Sunny Chen From GHRM MBA Shares Her Internship Experience At LaserTek

Many of our prestigious GHRM MBA and IBMBA students completed their internships at prestigious companies in Taiwan. Today, we share the internship experience of Sunny Chen from GHRM MBA. 

Sunny did her internship at LaserTek, one of the leading manufacturers of Surface Mount Device (SMD) materials such as top and bottom cover tapes. She worked in the energy department, which deals with LED tubes, air purifiers, and sanitizer sprays. Sunny learned about the internship opportunity through the Office of Career Development, College of Management, NSYSU. As OCD posts a lot of information about internships and other opportunities on Facebook, Sunny says it makes it easier to receive the news. 

As for the motivation to do the internship at LaserTek, Sunny says it was to gain practical experience. According to her, 

“The main point is to get practical experience. We always sit in the classroom, listening to what professors say, writing notes in the notebook. However, we got lots of knowledge but really lacked practical experience. Being an intern in the company will be a good choice to get practical experience.”

Sunny describes the work culture at LaserTek as 'true harmony.' The workplace is decorated with stunning artwork, and people are always willing to help. The mission of LaserTek is “creating an excellent environment for employees and the company to grow together," and the vision is to "guide Laser Tek to develop an international brand." 

According to Sunny, the biggest challenge was adapting to the new work environment, which took about a month. However, if she had any issues, she didn't shy away from reaching out to someone. Luckily, everyone at LaserTek was willing to help her out. 

The most memorable experience at LaserTek, Sunny says, was an uneasy experience with an agitated person. Sunny says, 

“The most memorable experience is a phone call. One angry woman called me; I answered the phone kindly. However, she kept yelling and shouting at me. I didn't take charge of this task, so I totally had no idea what happened and what she was talking about. She kept yelling at me and making me agitated. She made me restless, and I couldn’t hear what she said carefully. One day I mentioned this situation to my colleague, she shared with me how to handle this tough task. The most important thing is to stabilize your emotions first and don't follow her mood. The second step is to listen to what she wants to say calmly and wait until she finishes talking. The third step is to repeat what she said and confirm that you understand the conversation in this phone call. After this incident, I can answer the phone patiently and more efficiently.” 

Sunny acquired a lot of soft skills through the internship. She also shares advice for the students who are interested in doing internships in the future. Sunny shares, 

“If you have time, I strongly recommend students doing internships while studying. You can learn a lot which professors didn’t teach you in school. The internship experience will help you to adapt to the workplace after you graduate from school.”

GHRM MBA is delighted to know that Sunny's internship experience was so memorable and enriching. We are confident that the knowledge and skills gained through this internship will prove valuable to her in whatever field she chooses to foray into. 

Experience, Learn, Broaden Horizons - Tina Cheng and Her HR Career

Today we are glad to have a cozy interview with the alumni who graduated from our GHRM MBA program in 2017, Tina Hui Wen Cheng. 

At that time, GHRM MBA was a newly established program which was not known by many people. When Tina saw the advertisement, she was interested with its curriculum and decided to give it a try. “Human Resources field is one of the most prestigious programs in National Sun Yat-sen University. GHRM MBA is a friendly and international environment that builds on this great academic foundation. I think it is a great opportunity that I should not miss. I experienced diversity in my collaboration as well as strengthened my communication skills while working with other foreign students. These accomplishments are irreplaceable,” said Tina. 

Joining the exchange program in Germany is also an unforgettable memory for her. She got a chance to go to the top university- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (University of Munich) in Germany. Tina believed, “If I weren’t there, I would never know the German culture, life and even the wonderful people in Germany. Besides, the best and most valuable part of our program is that you will have the chance to obtain a dual degree in a different country”.

Tina graduated in 2017 and got her first job in Innolux, a technology business, for nearly 1.5 years. Her main role was a recruiter and was in charge of the hiring process. In Innolux, one of the most unforgettable projects that she involved was to build a company campaign to attract job seekers for the job fairs in universities. During the campus recruitment events, she proposed the idea of developing company emoticons in Line as an exchange gift for job seekers in order to receive more attractions. Working in Innolux definitely inspired the creativity part inside her and equipped her with the adaptability to work in a dynamic organization. 

After working for nearly 2 years in Innolux, she had a chance to join TSMC as an HR business partner. Needless to say, this is a great opportunity for her to expand her career path. For this position, her main role is to partner with line managers as well as collaborate with other HR functions people. As the HR contact window for approximately 1,700 people organization, she was brought to solve various types of issues and questions from different people. “I found it more challenging to work in a big scale technology business. However, these bring me to grow and develop as a person,” She shared. 

Tina said, “Thanks to GHRM MBA courses and my precious experience in Germany, I have built strong analytical skills, problem-solving skills, and good communication skills. These work related groundwork enhanced my efficiency, productivity, personality and leadership qualities, which allow me to equip myself in my career.” 

Tina has ambitions to continuously pursue her future career path within the HR field. She is striving for a higher and more in-depth HR profession in her current organization. In TSMC, a technology industry with a structured and well-organized HR system, she will be able to explore in different perspectives of the HR function and become successful in her career ladder.

【International Alumni】In Love with Taiwan, Study and Career

Michal Rýznar, who is originally from the Czech Republic, is now a Reliability Engineer at STMicroelectronics with a strong passion for Taiwan. Michal has obtained a wonderful life and precious memories on the island. Starting from not knowing anything about Taiwan during his first visit, Michal chose to return for his graduate degree and got settled in right here in Taiwan afterwards.

Splendid life at NSYSU

Michal first learned about Taiwan from the exchange program he participated at NSYSU during his last year of undergraduate education. During his first visit, the beautiful scenery and passionate people in Taiwan had deeply attracted him to look for possibility coming back for a master’s degree. With a target of advancing his knowledge in business administration and social skills, Michal decided to enroll in NSYSU’s Global Human Resource Management (known as GHRM MBA) program as suggested by friends who had graduated and who were studying at NSYSU then.

With useful academic and field knowledge gained from professors in class, Michal strongly recommends GHRM MBA program in NSYSU to whom may be interested. Michal developed a solid Chinese language ability by attending the Chinese Class offered by NSYSU. He was also keen in taking parts in the extracurricular activities after school. He was the vice president of the Student Association of the international programs, the captain of the International Dragon Boat Team. Michal made his school life sophisticated yet fruitful, and his dedication in learning led him to opportunities and a sense of accomplishment.

Experience of living in Taiwan

Before graduation, Michal was a user interface research and testing intern in a local company in Kaohsiung City for 4 months. He was responsible for developing English user manuals, researching on competitors, analyzing website data, etc. Chinese was once his nightmare for he was always worried that his Chinese ability is not good enough to be qualified for the job. Yet step by step, with courage he diligently worked his way through tasks and obstacles encountered during the internship. Michal believes that everyone has doubts and worries to the future, but things may not appear as they seem right now; so, don’t trouble till trouble troubles you, he said!

Michal was on board at his first job in Taipei City 2 months after graduation, and what seemed to be the key of getting hired in such a short time was to be open minded. Though the first job did not seem to be suitable for him, Michal got familiar with the business and workplace culture in Taiwan. While working hard at present job then, he continued looking for opportunities. He then received an offer from STMicroelectronics to work as a reliability engineer one and half years later. According to Michal, language barrier was much harder to conquer than cultural differences; yet these challenges motivated him to improve himself.

Suggestions to foreigners who intend to stay in Taiwan

The diverse society, convenient life, hospitality from the locals, and spectacular natural sceneries are some of Michal’s reasons falling in love with this island, and he especially enjoys his motorcycle rides in Taiwan. The graduate diploma helped Michal step into the professional field quickly, and the school life prepped him with a decent Chinese foundation. The job market in Taiwan is full of opportunities. As a friendly reminder to whom may consider staying in Taiwan longtermly, they can make good use of 104 Corporation to look for job vacancies. Linkedin is also an important channel that helps with building connections with professionals. Last but not least, Michael stated that language barriers could be the key challenge that they may encounter and should be well prepared.

Foundation for International Cooperation In Higher Education of Taiwan

【International Alumni】Precious Taiwan Life with Degree, Future Career Path, and Beautiful Family Together

Matthew Hopkins, from Washington, USA, received his master degree in Global Human Resource Management (known as GHRM MBA) from National Sun Yat-sen University. Matthew came to Taiwan in 2013, and since then not only has he developed a fluent Chinese skill, he has also built a precious life on this island with a degree, an enviable future career path, and a beautiful family to cherish together. Before returning to the states, Matthew used to work for a technology company and ZMI Electronics in Kaohsiung City and the concrete experiences has led him to the present job working as a Clinical Specialist: Deep Brain Stimulation at Boston Scientific in the USA.

Influence from GHRM MBA                                                                                           

Matthew graduated from the Art Department of Evergreen State College in 2011, and after graduation, he went on a road trip domestically. In 2013, Matthew decided to come to Taiwan for a couple of years, and his original plan was to teach English while visiting this exotic place. However, life has its own plan; coincidentally, Matthew learned about GHRM MBA program offered in NSYSU, and after finding out more about the program from a school staff, he decided to enroll and complete his graduate degree right here in Taiwan.

Instead of restricting his career to HR, Matthew would rather like to consider HR major would prepare the future career as a leader and manager that can be applied to the work organization. Of all the lessons taken through his schooling life in NSYSU, Seminar in Business Management was one of Matthew’s favorite classes. Several industrial exports were invited to give lectures or share experiences during the class; each provided his/her perspective toward the field, and also pointed out cultural differences that students may encounter. The professor also assigned different challenges for students to solve in groups or by themselves to inspire them; Matthew found himself basked in knowledge and encouragement from each lesson. In addition, Matthew realized that there was still lots of room for him to improve his Chinese capability from the courses he had taken; fortunately, one of the very useful resources NSYSU offers, which is Chinese classes that take place twice a week, became very helpful as Matthew could emphasize on sessions he wanted to improve precisely. “A degree does not get you a career, but it opens the opportunities for you; being familiar with Taiwanese business culture definitely is a big plus when applying a job.” Speaking from his own experience as a graduate student from GHRM MBA.

Profound experience living in Taiwan

Living in Taiwan for 9 years, Matthew adores Taiwanese cuisine and its food culture the most. He discovered Taiwanese people are passionate and down-to-earth when it comes to food; from street food to the stared restaurant, Matthew admires the way Taiwanese people cherish the essence of food; as simple as tasty or not, to the locals, food is expected to be treated with respect, not wasted. Despite of the road safety, he appreciates sense of security and the National Health Insurance System in Taiwan, those are some of the key reasons that made Matthew values and praises Taiwan so highly.

Having 3 years working experience in Taiwan, Matthew has also encountered several cultural differences, but he always handles it with a positive attitude. He believes that cultural differences are not to be "overcome", but to be "negotiated". According to Matthew, reasonable and respectful communication among colleagues can help to bridge the gap effectively, particularly if the company values and trusts your existence.

Words for the graduates

“Make sure to continue achieving personal accomplishment and academic growth in this challenging yet supportive environment.” With this statement, Matthew summarizes and shares his life philosophy to the future graduates; based on the well-organized curriculum, diversified academic and practical environment he had experienced personally, Matthew strongly recommends foreign students to consider Taiwan as the destination for further studies.

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