Wonder what goes on behind the scenes at BGC Singapore? As an IT recruitment agency, we're always on the lookout for interns to help us with our ever growing workload. Read to find out Bowie's experience as a content marketing intern here at BGC!
February is the time where university students (including myself) start stressing about their summer activities, and their internship search. As a business student looking for a marketing internship, I eventually decided to try for an internship based in Singapore. Having grown up in Hong Kong, I have never worked in this country I was born in. I was eager to get some working experience in various parts of the world - like putting my mark on the world map in different places. I started applying to marketing internship positions on Singapore job boards, and that’s how I found BGC.
I remember juggling my university workload and hunting for internships It was a stressful period, but BGC appealed to me the most. Flexible arrangements regarding interview logistics were offered to me, and the HR team kept in contact frequently with me through email. These quick updates meant a lot to me and BGC was the only company that managed to keep the whole interview process under two weeks. I would like to thank Winnie and Jasmine’s help in the whole recruitment process for making it a comfortable experience.
My First Day
Thinking back to my first day in office, I was super nervous and came early to Central Plaza - before opening hours. Naturally, I was left standing awkwardly outside a dark office as I did not have a key card or anyone to guide me in. Luckily, two colleagues from the fulfilment team Chuan Yi and Xue Ying brought me in and guided me to an empty seat. I introduced myself to them to break the ice and thankfully they were really friendly and encouraged me on my first day.
When Deana, my supervisor arrived, I was relieved by how approachable and easy-going she was. She briefed me on my job responsibilities, which included doing research on topics and producing articles to post on the company blog. I was also responsible for creating a list of job roles and researching the corresponding salaries based on years of experience. She mentioned that the team is more result oriented, where I am allowed to work at my own pace and time as long as I produce results of high quality before the respective deadline.
At lunch time, Deana brought me to the basement of the mall and introduced me to the popular food spots. While we were eating, she bombarded me with questions (in a good way) and made me feel welcome by engaging me in conversation and getting to know me. Victor from the Business Development team was also very friendly and I quickly felt at ease. On the whole, my first day at BGC was not as overwhelming as I had expected and very enjoyable.
The Hybrid Working Experience
Before starting the internship, all I knew about the role was basically in the job description. All I knew was that I was supposed to work on blog content and some marketing research. And was bracing myself for a heavy workload with rigid deadlines to meet every week.
At the beginning, I thought that everyone had to go to the office five days a week, and I was worried about the working hours. 8:30 am to 6 pm sounds terrifying for a university student spoiled by afternoon classes. Thankfully, I eventually learned that the current work mode in the company is hybrid, where the marketing team needs to be in office two days a week. On other days of the week, we are welcome to stay at home and continue on our assigned tasks.
Additionally, we are required to join an online corporate huddle every Monday morning. In this meeting, all departments in the company have a person represent their team and answer a fun question decided by the huddle host the week before. They also share their department progress in the previous week. This allows us to gather and participate as a company and feel involved. This way of working and communicating in a hybrid setting is a new and eye-opening experience for me.
Takeaways from this Internship
I would like to give my thanks to the whole marketing team for the support and guidance they have given me this past 1.5 months. Jasmine is a great manager that is able to guide the team and sets the overarching goals for the department every week. She also liaises with other teams and vendors and I am amazed by her ability to complete these tasks efficiently in a calm and organised manner. Sophie is an outspoken teammate in the marketing team that is always willing to explain and teach. I am thankful for her as she taught us interns many new practical skills such as budgeting and designing a Facebook ad.
Deana is the teammate that I report to with my blog articles. I really appreciate her constructive feedback when I show her my new drafts, and I have felt significant improvement in my writing under her guidance. She is also willing to listen and accept any suggestions that I have by giving me the freedom to research topics I am interested in. Finally, I am grateful to have my fellow intern Amelie at work with me, where we take bubble tea “business” trips together and take silly photos all the time. I’m glad to say that I don’t feel dead when I go to work early in the morning. And that I actually enjoy going to the office with in person interaction.
The BGC Work Culture
In my 1.5 months of working at BGC so far, I feel that the company has a very modern and friendly work culture that helps everyone feel at ease quickly. It also provides a safe environment with mutual respect that allows me to be comfortable in sharing my ideas and showing my personality. I also appreciate the flexible work arrangements the team. All in all, I’m glad that I applied for this internship and learned a lot about different aspects of marketing despite the short experience!
Interested in expanding your resume and portfolio as a content marketing intern? Drop us your resume at [email protected] to get started!
Read More: What It's Like to be a Virtual Intern During the COVID-19 Pandemic