DISCOVER YOUR CAREER OPTIONS
THE GLOBAL EXPERIENCE The world is your oyster, so do not limit yourself.
A
re you limiting your opportunities by only looking at positions available in Singapore? What could motivate you to take the plunge and explore opportunities overseas? Your mindset — a simple word with profound meaning — is the key. While moving and living abroad will have a huge impact not only on your personal life but your professional life as well, earning a living in another country can be the start of an international career with a professional network to match!
Experience the global marketplace As e-commerce and international trade continue to evolve into major players in the business world, working overseas will allow you to connect the dots and see the global marketplace from another perspective. This will add another “expertise” to your portfolio, especially regarding the country you work in. Your professional network will no doubt be enhanced.
Explore cross-cultural communication Living in a different environment may sound daunting to some but if you grab such an opportunity, you will find yourself navigating the working world through a different language and culture. This will not only help you to become a better communicator and boost your profile, but it will also allow you to be more aware of the different ways an email or conversation could be interpreted.
See the world For those with wanderlust in your veins, there is nothing better than working abroad. You will get the opportunity to experience the country you are working in at a deeper level and you will get paid to do so! Instead of being a simple tourist glossing over a country’s culture, you will get to immerse yourself in it. The global perspective that you could develop will become a huge asset in your career.
64 | SIM CAREER GUIDE 2020
Overseas Internship
Rachel Set Aung BSc in Business Management with Industrial Placement, SIM-UOB HR intern, Unilever Myanmar
My Role
I was given the opportunity to lead in several organisation-wide short burst projects as well as managing Unilever Myanmar's career social media pages. Projects ranged from improving employee engagement and encouraging a more plastic-aware work culture to recruitment. Apart from that, I was also able to play a part in many different events such as designing and producing blood donation drive promotional cards, making videos for town hall assemblies and designing internal laptop screensavers to promote companyprovided resources for e-learning.
My Takeaway
In such a fast-paced environment, this entire experience has been invaluable. However, my most memorable experience was the support I received whenever I proposed anything out of the ordinary. It helped me to recognise my learning agility, enabling me to learn skills like Photoshop and video editing from scratch. I’m thankful to have been involved in one of the biggest backstages of the FMCG industry and I am keen on working in HR again. This experience taught me that behind every success is a meaningful purpose. As the motto goes: “Companies with purpose last. Brands with purpose grow. People with purpose thrive”.
My Advice
Working is not only about utilising the knowledge that we already have but it is also about upskilling ourselves. If we’re good at what we do — great! There’s always room for improvement, however. If we’re not so good — that’s okay! What’s most important is the willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn. If you don’t know something, make sure you do when someone asks about it the next time. No matter where you are, always give your absolute best. Good things will follow. You need to do new things and make a difference. Be prepared to go beyond your comfort zone. It’s never easy but “people with purpose thrive”.
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