With no salary and having to pay for all his own food and travel expenses, Doan The Khanh still accepted a three-month internship at a commercial bank.
On May 13, Khanh, a final year student majoring in Economic Law, went to the 2023 Job Fair - Human Resource Bridge organized by the Banking Academy to find job opportunities.
During an in-person interview at the school with a representative from a commercial bank, the male student said he had a 70% chance of being hired for a personal customer relationship specialist position. This confidence partly stemmed from his three-month internship at the same bank during his second year of university.
At that time, Khanh's job was mainly to advise, research, and exploit customers' needs with credit cards. Khanh was carefully instructed to have the skills to do this job. However, the male student did not have a salary, and had to pay for his own travel, phone, and food expenses.
The advantage of an unpaid internship is the flexible time. However, the pressure of having to complete both work at the internship site and school subjects also made Khanh stressed in the first month. In return, Khanh improved her communication and thinking skills when she often had to provide information, answer questions and persuade customers. She also understood more about the real working environment and saw new directions in the field of Economic Law.
The Khanh participated in a direct interview with businesses at the Job Fair - Human Resources Bridge at the Banking Academy on May 13th. Photo: Duong Tam
Tran Thi Vui, a third-year student majoring in Business Administration, has been doing an internship since her first year. Knowing that the National Center for Supporting Innovative Startups was recruiting interns in communications and marketing, Vui applied and was accepted after passing the test and interview.
Here, the female student does work related to the digital platform Techfest247 and then supports in the field of educational technology. Although worried, Vui observed her seniors work, then started to come up with ideas, make plans, learn how to manage and organize events. In her second year, the female student was signed by a company as a collaborator for half a year, participating in organizing events and seminars on educational technology.
"I was assigned many tasks that seemed too much for me, such as meeting and working with the president of a business or the leader of a university. But thanks to that, I was able to develop myself and have more relationships," Vui said. The female student believes that this helped her understand more about her career direction.
Khanh and Vui are among many students who accept unpaid internships early instead of waiting for the school's internship periods, in order to improve their skills and experience, thereby enhancing their resumes for job applications after graduation.
Tran Thi Vui (right) and her friends look for job information at the Banking Academy on May 13. Photo: Duong Tam
Currently, both domestic and foreign companies have many internship programs, offering both paid and unpaid options.
Experts from the global job website Indeed say that interns are paid almost the same as part-time employees, receive on-the-job training, but employers give them more independence.
Meanwhile, unpaid interns often have mentors guiding them, performing supportive tasks to observe and learn from other employees. Working hours with this group are also flexible.
Indeed experts believe that even unpaid internships allow students to observe professionals in the workplace and receive guidance and advice from their valuable experience.
While there are no statistics on the number of interns, recruitment experts suggest that unpaid internships are more common than paid internships in Vietnam, primarily for students in their final two years of university.
Ms. Doan Thi Minh Phuong, a member of the Human Resources Management team at Tien Phong Bank, said that they recruit interns every year, mainly final-year students in economics-related fields. However, second-year and third-year students who wish to do so are also considered.
According to Ms. Phuong, internships are unpaid, but in return, students receive training in basic professional skills and expertise, have the opportunity to learn about the organization's culture, and gain practical work experience.
"Students who participate in internships early often perform better when applying for jobs," Ms. Phuong commented.
Le Manh Cuong, 26, a former student of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, got a job right after graduating at a company specializing in designing and installing electrical cabinets. He said that his internship at this company in his fourth year greatly contributed to his chances of being hired.
"If students value internships, even if they are unpaid, they will have the right career orientation and more job opportunities after graduation. At least, the work experience section in their CV will look better to convince employers," Cuong said.
Vui saw the benefits of doing an internship early. So on May 13, he went to the school’s career fair to learn about internship positions at banks. He wanted to try something new before making a choice for the future.
"I don't receive a salary, but I receive many other things," Vui said, adding that she determined that income is not a priority while still in school. Instead, the female student works hard to learn, gain experience and skills in the hope of receiving a good salary after graduation.
Source link
Comment (0)