Internships and Summer Jobs at the HNC

Finding the right job, and the right direction for a career path, is a serious consideration for students and can often be a somewhat stress-inducing topic. Luckily, though studying and classes are a priority at the HNC, there are also extensive opportunities to get real-world experience and prepare for entering the job market.

One of the busiest offices at the HNC is Career Services, led by the multi-talented Robbie Shields. Robbie, Student Career Counselor, provides students with guidance from organizing resumes, composing cover letters, to preparing for interviews. It was through a visit to Career Services last semester that I first learned of the internship I will be doing this summer, a research position with the Congressional Executive Committee on China in Washington, D.C.

HNC and SAIS students visit Amazon in China on last year's Beijing Career Trek held each spring.

Not only are there opportunities for summer internships, but many HNC students also take on part-time intern positions during the school year. Many of my classmates also stay busy interning businesses right here in Nanjing. On days she doesn’t have class, my friend Ruonan interns for a company in Chervon, a company with headquarters in the city. She was introduced to Chervon during a company visit organized by HNC Career Services. Another recent company visit was done by Apple, with representatives conducting interviews on campus for summer internship positions and openings in their China headquarters.

Holidays are a great time to do an internship. In addition to summer break we also have a long winter holiday during Chinese New Year, a time when many Chinese businesses are understaffed due to employees returning home to visit family. During his winter holiday, my classmate John worked for an investment management company in Shenzhen, writing reports, in Chinese, on future market prospects for products in China.

One of the many useful pieces of advice that I’ve received from Robbie, Student Career Counselor, is to cast a wide net when going on a job search, and apply to many jobs in your area of interest. With the amount of job opportunities and internships made accessible to HNC students, the most important decision is usually what kinds of positions to focus your energy on pursuing and applying to. Interning is a great way to get real-life experience that can make you more hirable in the future, while exploring different fields that you’re interested in.

Written by Amanda Bogan, MAIS '18