Low Ann Don learnt more about microbiology in her own time by reading research papers.
Having a good understanding of hot sectors and related fields also helped other final-year students like Luke snag vital internships which later got them hired in high-demand fields such as energy and health sciences.
Biological sciences student Low Ann Don believes French cosmetics giant L’Oréal hired her as a microbiology research assistant mainly because of the knowledge and laboratory skills she honed during her internship at the Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering in NTU.
And she thinks she got that internship partly because of her good understanding of microbiology. Such was her passion for the field in university that she would read journal articles and watch online research videos in her own time outside of school lessons.
“If you have the knowledge and skills that prospective employees are looking for, you’ll have a higher chance of being hired,” she adds.
BEEF UP YOUR PORTFOLIO WITH MULTIPLE INTERNSHIPS
While NTU undergraduates only need to do one mandatory job attachment to graduate, some NTU students get the bug and score as many as seven internships.
For instance, final-year marketing student Rochelle Tan planned seven internships and attachment programmes throughout her four-year course at Nanyang Business School.
Rochelle has a variety of marketing experiences from her stints at German certification company TÜV SÜD and Mandai Wildlife Group, which manages wildlife parks like the Singapore Zoo.
Mandai eventually hired her on a full-time basis while she was still a student and Rochelle believes that her strong marketing portfolio – built from her internships, work and co-curricular activities – helped her nail the job and perform her work well despite being an undergrad.
Photo: Rochelle Tan
Rochelle Tan believes her strong marketing portfolio built from her internships, work and co-curricular activities helped her get hired by Mandai Wildlife Group.
Rochelle does freelance social media marketing for other companies on the side too, and she has her freelance work in Singapore photobooth company Dollop Photobooths to thank for opening doors to these opportunities.
Impressed with Rochelle’s contributions and experience, her Dollop supervisor continues to engage her and even recommended her to other companies that needed freelance help with their social media efforts.
For students like environmental engineering and economics student Megan Chong, taking on four internships in the private and public sectors – which she found through LinkedIn and NTU’s Career and Attachment Office – helped her to zero in on the type of sustainability work that she felt cut out for.
“If you’re unsure of the kind of work you want to do, the best way to find your fit is by trying out different jobs, and internships are a safe way to do so,” she says.
During an internship at Climate Impact X, a carbon credit exchange, Megan helped to educate businesses on the value of pursuing sustainable practices. Her time there encouraged her to apply for a position at Boston Consulting Group, as she became passionate about helping companies in their fight against climate change.
She clinched the job and will be joining a team of consultants to develop management-level solutions for organisations, such as how they can produce goods sustainably while still being profitable.
GET DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES WITH AN INTERDISCIPLINARY EDUCATION
Photo: Megan Chong
Environmental engineering and economics student Megan Chong says an interdisciplinary outlook helps her tackle problems better.
Megan also believes dipping her toes in different disciplines as an undergrad helped her stand out from other candidates applying for the same job at Boston Consulting Group.
In her case, Megan’s environmental engineering courses taught her how to approach problems in a systematic way, while her economics modules sharpened her understanding of business needs as well as her communication skills.
“In my job application, I leveraged the fact that I’m a double degree student with an interdisciplinary outlook when tackling problems,” she adds.
HONE HANDS-ON SKILLS THROUGH CCAs
Picking up relevant job skills is not just limited to attachments. Just ask final-year bioengineering student Muhammad Safwan Bin Burhanudin.
For four years, he was the president of CCEB Makerspace, a student club in the School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology (CCEB) that inspires creative engineering projects. And in his third year, Safwan led a 14-strong student team to win a gold medal in an international student competition for the COVID-19 test kit they developed.
Through these, Safwan developed technical know-how like proficiency in operating 3D printers, as well as soft skills such as project and people management. And he feels his suite of skills was a key factor in the Agency for Science, Technology & Research hiring him as a research officer to work on medical devices for diagnostic applications.
Photo: NTU
Bioengineering student Muhammad Safwan Bin Burhanudin was active in CCAs, which gave him a boost in his job search.
“Expose yourself to a range of hands-on experiences. For example, there are many competitions and workshops that NTU students can join to brush up their technical skills,” he advises.
NETWORK LIKE A BOSS
The adage that “your network is your net worth” could ring true.
Chemical engineering student Shubh Sethi says that building connections and networks with people from booming sectors is vital for getting a foot in the door of these fields, since it can be difficult to stand out on paper.
He went to an NTU career fair several months ago and met a senior human resources officer at American oil and gas company ExxonMobil, whom he later connected with on LinkedIn.
ExxonMobil later invited Shubh to a recruitment event where he met other company employees and learnt how he could fit in while pursuing his interests.
This was his chance to articulate how he saw himself contributing to ExxonMobil, which he did in his job application and interview with the company. He was hired.
“Networking is more important than ever. It’s important for hiring managers to attach a face or personality to the resume,” explains Shubh.
Photo: Shubh Sethi
Chemical engineering student Shubh Sethi speaking at a 2022 competition by German consulting services firm Allianz Consulting, where his team tackled an insurance industry problem.
PRIORITISE CRUCIAL DAILY TASKS TO BALANCE WORK AND STUDIES
After their internships, some students continue working part-time. But juggling work and studies is challenging, to which Rochelle says careful planning and time management are key.
“I keep a list of to-dos for each day and will identify my most important tasks and deadlines to focus on first,” she says. “I also have a weekly schedule that outlines my work hours, study hours and commitments.”
Even so, balancing work and school may become unmanageable at some point, so being able to say no or cut back is necessary.
Shubh, for instance, continued his internship at Singapore business management consulting firm Unimas Consulting Solutions on a part-time basis when the new semester began.
However, when his schoolwork became too heavy, he told his company supervisor that he had to shorten his stint to focus on his studies.
This story was published in the Jul-Aug 2023 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.
