How to find a job across majors?

The hidden rule of "professional counterpart": I studied international politics, but I entered IBM.

Narrator's file:

Wang Boyang, male, 22 years old, Beijinger, graduated from the Department of International Politics of the Institute of International Relations in June 201/and joined IBM China Co., Ltd. as a customer representative in June 201/.

Speaking of which, no one else will believe it. IBM is my first job! Some people may say that I am lucky, but only I can understand that luck will not happen to anyone for no reason.

I study international politics. What can this major do in the future? I often joke with my classmates: if you study this major, you will have to wait until the president of any country suddenly dies in the future, and then we will become the president of others. There seems to be nothing else to do. In our school, there are generally three ways out for our major: the first choice is to be a civil servant and go to some big ministries like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Security; Secondly, postgraduate entrance examination; If you can't do it again, just find a unit and stay here first.

I also wanted to take the postgraduate exam. It can be said that I still had this idea until my junior year. During the winter vacation of junior year, there was a family reunion. My elders asked me what I thought of the future. I said I want to take the postgraduate entrance examination. What else can I do? At that time, one of my uncles asked me, "What are you going to take?" I said, "International politics." He asked again, "Then what?" I said, "Take the civil service exam, or find a job." He said: "We can also take the postgraduate entrance examination or study on the job in the future, and to be honest, I don't think there is much difference between finding a job now and finding a job after graduate school." Then he told me: "Now there is such an opportunity. In March and April this year, IBM will have a "Blue Road" internship program, which is specially aimed at college students like you who still have one year to graduate. You can pay attention. You are so young, going to a foreign company will be of great benefit to your knowledge and development. " -listen to my heart "hitched".

I have been thinking about it since I got home from the party that day, but I don't think it is possible. First of all, my major is wrong and I have no confidence in myself; Secondly, it seems that graduates from our school seldom go to foreign companies. Since everyone is like this, what qualifications do I have to enter? To tell the truth, I am not the best student in our school. The more I think about it, the more I feel impossible, so I say to myself, forget it, forget it, it's too unreliable. However, although I tell myself this in my mind, this idea will still pop up from time to time and make me fidgety. I began to ask myself, "Do I really want to be a civil servant all my life? Is it really necessary to take a postgraduate degree in international politics? " The answer is uncertain. I can't imagine that I have lived a quiet and stable life in a big institution all my life and I can get a tight job after retirement. Besides, I can't say that I like the major of international politics. I was 18 years old when I volunteered. At that age, I didn't know what I really liked and wanted to do, so I filled in this volunteer in a daze.

Just when I was hesitant, I was deeply touched by the experience of one of my apprentices. After graduation, PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the four largest accounting firms in the world, was considered to be particularly powerful. I asked him, "How did you think of going to a foreign company?" He said: "It seems that we can only study international politics by taking postgraduate civil servants. I'm tired of solving all problems through exams. I want to prove my true ability. " The success of exemption makes me feel that it is not completely impossible for me to enter a foreign company. Although there are some risks, it also stimulates my competitiveness. I just want to do something that others find difficult to do. I told my mother what I thought. I thought she would definitely object, but she said without hesitation, "I also think IBM is a good choice." I can try. "

In March, I submitted my resume online and applied for the position of customer representative, that is, sales. I chose this position, on the one hand, because I am more active and like to deal with people, which is very suitable for this job; On the other hand, because my mother is in sales. When she meets any problems at work, she will come home and tell me and ask me, "What do you think, son?" Sometimes the way I help her think will get her approval: "Yes, your idea is very good, why didn't I think of it!" " "This gives me confidence in my ability in this field, and I used to work in a trading company during my college holidays, also doing sales-related work.

Waiting for written notice is very tiring. On average, I have to check my mobile phone seven or eight times an hour, and I have to go back to my dormitory to see if there is any mail during recess. Although I keep telling myself that there is no hope and I must keep a normal heart, I still put all my energy and enthusiasm into the waiting time. I kept going to IBM official website to see some introductions about the company and products, and downloaded almost all the relevant materials about IBM written test and interview from the Internet, and actively prepared. Finally, the information printed from the internet is almost as high as my knee. Every day is holding a pile of materials, mumbling something. I am very, very tired. The classmate laughed at me: "it's over, this person is lost."

Two weeks later, I received a written notice from IBM. The written test is in Beihang University. It was crowded with people. It is estimated that thousands of people may have gone that day. The written test is in English. It is not difficult for a college student to test some math problems, but those problems are not easy for me. Because we study international politics and don't study math in the university, we haven't been in touch for a long time, so our response is slow. Fortunately, I was quite prepared before, otherwise I would really die. After the written test, I felt terrible and felt that I was hopeless.

When I got home that day, I almost fell to the bottom and didn't want to talk to anyone. But I quickly adjusted my mood, so I told myself: I will never give up my efforts and hope until the last moment. Therefore, although I'm not sure whether I can pass the written test at all, I still brace myself and actively prepare for the interview that may pass me by.

A week later, I remember that it was the student union election in our department, but I was not in the mood at all. Suddenly, my cell phone rang. When I saw it, alas, it was such a short message: "Congratulations, you passed the written test of IBM. Please log in to your email as soon as possible to learn about the specific matters of participating in the interview. " God, I'm so happy. I passed the most difficult stage. It's unbelievable. Later, people who listened to IBM's marking said that I was the last one who passed all the written tests, just enough for the admission line. That was close! My mother said to me, "You are really lucky." But I think, if I didn't prepare very hard the other day, good luck would not take care of me.

Passing the written test has greatly increased my confidence, knowing that once I enter the interview, my communication skills will be brought into play. That's exactly what happened. I successfully passed two rounds of interviews and obtained the qualification of internship at IBM. Of course, getting an internship qualification doesn't mean you get the job. In fact, only a quarter of interns can finally join the job. And many competitors are graduate students and doctoral students from prestigious schools. It is conceivable that the competition will be fierce, but I am not afraid!

On the first day of internship, the company appointed a training officer to take me, that is, my master. He was so busy at work that he didn't have time to take care of me on the first day. I just sat there and felt very unhappy. Look at the other interns, who are just like me, sitting in front of the computer bored. I don't think this will work. Now that I'm here, I have to do something. I can't practice here for two months. I decided to take the initiative. I found the host: "What can I do for you?" He said, "Not yet." I asked him almost every two hours that day, and he probably realized that I was different from my previous intern. I really wanted to do something. As a result, at the end of work that day, he said to me, "We will do some sales for foreign banks in the future. Now you can check the specific situation of foreign banks in China online, as well as the contact information of the heads of relevant departments, such as name, telephone number and email address, and then make a form for me. " My eyes lit up as soon as I heard that he had arranged a job for me. I like the feeling of participating in the work.

I almost forgot to eat and sleep in those days, and I didn't get up much when I sat in my seat. Two days later, I gave Master a form. He was surprised: "How fast! I thought it would take you a week to study it. " I think he must have deeply realized my enthusiasm for work at this time and felt it necessary to take me seriously. Then he arranged my work in a planned way. I really feel high-spirited when I go to work with a notebook issued by the company every morning. At this time, many interns who went with me have not yet entered the state.

During the two-month internship, I basically found out whether some foreign banks intend to buy large servers or computer equipment in the next time, which provided valuable information resources for other colleagues' next work. More importantly, I learned how to adjust my mentality in the face of setbacks. Sometimes I call someone to find out the situation, and the other person has a bad attitude. People will say, "What company are you from? What does IBM do? " Or: "Don't call us all the time. Are you bored?" Others will hang up rudely. It can be said that I have been quite likable at home and at school since I was a child. How could I be so angry? Too many such rejections hurt my self-confidence and made me afraid to call. At this time, I tried my best to cheer myself up, telling myself that there was no way out, and I had to finish the task assigned by Master even if I was embarrassed. At first, I really crustily skin of head to make a phone call. It's no different from going to war with bullets. Fortunately, I persisted. By the end of the internship, I have basically touched some doorways, and I can always ask the information I need before the other party hangs up. I memorized a whole book just from my work notes. At the end of the internship, I joked with my master and said, "Do you think we can be colleagues?" He immediately replied to me: "You are very good, I think there is no problem."

On the day of 2011118, IBM held a grand welcome reception for more than 100 selected interns. I was really proud of myself when I accepted the invitation from the top of the company in a straight suit.

This should be the most relaxing moment in my life. I will graduate in half a year, and my job has been confirmed. I am much luckier than my classmates. So far, only two people in our class have a clear destination, and the others are still looking for it. I decided to make good use of this half year, because after graduation, I will have a challenging career for decades!

My job search experience

Know yourself, know what you are suitable for and what you like. You know, if you spend your whole life doing things you don't like, it is a very painful thing. Know your personality characteristics. If you are an introvert, you should be more open when applying. If you are an extrovert, like me, you should always remind yourself to be more restrained.

No link can be ignored: resume, written test and interview should be carefully prepared. Try to think about possible problems and difficulties in advance, so as to be prepared and know yourself.

During the internship, everyone may be eager to show and prove themselves, and often do things rashly, which is actually unnecessary. Keep a normal mind and step by step. You should know that during the internship, you mainly look at your work attitude, thinking and learning ability, not the result of your work.

In the process of job hunting, some stages may be very difficult, so we should adjust our mentality quickly and don't waste precious preparation time in unnecessary depression. Tell yourself: as long as I haven't been eliminated, I still have a chance, and I will go all out.

If you have rich network resources, you can establish contact with the insiders of the company you are applying for, which will be of great help to your successful application.

If you don't have rich application experience, communicate with experienced people to broaden your horizons and ideas.

My advice to young people

Set a goal as early as possible, once set, don't change it easily, focus on nothing and go all out. This may be a bit risky, but the chances of success will be much higher. Many students in our class think that we can't put eggs in one basket and want to try everything. They should take the civil service exam first, and then take the postgraduate exam if they fail. If graduate students fail to pass the exam, they will find a new job-this seems to be very safe, but as a result, they may not be able to do all three things well. Because these three things, no matter which one, need to pay a lot of time and energy.

During my college years, if there is no financial pressure, what I should consider is not how much money I can earn by working after school, but whether my current part-time job will help me achieve my goals. In that case, I can do it without money.

Think outside the box and don't be bound by the thinking of people around you or some habitual thinking. Some students will think that my major should do this job. What should I do? Or I'm not from a famous university. What qualifications do I have to compete with others? Wait a minute. In fact, as the adidas advertisement says, anything is possible.

The director of human resources at IBM said: We will specially recruit talents with non-professional backgrounds.

Interviewee: Ms. Guo, Director of Human Resources Department of IBM Greater China.

Yang: Is our company more willing to recruit professionals in the recruitment process?

Guo: Not necessarily. Unless there are special requirements, basically we still have to see whether you are suitable for this position. We still think that interest is the best teacher. If the job applicant applies for a position that is not his major, but he likes this profession very much and is very enthusiastic about this job, it will also touch us very much. Like many marketers we are recruiting now, many of them are engineering students, and it turns out that they are also excellent in sales. So I still suggest that young people nowadays should pay attention to cultivating their own interests. Once they know their interests, they shouldn't lie there dreaming. It is very important to take action. Adequate practice will be very helpful for you to change careers smoothly in the future.

In fact, sometimes we will consciously recruit talents with non-professional background, because people with other majors will have different perspectives and may have unexpected surprises. Moreover, the participation of people from different majors will enrich the culture of this team and the knowledge structure of the whole company, which we are willing to see.

Yang: but for some jobs, it may be better to be professional?

Guo: You are right. For example, it is best to major in technology or finance. Other positions, such as sales, personnel and administration, are not so strict with professional requirements.

Yang: Many people will be persistent and must find professional jobs. Please give these people some advice.

Guo: This is a rapidly changing era. If you are afraid of change and delay accepting it, your life will be very difficult. Because in the final analysis, you have to adapt to the environment, not the environment to adapt to you. There is no need to stick to your major. Some young people will take the initiative to create and welcome change. When they arrive at the university, they begin to think about their future career plans, understand what they are suitable for and like, and then consciously develop in this direction, instead of focusing on their own majors. Such a young man is very clever. If you don't know what you are suitable for, I suggest you find some professional institutions engaged in career counseling, listen to the advice of professionals or others, and give yourself a correct position.

Yang: But there are really many people who are moderate, as if they don't have anything they particularly like to do. What should we do?

Guo: There is a saying in our industry: If you don't know what you like and what you are suitable for, then learn your major well first and do what you are good at first.

Yang: Is it a pity that some majors give up? What kind of major do you not recommend them to change careers easily?

Guo: It all depends on personal wishes, but you should be cautious when changing careers. Don't wait to change and regret before you want to come back. Often you can't come back at this time. This kind of repetition is a waste of your time and past accumulation, which is also very unfavorable to your career development. Relatively speaking, professional industries need to be cautious when changing careers, such as science and technology, medicine, law and so on. Don't give up your major easily, and don't be tempted by other things to shake your original choice.

Yang: Some young people may like their major very much, so how can they do their favorite major after graduation?

Guo: Eight points depend on your own efforts, and only two points depend on timing. If you like your major very much, you should do relevant work during your internship, or you should pay attention to accumulating some personal resources related to your major at ordinary times.

Yang: What are the outstanding advantages and disadvantages of current job seekers through your recruitment work?

Guo: We do find that job seekers today have a wide range of knowledge, because in the information age and network age, people have timely access to all kinds of information and accumulated more knowledge than before. In addition, we also find that young people are more academic and have less practice than before. Young people are different from before, and they have participated in many practical activities at school. When they came to the company, their practical ability was better than that of young people in the past, which is a very gratifying change we have seen. In addition, young people nowadays are very confident. They are more confident to express themselves and show their talents.

The outstanding shortcoming is that I feel that young people today are not resilient enough. Therefore, in the process of development, in addition to their own passion, everyone should be resilient, not discouraged when encountering difficulties and setbacks, and can continue to work towards their own goals. There is also the fact that young people nowadays are not focused and persistent enough, and other companies will jump ship if their wages are higher. In the rapidly changing environment, I hope everyone can concentrate and stick to it. What's your goal? What exactly do you want? Don't be tempted by other things easily.