James Poon (pictured second from right above) reflects on his time as an intern in ASL's busy Shanghai office this Summer.
“My six weeks at ASL Global Shanghai as an intern seems like it only happened yesterday. On day one, I was extremely naïve and felt like I was ready to take anything on. It wasn’t until I was overwhelmed with presentations, software, deliveries, packaging, sourcing items for clients and communicating with them did I become humble and truly experience a rigorous yet valuable internship.
Initially, I was completely lost. Everybody seemed to know what they were doing, and I felt like a beginner. I could barely match faces with names, much less master the software I was just introduced to. Even though I thought I was a setback, after the first couple of days, my sales team truly made me feel at home. All of them essentially implied that, “It's a learning curve and you’ll get better as you go. Don’t be afraid to ask. The only stupid questions asked are none at all.”
I was asked to travel with a colleague to discuss a product at L'Oreal headquarters on my first day of interning. The week after that was Adidas. This showed me that ASL Global does it differently. The company isn’t afraid to expose interns to valuable experience and is ready to give everything they offer. Within one day, I delivered packages, learned the basics of an ERP program, sourced items for my fellow colleagues, and traveled to see clients and understand how the process of delivering our ideas for new promotional products & campaigns.
But it didn’t stop there. I was constantly met with new tasks to complete and the skills to acquire. Just when I thought I had interning handled, there was another thing I wasn’t able to do. My most valuable takeaway isn’t learning different software, talking with clients, or creating presentations. You can do that with any company. As I said, ASL Global Shanghai does it differently. They don’t just change your skills and knowledge, they help to develop you as a person. I learned to be less naive and more confident with myself and others. I connected with my team as a person more so than a colleague.
I think I am qualified to say that my future endeavours with university life and my career onward will be met with success and a better point of view. The time I’ve spent here and the team I’ve bonded with has ultimately made me mature as a person".
Want to join a friendly team working with the world's biggest consumer brands all around the world? We welcome great people with bright ideas! Contact us today to join the ASL family.