Residents Share: Interesting Internship Experiences

Every internship experience is a unique and exciting one. Have you ever been curious as to what your friends actually do on their internships, or maybe how they went about applying and landing that particular internship? If so, you’re in luck! Reslife has found three residents to share their varied internship experiences in Shopee, GovTech, and the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative (SNRSI). Sounds interesting? Let’s meet our interviewees!

1. Laney Fun, Marketing Solution Intern at Shopee

Interested in going into a marketing role? Laney Fun, Year 3, Business Administration and ex-CAPT resident gives us the scoop on her experience as a marketing solution intern at e-commerce giant, Shopee.

1. Hi Laney! Let’s get to know you. Can you introduce yourself and some of your hobbies?

Hi, I’m Laney. I’m in Year 3, studying Business Administration and I stayed in CAPT during my first two years of university. In my time at CAPT, I was part of the ExCo of ACE Elderly, and I was also a member of the Social Innovation committee. In my free time, I love taking photos of food and going for picnics with my friends.

In my first semester of Year 3, I had the opportunity to take up a part-time internship at Shopee as a Marketing Solution Intern. I had an enjoyable time there and I really learned a lot!

2. Could you share a little about the process you went through to land your internship at Shopee?

I applied on Shopee’s career portal directly. It was quite simple – I just needed to submit my personal details and a copy of my resume and transcript.

Initially, I applied for another role and attended an interview with the recruiter but the role was quickly filled up. Thankfully, the recruiter recommended another position that I was also interested in trying out – Marketing Solutions.

I went for an interview with the hiring managers (who became my supervisors), and the interview was actually really chill! The hiring managers asked some general questions about my previous internship and NUS CCA (NUS Marketing Initiative (MINT)). They also gave a mini marketing related case question just to understand my thought process on how I would go about solving the problem. Two days after the interview I received a call from the recruiter informing me that they were interested to offer me a position. Overall, it was a very smooth and speedy hiring process.

3. How was the first week of learning the ropes?

My supervisor was super nice! I had my internship onboarding online due to the COVID-19 restrictions. We had a Google meet call for around two hours where she ran through with me the detailed job scope and daily tasks that I would be working on during my internship. She also asked me what were some things that I wished to learn during my time at Shopee and she really gave me practical opportunities to try them!

To be honest, the learning curve was not steep – during the first week, I was given bite-sized tasks to familiarize myself with the software I had to use, as well as the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). There were also self-explanatory handbooks that I could refer to whenever I had doubts.

4. What was your job scope?

I was part of the marketing solutions team that focuses on offering sellers access to Shopee’s marketing assets (such as banners, homepage banners etc.) in order to drive traffic and sales. I was also involved in monitoring and tracking digital marketing performance from brand partners, as well as supporting the team in coordinating initiatives such as Facebook ads and Affiliate Marketing Solutions. Additionally, I helped with the coordination of campaigns such as 11.11, 12.12, and CNY by working together with Business Development Key Account Managers and brand partners.

5. What is one project that you worked on that you’re most proud of?

I was tasked to run a macro to send mass invitation emails to hundreds of sellers on Shopee to take part in our Affiliate Marketing Programme. Without any prior experience in HTML and with rusty knowledge about Python, I initially panicked. I got on a call with my supervisor who ran through the basic functionalities of the codes and thereafter I had to craft out the email myself! With additional help from Google, I was able to craft the email and even inserted some emojis to make the body message more reader-friendly. It took many trial and error test emails to finally get the end result that I wanted. However, the feeling of satisfaction I got when I pressed “RUN” and watched the codes run without any error was definitely unforgettable!

6. What are some of your takeaways/ learning points from this internship?

I learnt to exercise initiative and be more meticulous! I started the internship during the Q4 period where the mega campaigns were taking place such as 9.9, 10.10, 11.11, Christmas etc. It was indeed hectic and there were many new processes that I was unfamiliar with. Initially, I tried to figure things out myself as I did not wish to “trouble” my supervisor, but that backfired as work started to pile up. Rather than struggling alone, I voiced out my concerns and doubts to my supervisor who was more than willing to hop on a quick call with me to clarify my doubts. Taking initiative in asking about potential improvements was also lauded by my supervisor.

Additionally, I had to liaise with my Key Account Managers (KAM) in charge of various brands. Hence, I needed to be careful in checking the media brief submitted by the KAMs. This involved checking the different promotional mechanics, logo, ad copy, creatives that each brand has for their advertisements. I made a few mistakes here and there, but that was okay because I learned from them and it made me more careful in the future.

7. What advice would you give someone who wants to go in a similar field or do a similar internship?

Apply for the positions again and again! I applied to Shopee a few times before they got back to me! Don’t be discouraged if you do not hear a reply on your first try. 😊
____________________________________________________________________

2. Jerry Ho, Software Engineer Intern at GovTech

Looking to go into a more tech-based role? Jerry Ho, Year 3, Computer Science, and King Edward VII (KEVII) resident landed an internship at GovTech over the recent summer break. Here’s his take on his experience:

1. Hi Jerry! Let’s get to know you. Can you introduce yourself and some of your hobbies?

Hello! I’m Jerry, a Year 3 Computer Science student. I’ve stayed in KEVII since I was Year 1 and I’ve had a really good time! Some activities I’ve been involved in include the Block Committee, Band, OCIP (Laos), as well as creating the hall yearbook. In my free time, I like to exercise and play some instruments to relax.

2. Could you share a little about the process you went through to land your internship at GovTech?

Just a disclaimer: I think the interview process might differ for different teams / projects in GovTech so do double check with the recruiter if you’re applying.

For me, the interview process was relatively simple – I had to undergo a 2.5-hour coding challenge where I was tasked to solve three to four algorithm questions. Afterwards, I was invited to attend a 45 mins interview with two developers from the project that I was applying for, where they asked about my past experiences and asked me to solve another algorithm question. Shortly after, I received the offer and then, it was mostly administrative stuff like signing of the contract before I began work.

3. How was the first week of learning the ropes?

The first week passed really fast! I remember my first day was just visiting the office to collect my work laptop and setting up some accounts that I would be using for the next few months. Subsequently, the next few days were spent trying to figure out what my colleagues were discussing during sprint planning and meetings, as there were a lot of words being used that were alien to me! I was also trying to learn a new framework called Angular in order to complete a small task assigned to me. Overall, I would say that the first week was rather confusing. Having to work from home due to COVID regulations did make it tougher. However, I was grateful to have supervisors and colleagues to support me and clarify my doubts through the process.

4. What was your job scope and what is one project that you worked on that you’re most proud of?

I was a part of a team that was working on the Citizen Disbursement System project – a joint p

roject between GovTech and Central Provident Fund Board (CPFB), created with the aim of replacing the current system that disburses money to individuals. Basically, things like GST Vouchers and ComCare assistance etc, will be given out using the new Citizen Disbursement System application in the near future.

As a Software Engineer Intern, my job was to develop features for the application based on user stories (a set of requirements given by the Product Managers; can think of them as tasks!) while ensuring that all the features built were supported by test cases.

Overall, it was really great to be able to contribute to a project that held much meaning and would make the lives of citizens much easier in the future!

5. What are some of your takeaways/ learning points from this internship?

From this internship, I was able to pick up new technical skills and frameworks that I wasn’t exposed to in school, such as Batch Processing and DevOps for example. Apart from technical skills, I got to witness how Agile development frameworks such as Scrum were implemented. Through the presentations that I gave to the project’s stakeholders after completing each task, I also learned to bring across technical details in a clear and understandable manner. Overall, it was a fruitful experience and I’m thankful for the people that I’ve worked with!

6. What advice would you give someone who wants to go in a similar field or do a similar internship?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! If you’re still stuck after doing your own research, then I believe your colleagues will be more than willing to guide you. For people who are interested in doing an internship as a Software Engineer, remember to practise your LeetCode 😊

____________________________________________________________________

3. Justin Ong, Radiobiology Research Intern at Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative (SNRSI)

Marketing and tech-based internships are popular fields that many students usually go into – but what if you’re more interested in doing scientific research? Let’s hear from Justin Ong, Year 4, Physics, and ex-CAPT resident who is pursuing a niche area of research in radiobiology.

1. Hi Justin! Let’s get to know you. Can you introduce yourself and some of your hobbies?

Hello! I’m Justin, a Year 4 Physics major and I stayed in CAPT in my first two years. My favourite activity I did in CAPT was probably serving as the vice-director of CAPT Support, a group of student supporters advocating mental health awareness and advocacy. Some hobbies of mine also include learning as much as I can about the world around me and just spending time with people I care about.

During the summer break of 2021, I was glad to have the opportunity to do an internship where I researched on the effects of radiation on cells at the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative (SNRSI).

2. Could you share a little about the process you went through to land your internship at SNRSI?

I was actually lucky enough to get my internship by organising an event for the NUS Physics Society, where the speaker was a Professor who was the head of SNRSI. A few students and I asked if he was free for dinner after the event and we sat and talked about his research over a meal. After finding that his area of research really interested me, I then asked if he was accepting interns over summer. He said yes, and that I could send an email with my resume as well as detailing which specific area of his work I was interested in. I did as I was told, and was fortunate to be offered an internship at his lab.

3. How was the first week of learning the ropes?

It was actually quite manageable! The first month of my internship was online since the COVID restrictions at that time got pretty bad, but that allowed me to learn the ropes slowly and basically just read a bunch of research papers over the first month. This was crucial in helping me get very familiar with the field.

After the month of preparation, we were then allowed to come onsite to the lab. The research assistants and fellows were very helpful to guide me along, as I learned all the experimental techniques I needed over the next month or so.

4. What was your job scope?

My task was basically to optimise a lot of experimental techniques, since I was working with cells that had never really been used before. I spent the first month onsite testing and studying the conditions that were best for the cells. In my final month, after the procedures were mostly optimised, I actually got to propose some experiments of my own!

5. What is one project that you worked on that you’re most proud of?

Near the end, I got to propose an experiment to study something known as the ‘cell-induced bystander effect’ which is, simply put, about how cells, when placed near other cells that have been hit by radiation, also give off signals similar to those cells that have been hit by radiation, even when they haven’t. My principal investigator (PI) let me plan out the entire experiment myself and conduct it entirely on my own, which was incredibly fun as I got to experience a small taste of what it means to be a researcher myself!

6. What are some takeaways/ learning points from this internship

My main takeaway is that research is often a long and tedious process, but very rewarding as well. It is important not to get discouraged when you can’t get results, as this is very normal in scientific research. Perseverance and hard work are very important, as well as staying detail-oriented. I also got to learn soft skills like how to present my data to others, and the importance of teamwork in a lab.

7. What advice would you give someone who wants to go in a similar field or do a similar internship?

Try to start looking for an internship early! If you are interested in a life as a researcher, be daring and email a lab and ask if they would be accepting interns as soon as you can. Most importantly, follow your passion. Oftentimes, those who think they are passionate in a certain area of research sometimes end up realising that it isn’t what they want after trying it out. So, I would recommend trying out as many lab internships/attachments as possible.

____________________________________________________________________

After speaking to our three interviewees, it is clear their internships have been fruitful spaces and seasons of growth, with valuable lessons learned through the process. While we may not have covered all the possible internship fields, we hope that these three diverse internship experiences have been helpful in giving you an insight into the entire process of an internship – from the start to the end.

If you’re looking for more tips on landing an internship, do check out our recent article “5 Tips and Tricks to Land an Internship”. Reslife wishes you a fruitful internship journey!
____________________________________________________________________
Know other residents with interesting internship experiences to share? Tell us in the comments or DM us on our IG @nusresidentiallife !