Fall 2016

Spring Internship Summary

Post program testing and the end of the Capstone Year come ever closer for the Spring 2016 Cohort; however, both students have grown professionally and linguistically through their dedication and hard work. With the Yu Theatre Workshop, Dare Norman (WKU) has traveled to London, taught theater to local children, coordinated and organized large-scale events, produced and marketed an American performance to Chinese audiences, improved Chinese-English translation/interpretation speed and fluency, and still found time to practice Baiju (Nanjing dialect style of singing). Eric Brown (SFSU) has gained confidence in his communication, storytelling, research and translation ability interning at Edelman, where he had the chance to work with startups and well-known companies, such as Oracle, Airbnb, and Tencent.

Past Events • In mid-October, the

Internship Staff visited Eric Brown (SFSU) in Beijing at his internship with Edelman.

• On November 1, alumni Eric Brown, Taylor Malcolm (UM), and Eric’s spouse, Lauren, presented on their internship experience.

• Taylor Malcolm and Palmer Withers held a brief recruitment workshop for ASAP+, a digital media group, to interested students.

Upcoming Events • The 2016 Spring Cohort’s

post program testing will take place on November 28-29.

• In the coming weeks, the 2016 Fall Cohort will begin making individual site visits to visit potential internships in Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Guilin, etc.

FALL 2016 INTERNSHIP NEWSLETTER

Chinese Overseas Flagship Fall 2016

Managing Internship Placement Updates Over the course of the past month, the Fall 2016 Cohort has taken initiative in their individual internship search process. As of November 15th, 43 students submitted their resumes, 31 students completed at least one interview, 26 students were accepted by one or more company, and 5 students were approved to start collecting internship provider documentation! Throughout this intensive process, students have communicated frequently with internship staff to raise questions or concerns:

Student Issue Staff Suggestion Ideas for Improvement

Not sure how to use internship search resources

and websites

Go to Internship office to receive assistance -----

Receive no response from company, and therefore

assume rejected by company

Send a reminder email or phone call since HR might have overlooked it or are

only contacting applicants that fit a computerized

formula

-----

Networking connection does not always result in an

offer

Do some personal research and have a few backup

companies -----

Asked to participate in an immediate interview but

has no time to prepare or busy

Ask employer if they can reschedule a few days

later -----

Companies do not want interns now – tell students to apply later, closer to actual

start date

Apply to alternate companies -----

Scheduling conflicts with academic curriculum -----

Internship staff members stress the importance of beginning the search as

early as possible. Would like to pursue ways in which the entire Flagship community can help students prepare

for the search.

No access to previous internship listings and

unable to find resources describing the internship

search process

-----

Review acceptance materials and internship

manual carefully. Internship Staff is also in the process of

creating a database of previous internships.

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Chinese Overseas Flagship Fall 2016

Alumni Wisdom On November 1, Eric Brown (SFSU), Taylor Malcolm (UM), and Eric’s spouse, Lauren, presented to the Fall 2016 Cohort about their internship semester experiences.

Eric started the night off imparting his wisdom to the students. He recommended students submit both Chinese and English resumes and dress according to the business culture. He reminded students to be flexible and look for alterntative ways to enrich one’s internship experience. Eric has developed his own system to continue practicing and learning Chinese, whether by chatting with other interns, listening to podcasts, or even reading tabloids (Eric learned a lot of vocabulary and grammar from one story of a woman “walking” her boyfriend). Eric also touched on cultural and linguistic issues– instead of hanging out with his coworkers all at

once, he tries to chat with just one or two at a time so they will use less internet slang and he can follow the conversation better.

Taylor, a 2015 Fall Cohort alumna, also reiterated Internship Staff’s suggestion to avoid delaying the internship search process. She advised students to work with one’s supervisor to establish suitable job responsibilities and be proactive in searching out work. Taylor found that her coworkers are invaluable in helping her to practice Chinese and understand local news, cultural practices, and expectations. For example, whereas Taylor carries a small purse with her to lunch or the bathroom, everyone else simply carries their phone.

Lauren concluded the program by discussing the Flagship program and experience through the eyes of an accompanying spouse. She conveyed many of the same cultural, linguistic, and day-to-day issues students face when adjusting abroad. As Eric is busy during the day, she spends most of her time alone. To combat the lonliness, she encourages students to follow her example and to get involved with the community, establish a

routine, and push the boundaries of one’s comfort zone. Lauren also expressed her profound gratitude to the Flagship program for providing her with a solid support system and access to cultural activities that have increased her love for Chinese cuisine, culture, and history.

Sara Valentine, a SFSU graduate and alumna of the Flagship Program, recently joined American Councils and the Nanjing Flagship Center as Internship Assistant. She is very excited to be a part of the team, drawing upon her personal experience to help guide current Flagship students.

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Chinese Overseas Flagship Fall 2016

Alumni Reflections Inspired by the alumni talk, the Internship Staff reached out to other alumni for commentary on their Flagship Internship experience. While each student’s experience is different, the Internship Staff received some very detailed insight.

Reflections

• The search process can be challenging, but learn to utilize one’s own network system and to perservere when HR is unresponsive.

• Due to the language requirement, students have to find a different selling point other than their English skills (applicable to any job or internship search).

• Have to adjust to the Chinese work schedule: long-hour days with possible overtime, but mid-day naps.

• Learn to navigate and control one’s own internship experience, which includes: o Taking the intiative to obtain more responsibilities by proving oneself early

on ; o Attending meals, client meetings, etc., especially if it offers the student the

opportunity to utilize his or her Chinese skills.

• Expectations do not always meet reality. o There is more pressure working at smaller, newer companies because there

is no order or established line of command (not limited to just China); o Unable to obtain all professional aspirations; o Interns are underemployed or underworked, so have to learn to be

proactive.

• Understand and appreciate Chinese work place culture and hierarchy.

• Gain a wealth of marketable professional translation and administrative experiences, but had hoped to also expand in other skill sets.

• Pick up professional skills and language through: o Perserverence, communication, time management, analytical,

interpersonal, translation and interpretation skills.

Despite the many challenges Flagship students face, the Flagship Program’s internship component pushes students to learn and function in an international setting as a global professional.

Flagship Student Recruitment at ASAP+ Immediately following the alumni presentation, University of Mississippi alumni, Palmer Withers and Taylor Malcolm, talked with students about the opportunity to intern at ASAP+. ASAP+ is a digital media and marketing group based out of Hong Kong that works with many well known brands, such as L’Oreal, Porsche, Fiji Water, Starbucks, Tmall, etc. ASAP+ has great respect for Flagship and the quality of students that the program produces – the company hopes to establish a long-term relationship with the Nanjing Center and currently offers upwards of eight internship spots to current students.

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