A Journey of Landing an Internship Abroad

By Khalid Khalid, Peer for Career

Interning abroad is indeed exciting. It has been one of my main goals to achieve during my studies in Berlin, Germany. As an International Business major, I knew having such a practical experience would pay off in different ways down the lines in the future, which motivated me to take every possible effort to make it a reality. Although there were quite a few obstacles that I had to overcome at first, there were definitely plenty of valuable things to note and learn from the German culture along the way.

First of all, due to my high involvement on and off Baruch’s campus, I felt confident enough that I had what it took to get an internship abroad easily. But this was not necessarily the case. To nearly everything there is a price, and I certainly had to pay mine in advance as well. Unfortunately, because I took for granted the first internship opportunity offered through my host university, I ended up not getting it for two main reasons. Firstly, the company did not clearly state the available position they had open, and I quite frankly did not do enough asking to find out. This obviously put me at a disadvantage to be well prepared for the interview and to know whether it was in my best interest to intern with them or not. Secondly, there was a very limited correlation between the position offered and my career field, which I only came to realize after the interview. Reflecting on this experience, I learned to utilize my time more efficiently, take actions to find out every possible detail about companies, and be more prepared before walking into an interview.

Fast forward: with very limited German-speaking abilities, I felt left out and overwhelmed, given that all my German classmates were corporate students who already had been working with companies for years. I started sending out my resume through my host school not only to known firms, but also more obscure firms I found interesting on the internet. However, most of the companies I applied to either required some German speaking skills or no less than three months long-term internships, which would be virtually impossible because our spring semester in Baruch starts by the end of January.

Realizing that networking might be of help, after one of the lectures I asked my International Economics Professor about any multinational companies she might be aware of. The lecture was about international trade, and it was a great way to approach the discussion. And as they say, “You don’t lose when you try.” Sure enough, she had a perfect suggestion that seemed to be just what I was looking for.

A few weeks later, I received an email from my professor’s colleague and was informed of an exciting internship opportunity with Hoffmann Dental Manufaktur, where I could intern along with the Global Supply Chain Marketing Manager. I promptly started doing my research on the company, its history, mission statement, my prospective supervisor and the two people who were going to interview me. Most importantly, I researched the role in the company and other factors I needed to know about Hoffmann. Impressed by all the information I gathered, I even became more eager to be a part of a company that supplies dental products worldwide.

Due to cultural differences, I had to pay careful attention to my resume and cover letter and make sure they were precisely what Germans look for. In Germany, applicants are encouraged to have their resumes on more than one page and chronologically ordered, with colorful font and a personal picture on the top of the first page. Now this is something completely different from what we are used to here in New York. For instance, employers in New York (and across the country) think it’s more appropriate for students to have their resumes in one single sided page. This is so mainly because there usually will be a stack of resumes during recruiting, and employers just want to see very briefly the highlights of our achievements and experiences. In addition, including personal information on the resume, such as a photo, nationality, age, and marital status, while common on European resumes, is highly discouraged when applying for jobs in the United States.

To present my own American culture while also meeting the German hiring culture, I decided to go with a one-page resume and write a cover letter that meets the standards and expectations of German employers. And to figure out what Germans look for in cover letters, I stopped by the International Office of my host university. Luckily enough, I was able to have it looked over by the International Internship Coordinator, who provided me with helpful tips about Hoffmann as well.

Looking back now after making it through that the whole application and interviewing process, I feel honored to have been accepted to intern with a dental multinational corporation that has been successful for over three decades. With all the challenges I have confronted and the learning experiences I have gained, I can only say that nothing feels better than reaping the fruits of one’s labor!

A Freshman Year Retrospective

By Michelle Sheu, Peer for Career

Freshman year was a tumultuous trip that seemed to last forever, like the daze of a summer break, but ending all too soon.

It’s the same trite story played ad infinitum, like the new kid in the big city, nothing particularly unique or new in the “growing up” phase that we all succumb to. But these individual experiences shape a student’s perspective of the world and their outlook of the future. Although we’re no longer children on the jungle gyms, stumbling and fumbling through life in our adventures and mishaps, we as city students are in the midst of our core, everlasting memories.

Looking back at my freshman year as a current sophomore, I begin to recount the incredible people I met, the late night study sessions, the struggles to find comfort food that hit the spot, sneaking said food into the library and staying there until 12 AM, and hundreds more memories throughout the course of late August into mid May. I already miss my freshman status as an underdog, perhaps because I’m on the edge of the responsibilities my sophomore status brings forth, as I begin beefing up my resume with activities.

In my first year, I pushed myself to limits that I didn’t know were possible, fled from my comfort zone, and crumbled a few times — but in the most perfect ways possible. In between the awkward phases of meeting new people and throwing myself in unfamiliar situations, I learned an incredible amount about myself. By no means was this easy, but it was insanely gratifying to see who I really am, and finding myself through this difficult process.

At one point, I found myself overwhelmed, consumed with ambition, scraping by on bits of time, not getting enough sleep or meals in, weight dropping due to stress. I was that freshman who so desperately wanted to get involved, as if this was my first and last opportunity to do so. I was deeply immersed into the fast pace of the city life, that I had little to no time for myself to reflect. In a dramatic whirlwind of events, I found myself even hating Baruch, and as an arts and design major, I felt estranged from its business rooted nature.

And for a while, it stuck and stung. The school I was destined to spend the next three years of my life, only to feel pigeonholed and cast aside. I let myself stay stagnant during that period, but gradually crawled my way out. It was when I decided to take charge and assume control of my life that I empowered myself to disassociate from some stressors, and reach out for help and support from the amazing friends that I met at Baruch. I picked myself up, began interning at the Lawrence N. Field Center at Baruch College for 3D printing and technology research, started working at STARR Career Development Center as a Peer, and developed my own ad-hoc major in Transmedia Storytelling — I found belonging, contention and fulfillment at Baruch, reinstating my love and pride for my school.

The growing up story is cheesier than 90s Disney movies, but so important to one’s development of character, ambitions, and understanding of self through these low peaks. I might be a sophomore now, but I know that this year alone will bring forth more and more changes that I can’t even begin to anticipate. Days piling up into weeks, weeks into months, and so much more time in between to have my senses knocked out of me and develop thousands of new perspectives. New York City is mine to explore, and Baruch College is there as my support.

Studying Abroad: Further Your Education and Become a Global Learner

Khalid K Photo for Study Abroad Article

By Khalid Khalid, Peer for Career

Along with being active on and off campus, another great way to truly step out of your comfort zone and expand your horizons is to study abroad. From the moment of your arrival to your host country, almost every interaction becomes a learning opportunity.

Regardless of where in the world you decide to study abroad, there are many amazing new things to discover, learn and explore. Take, for example, a great, advanced nation like Germany. As a historical landmark, you will have first-hand insight and expand your knowledge of the country by physically being there, seeing it and walking around its beautiful streets and astonishing museums. Immersing yourself in the German culture, speaking to locals, and interacting with them on a daily basis will not only sharpen your ability to see the world from a different perspective but also help you understand yourself and the importance of keeping your own traditions. Too often, just reading about another culture in textbooks or hearing about it from others is not enough to fully understand it.

Additionally, attending a study abroad program at a host university could be another great way to explore other countries’ educational systems. For instance, studying at a German institution of higher education is somewhat different from what we are accustomed to in the United States. All levels of education are nearly free-of-cost and many universities also offer “Corporate Programs.” A Corporate Program involves sponsorship by real world firms such as IBM, Bayer or Biomet who fund students while also offering them opportunities for practical work during school breaks and summer vacations. As an international student, you will have the chance to learn from excellent German instructors who teach real world applications as well as from classmates who have been working with companies for years.

Once you have lived in a host country for a few months, you start building networks and making connections with students from all over the world. As the saying goes, “You never know who the person sitting next to you is going to be.” Whether it’s a classmate, instructor or your dorm-mate, the relationships you form while studying abroad might well be some of the most valuable relationships you will ever make. Even though this might be true anywhere, studying abroad especially brings long-lasting relationships that can pay in the future in different ways.

Believe it or not, by immersing yourself in unfamiliar culture, experimenting with new ways of thinking, or trying a different way of living, you will experience some sort of personal growth and mostly likely come back home with a renewed interest in the world and newfound knowledge. Although living in a foreign country can be overwhelming at times, it can definitely put into motion significant personal development. So here is some advice: take a risk, further the great education you receive here at Baruch and be better prepared to face challenges in the future!

Photo credit: Khalid Khalid, September 2015

Alumni Interview: Tasvir Hasan

Tasvir Hasan picture

By Jubi Gauchan, Peer for Career

On a beautiful Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of interviewing Tasvir Hasan, an alumnus of
Baruch who is heavily involved in recruiting at his alma mater. Father to two sweet daughters,
husband to a beautiful wife that he has known more than half his life, and a friendly, kind and
awesome personality, he is currently a Vice President at J.P. Morgan. Read on to find out more!

1. What year did you graduate? What was your major and minor?

I graduated Baruch in 2004 with an Accounting degree. At that time, an Accounting major
was not required to have a minor.

2. Where do you work and what is your current role?

I have worked at J.P. Morgan for 15 years, including four years during college, as a Smart
Start Scholarship/Internship participant. I worked full-time in the summer and part-time
during the school year.

Currently, I am the functional head of the North American Multinational Credit Risk team.
We handle inbound requests for the North-American subsidiaries of companies with
overseas headquarters. Clients come to us when they need loans, or other products / services
that have credit exposure.

3. Could you tell us a little bit about your experience in Baruch? Did you participate in
any clubs or organizations?

While attending Baruch, I worked at J.P. Morgan, which did not leave me with a lot of free
time; however, I was in the Honors Program, and I was a Student Academic Consulting Center
(SACC) Tutor for math, accounting, finance and other subjects. I was also a student
counselor.

4. Please name some steps that helped you to launch your first internship/job.

I graduated high school with an Engineering degree and was very involved in extracurricular
activities. I wanted to keep busy and have a good profile for college applications. In addition
to being the Salutatorian of the school and engineering program, I was the Editor of the
Yearbook and Captain of the handball team. Our handball team won the city championship
and my partner and I won the city doubles tournament as well. I even had my story
published in Newsday and another newspaper.

Towards the end of my junior year, I asked my professor and mentor where I could transition
to outside of engineering, and was advised that I should look into business. That is why I
came to Baruch, and then joined the J.P. Morgan Smart Start scholarship/internship program.

With my engineering background, the internship program managers thought doing something
technology-related would be a good first rotation. I was placed in a role responsible for
testing software and web applications for employees. Thereafter, I wanted to enhance my soft
skills, so I went through a leadership and management curriculum training rotation. In this
program, we assessed the internal and external training courses that were made available to
J.P. Morgan employees.

I knew I wanted to be an Accounting major, so I joined the Corporate Tax department for my
third rotation. It was a very good role, but I realized that accounting is too objective for my
personal preference. Since I wanted something a bit more subjective in nature, I looked into
Finance. Fortunately, I was asked to be a summer analyst for Credit Risk, and I submitted
my resume. I was two out of 40 Smart Start interns that joined a group of six Credit Risk
interns in the Commercial Bank. I really enjoyed it. Early on, I presented my views on why
we should lend money to large corporations, using quantitative and qualitative factors
through SWOT analysis, etc.

I then joined as a full-time analyst in Credit Risk. Although I have not worked outside of
Credit Risk in my full-time career, I have rotated through several industry groups in the
Commercial Bank and Corporate & Investment Bank.

5. What are the qualities that are the most valuable for your current position and your
company?

You have to be diligent, inquisitive, a good team player, and commercial. It is easy as a
Credit Officer to say “no.” However, I think the purpose is to find a way that works well for
everyone. It is about the right risk and return. Credit is a foot in the door for the
relationship, providing you with an opportunity to deliver other products and services.

Currently, I also manage people so have to be thoughtful about what is in their best interests,
and think about the team in general. It is good to be humble – knowing that there are a lot of
people who are smarter than you in certain aspects through experiences or simply smarter by
nature. That being said, it is important to keep in mind the importance of EQ, in addition to
IQ.

It is important to keep an open mind, and understand that we are not always right. We have to
be flexible when thrown a curveball. It is important to not to get rattled when surprises
happen; I see a lot of senior colleagues that stay calm, cool, and collected. As a leader, they
are the face of the team. I think they recognize that if we see them calm and focused, we will
feel more comfortable as well.

6. Could you tell us about the challenges you faced when you first started your
internship/job?

The internship started in my freshman year of college. I went from being a laid back high
school student to coming into a professional work environment. For the first couple of days, I
thought it was okay to go with my shirt un-tucked. My manager pulled me aside and said that
was not okay.

Everybody has specific roles and responsibilities, some of which are less interesting, but
you need to remind yourself of the bigger picture. You need to remind yourself that this is
part of delivering solutions to your colleagues and clients, and then it becomes more
meaningful.

Getting adjusted to the business world, breaking out of my shell, and understanding the
bigger picture were important things I learned early on.

7. What are some tips that you would give to students for a successful recruiting
experience?

Come prepared. It will help if you know who you are meeting with, know what they are
doing, and what the hot topics are in that industry/profession. Have your 60-second pitch; and
do not talk too much about yourself unless you are being asked for more information. It is
important to sell yourself in a smart way, but don’t overdo it. Ask the professionals about
themselves too.

Don’t take it personally when people don’t connect with you right away. It sometimes
depends on the kind of day that they’re having, or other things that are going on in their lives.
Always keep a smile on your face.

Don’t be shy in a networking environment. People are there to help you. If things don’t go as
you want them to, don’t take it personally.

I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason, so be yourself, do the best that you
can, be honest, and you will find yourself in a place where you are meant to be.

8. If you were to give one advice to Baruch students, what would it be?

Be yourself and challenge yourself to be the best person you can be. Competition is definitely
big in any job, let alone finance. I think we should just compete with ourselves. Just try to be
better than who you were yesterday and that’s something you should never regret or feel bad
about. I think a fitting way to end this would be to paraphrase a quote from Bernard M.
Baruch himself: You don’t have to blow out the other person’s light to let your own shine.