GRIP, Internships Abroad All About the People

GRIP: Business Development in Singapore

When I headed to the third floor of my company’s building for the first time to enter our office, I thought I had some idea of what to expect during the internship that I would spend the next two months completing. However, my experience turned out to be wholly more enriching and transformative than I had imagined, especially in ways I had not expected.

As a business development intern at a software technology startup with an expansive international client base, there was no shortage of opportunities I could learn from – even from the first day. My boss (the founder and CEO), our COO, and my coworkers immediately welcomed me into the company both professionally and personally. After an initial internal briefing session about my responsibilities, we began what would eventually become our tradition of chicken rice lunches. During these breaks, I got to know my colleagues much better, as we discussed cultural differences, pop culture, family, work experiences, and more. As a Chinese-American, I did not expect to have so much in common with my Singaporean coworkers, but we continued to discover commonalities as we got to know one another better.

Working at a Singaporean company presented its own unique opportunities and challenges. As I interacted with my colleagues and our company’s clients, I eventually adapted to the Singaporean communication style, which I found to be more straightforward than the American language I was used to. Holding business-centric conversations allowed me the change to improve at being clear and concise. I even picked up a few local phrases (“Can!”) and was able to exercise my bilinguality. By the end of my two months, I felt as though I had a better grasp of how to navigate international variances in communication, along with a newed interest in understanding the small nuances country-to-country. My journey in exploring intercultural differences was only catalyzed in Singapore, and I have much more to learn.

Inside the office, my internship gave me a lens to professionally examine multiple different avenues of work, all of which I was interested in exploring. These industries included sales, client relationship management, marketing, operations, and strategy. I learned quickly that at a startup, one’s attitude of embracing constant challenges and unfamiliarity goes a long way. While anyone can be taught certain technical skills, it is more difficult to teach someone to love the work they do and approach it with an open, positive attitude. During this internship, I gained valuable insight into work culture and the Asian business environment, but I also unexpectedly learned so much about people. The lessons I learned regarding communication, work ethic, and cultural sensitivity will undoubtedly stick with me for the rest of my life.