Finding an Internship in China

When I graduated from university I had a vague idea of what I wanted to do: go to China (specifically Beijing), study for a bit and then find a job. I had no idea how actually go about finding the job, but felt that with my qualifications (a history degree) that I would be better-off finding something in China rather than Canada. I’m not picky, and all that I wanted was a job in business. After I started working I could decided whether I liked it or wanted to find something else.

According to recent media reports, many recent graduates have been departing the west to search for opportunity in China. A New York Times article (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/business/economy/11expats.html) describes this phenomenon indicating that China is a ‘land of opportunity’. Opportunities may abound, but how does one find them, especially without connections? This was the problem that I was confronted with after completing my Chinese studies in Beijing in January. I didn’t want to study anymore because I felt I needed to get going with my life. I wanted to be self-sufficient.

I met a couple of people who were studying in my program who were also looking for internships. These two girls were looking for internships in PR. Now, I didn’t really know what PR actually was (something to do with the media?) but I decided to look in the same field after doing some research. The work seemed well-suited to me, as it involved a lot of writing and critical thinking, both things that I could do.

I went back home to Canada in February to get a new visa and researched companies while there. I sent some emails directly to companies and was delighted have arranged an interview for the day after I got back. The day of my interview I was very tired, but I thought it went quite well. I was only interviewed by the lady in HR and given an exam. She assured me that someone would get back to me. The following week, I got a call from another HR manager about doing an interview. Since I had been rejected from the first place, this was a welcome development. I did an interview with the HR manager and then another interview with a senior person in the company. Finally I had an interview with three Chinese people, which did not go well. A week later I was turned down. However, the failed interview was a valuable experience for me. I learned that the way to be successful in interviews is to tell the interviewee what they want to hear. I did not follow this, and said some things which, in hindsight, someone hiring would not want to hear.

At this point, I had no more leads and was in a difficult position. I had already emailed most of the PR companies in Beijing. I decided I would have to more aggressive. However, I had not yet contacted Chinese companies, just multinationals. Instead of emailing into a black hole, I decided to go directly to a company’s office. I chose one company quite randomly based on its location.

I was extremely nervous, but persisted, and visited the company’s office. I had some difficulty communicating with the receptionist about what I wanted (I didn’t know the word for internship), but I managed to get a meeting with the HR manager. She was very nice and she told me she would arrange an interview for me. A few days later, I had an interview with a foreigner who worked at the company. He was very young, but was nice and seemed very professional. His interview went well, and then I had a second inverview a week later with another person, a guy from Hong Kong. This interview also went well, and I was hired as an intern with a small salary.

The whole process took two months, but it does show that even if you have no connections in a city you don’t know, it is still possible to find an internship, or (hopefully) a job.