Building a successful career begins with making the right choices. But often, no one is there to tell you what these right choices are and how you can start making them.
With more than six years of coaching experience, Jenny Tan is a Campus Recruiter for Philips ASEAN Pacific, and she has seen the common dilemma faced by students of deciding where and how they want to start their career.
In this article, Jenny shares her top tips for students looking to get started on their career path.
What advice would you give to students looking to start their career?
One thing I always suggest is to be adventurous and not take the safe route! It is perfectly fine to venture off course from the career you are expected to have. Being open-minded to different things not only helps you become a better, more receptive person, but it also opens you up to more opportunities. You never know – you may even end up in a career that is not necessarily related to your degree!
It is also important to know your strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness is key in understanding how to turn your weaknesses into strengths. Continue to harness your strengths, work on improving your weaknesses, and you will have a greater understanding of who you are as an asset to employers.
StrengthsFinder and Enneagram are useful tools for assessing your strengths, identifying areas for improvement and finding out how to leverage your natural tendencies at work to your benefit.
How can graduates find the right job for themselves?
Before applying for jobs, every graduate needs to ask themselves these five questions:
- Why do I want to join this company?
- What do I hope to achieve in this role in the next two to three years?
- Do I see myself progressing in this company in the next two to three years?
- Do my values resonate with that of the company’s?
- What can the company provide me that others cannot?
Asking these questions help to ensure that you are applying for companies or roles that are invested in your personal growth and align with your interests.
You should not confine yourself to only seeking advice from university professors. Speaking to more people about your career goals is a great way to understand which career path you might want to pursue. Consider reaching out to co-workers, supervisors, alumni, employers at career events, and even relatives who can offer insights about their own career paths.
Also, internships and job shadowing are great ways of experiencing different roles and environments to help you find out what you like.
Lastly, I recommend travelling – there is nothing better than getting away and discovering more about yourself!
What makes Philips right for you?
Philips’ internship programme goes beyond the 9-to-5 corporate internship. All our interns are tasked with meaningful assessments and projects where they get to work with both internal and external stakeholders. We provide interns with plenty of hands-on experience that challenges them to apply what they have learned in university to work.
For example, Clara’s hands-on internship at Philips led to her full-time Field Service Engineer role where she travels to hospitals, clinics, and even customers’ homes to examine, maintain, and fix medical devices. Junior Analyst Patricia Susino Llano, also a former intern, developed her skills by talking to her manager about doing more work outside her day-to-day tasks.
The vast pool of experienced talent at Philips is also something interns can tap into to build their professional network. On top of that, we have Philips University where employees can take online courses to continue learning and developing themselves.
Philips’ supportive environment makes the company an excellent starting point for students to start their careers at. Everyone here believes in the importance of collaboration and supporting each other in our growth as both individuals and as a team player, as we are all here to make life better and improve 3 billion lives by 2030
