This is part two of our series “Journey from School to Work,” where our Office Assistant Rudaiba Islam (BBA Finance ’21) is interviewing six Zicklin students and sharing their journeys from class to work.
Jocelyn Qiaoshuang Li
MS Financial Risk Management ‘18
Interned at CENTSAI.com
Why did you choose Baruch after obtaining a Bachelor’s from Cornell?
When I decided to get a Master’s, I wanted to go to a well-known university that had a good location along with good academics. Zicklin has a very strong Finance program, and Baruch has a really strong alumni network. There are also a lot of opportunities to go to conferences, and meet new people. Our student body is also extremely diverse. So when it came to doing a cost-benefit analysis, Baruch was and is still the best option.
How did you get your internship?
There was an NYC based annual conference called "LendIt." Through the GCMC, I got free tickets for its 2017 conference. While there, I met with the founder and CEO of CENTSAI.com. We had a very good conversation and he invited me to the office for a coffee interview. That resulted in him offering me an internship.
We are a rapidly growing start up and always looking for talented, unique individuals so if you can make a good impression and maintain connections, you will eventually land something.
What was your first internship role?
I worked at CENTSAI.com as an intern on their business development team, then I worked as an intern on partnerships, and finally I progressed to a managerial role. I started out as an unpaid intern, which entailed work like managing a database on Excel, communicating effectively with clients, and creating a pipeline of prospective clients.
What would have made your journey from class to internship a better experience?
It would have been good to hav had more course choices. Especially, for me, it would have been very helpful if I had taken some marketing courses. On the other hand, planning courses wisely plays a vital role. In addition, if students are encouraged more to come to the GCMC and utilize the resources offered, that would be very helpful. Often students don’t know that there is enormous variety in career paths. Understanding different career paths is essential. For instance, I knew I wanted to do something finance related but I didn’t know exactly where I wanted to go with my career.
Especially for international students, who are new to this country, it takes a reasonable amount of time to get used to the new pace of life, culture and language. By the time you get familiar with your life, one semester has passed. So, from the very beginning being aware of these obstacles and working on them is important.
What did you do in your internship and what do you do now at your work?
When I first started, my job was around database management. I used Excel and online management tools to update and locate client info so that our sales department would be able to reach out to them. Basically, my job was client management and database management, and then when I got more familiar with the database I started to talk to clients and partners. During this time, I started to utilize my own network to secure more partnership and business opportunities.
That’s when I asked my manager, who is also the co-founder of the company, if I could do more client-facing work. Then he gave me a promotion. As a manager, now I reach out to new partners, and manage emails and communication with existing partners. For example, we have partners with whom we exchange content on a weekly basis, such as articles, videos, etc. I have to send them pictures and set dates to publish them. I would say my work is more diverse now and I enjoy it. In terms of getting experience, it is also rewarding. It takes time to adapt to the culture of the company. At first, it was hard but with time and patience, you can adapt.
If you were to give advice to a student, what would be it?
I always say the most important thing is to keep both your mind and eyes open. Never say no to any potential opportunity. Always take the initiative and be aggressive in job hunting. We all have a lot of stress but the best way to deal with it is to take one step at a time. You don't have to get a job offer that pays 200K, but you have to make sure you're progressing every day.
What is the best way for you to overcome the language barrier or culture barrier?
To be comfortable and open. It is not as easy but suppose you're working with a number of colleagues, it's very important to talk to them. It might be intimidating at first, but if you step out of your comfort zone and talk to them, they will communicate with you. If you don't understand, ask them to explain. You have to speak up, otherwise it will be very difficult. Remember the other person might be equally nervous, so if at first it feels awkward don't stop trying. Instead, maybe try another approach.
What is your advice for networking?
Someone told me, networking is like training your muscles, so the more you practice the better you are with it. It's confusing to start a conversation. What I do is I start out with one single sentence when I approach someone at a networking event, like "thank you for coming to this event" if they say anything positive or even smile when I introduce myself. You have to step out of your comfort zone and talk to people, and it’s better if you prepare yourself before going out to any event. For example, prepare a little bit about why you're there, what are you looking to get out of it, things like that.
What is your most interesting or inspiring project?
I am working on a podcast and it’s very interesting. It’s actually called "SheVentures", a podcast series we do to further inspire our readers, especially women readers. You can find out more at https://sheventures.centsai.com/. Feel free to click and enjoy an episode. The stories inspire me if I ever doubt myself. It’s worth giving it a try.
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