Job hunting story: My inter-professional job hunting path

Job search story: My inter-professional job search path

From medical school to investment banking, my inter-professional job search path

Guo Yulan

In 2003, I was admitted to the six-year bachelor's and master's degree program at the School of Pharmacy, Peking University School of Medicine from Hebei. In 2007, I entered the postgraduate stage, focusing on pharmacy. In 2009, I graduated with a master's degree and joined the investment banking department of China International Capital Corporation. My main job is to help Chinese companies conduct domestic and overseas capital market financing and mergers and acquisitions.

Many people think that it is too cross-border for pharmacy school graduates to enter investment banks. I think a suitable job is very important for everyone. It is not only about material, but also more important. The thing is, it determines whether you are happy or not. As for me, I found my favorite working style and direction in college, and I also had a career choice in the future.

My uncle ran a business of American ginseng and other Chinese patent medicines in Canada in his early years. My sister worked in a Japanese pharmaceutical company in the pharmaceutical preparation and excipient business. Influenced by my family, I have a strong interest in the pharmaceutical industry. I remember that when I applied for the College Entrance Examination, Peking University Medical College only had 2 places in Hebei. There was a high possibility that I would not be able to pass the exam, but I still persisted in applying for "Peking University School of Pharmacy" and "Six-year Bachelor's and Master's Program". , "Disobey the adjustment".

As luck would have it, here I am.

During my time in school, my grades were pretty good, with a GPA of 3.7, and I won the school’s highest scholarship, the Peking University May 4th Scholarship. Since I entered school, I have joined the Medical Student Union and served as Chairman of the Medical Student Union and Vice Chairman of the Peking University Student Union.

At first, I had the same idea as many people. When I went to college, I just wanted to continue learning something and find a job with a good salary in the future. I didn’t think that I would have to be a "research talent" in the future. During the student union period, my ideas gradually changed and became established.

I worked in the student unions of Peking University and Peking University for 5 years until I officially retired in my first year of graduate school. The work of the Student Union is project-based, and each department has to hold various activities every semester, making it extremely busy. At that time, I found that I liked this kind of work that was based on project operations, non-repetitive, and had a relaxed work rhythm.

In the Student Union, I spent most of my time in the External Relations Department, soliciting sponsorship, which greatly inspired me in my future career choices. The student union has many good activities, but it suffers from two problems: one is that it has good ideas, but cannot organize good activities, which is a problem of project planning and marketing management; the other is that it has good ideas, but no money , this is a financing issue. Over the past five years, I have been dealing with these two issues all the time, and I have gradually found a way of working that I like.

In fact, students who don’t know what kind of job they like can refer to the following logic for analysis.

There are two types of companies at the macro level. One is production-oriented companies whose main function is to produce and sell tangible products, such as pharmaceutical companies (Pfizer, Roche, Johnson & Johnson), fast-moving consumer goods companies (Procter & Gamble, Mars, Nestlé). ); the other is a company that provides customized services based on customer needs, such as financing, mergers and acquisitions, securities brokerage services provided by investment banks, legal services provided by lawyers, etc. The former has repetitive work but stable working hours; the latter works on a project basis and has higher requirements for professional knowledge. The work is rarely repeated but requires quick learning. The working hours are not fixed and the income is higher than the former under the same circumstances.

I didn’t understand this until the second semester of my senior year, and basically determined my job search direction: "Professional service companies", specifically, management consulting companies. I also benefited from these companies. No. Only majors?.

In February 2008, I applied for the summer internship position of CICC that year, and soon I got the internship offer. It was also that summer when the financial crisis broke out and Lehman's stock price collapsed. I still remember clearly the moment.

At that time, I knew that my major was not suitable for me and there was a gap in my ability, so I worked hard. For a month, I got off work at 5 am and went to work at 9:30 am every day. I would like to thank the support of several seniors on the project and the help of my internship partners. Finally, after consideration and selection, the company made a few full-time offers in the spring of 2009, and I was one of them.

During college, my internship experience also included the corporate affairs department of Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, the consulting services department of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Roland Berger International Management Consulting Company, etc. During the job search phase after graduation, other offers I received were from Roland Berger and Kearney (one of the top 10 American management consulting firms in the world).

Regarding the preparation for "changing careers", I think it varies from person to person and the key is the method. From the end of 2006 to when I got the CICC summer internship offer, I prepared for nearly two years.

It is rare to be confused. Ignorance is bliss. This is absolutely a truth. In early 2007, when I had a clear direction, the endless pain began. Before that, as the second person in the history of Peking University to be the president of the student union and receive the highest scholarship, I was proud of myself; but after that, facing the unknown field of business management, I seemed to have fallen from the peak to the bottom. Everything has to start from scratch.

The company’s recruitment requirements can be regarded as a direction of effort. Taking McKinsey as an example, I was deeply impressed by their four requirements for summer internship candidates (the writing seems to have changed now, but the essence is the same):

First, attend a top university and be in school. Excellent grades (no change, always high requirements for grades);

Second, have internship experience in a management consulting company or a Fortune 500 company (now written as? Show initial contact or interest in investing in a management consultant career? , actually means the same thing. After all, the best way to show interest is "Have I done it?");

Third, excellent extracurricular activity experience (now written as "Have leadership skills", the essence is the same, only It is difficult for people sitting in dormitories and classrooms to be qualified for consulting and all professional service jobs);

Fourth, excellent communication skills in Chinese and English (no change, bilingualism is a requirement of all top companies) .

This type of company can provide young people with an opportunity to have extensive exposure to international business knowledge, and you can also understand that it requires students to do their best in all aspects of college life, especially for non-economic managers. Professional classmates.

For this reason, you must first learn the professional knowledge well. How can a person who cannot understand his own major expect to analyze and solve problems across professional fields?

Second, you must show good business qualities and feelings, which needs to be proven by internship experience.

Third, any investment bank or consulting company emphasizes leadership skills. This is determined by the nature of the work. You need to lead not only a team and clients, but more importantly, lead yourself and your job. This requires you to have the determination to overcome difficulties and the ability to withstand pressure, as well as mature speaking and communication skills, that is, to be able to listen to others, and use a method acceptable to the other party to let others accept your opinions and suggestions, and finally everyone can achieve the goal as planned. ?. There are many ways to exercise this ability. For current students, the best way is to join a student club or an off-campus NGO, and then stick to the highest position you can from an ordinary member.

The fourth is English, which is so important. More and more companies use English for interviews, which has gradually become a business working language. Even if you don’t apply to study abroad, it is still necessary to learn English well and take TOEFL and IELTS.

At that time, apart from my grades and experience in social activities, I was blank in English and internship. More than a year later, the pressure of scientific research at the graduate level also came, and I had to start from scratch, including using my spare time to read textbooks on economics and management, and going to the first floor of Guanghua School of Management to copy lecture information and listen to lectures. I can’t remember anything now, except that I read a lot of books.

In addition, in order to prevent others from questioning my professional knowledge, I also worked hard to study and learn the development history of the pharmaceutical industry, and tried my best to transfer myself from pure theoretical and academic knowledge to practical applications. During this period, I also studied English and took TOEFL exams.

Finally, let’s talk about the issue of “finding an internship” that many students are concerned about. In fact, internships are basically recommended by friends at first. My first internship was at Pfizer. This was because when I was in the student union, I participated in the tobacco control publicity activities organized by the student union and Pfizer ***. After that, I entered this company as an intern after being recommended by the school office teacher and the student union teacher.

In 2007, I struggled to find my first internship at a consulting company. After waiting and being frustrated for 10 months, a close friend I met in the student union and a senior fellow at Tsinghua University recommended me. To his classmate working at Roland Berger. At that time, I deeply realized that a person's vision and the height he can reach are determined by the friends around him.

Job Speech

I have recommended it countless times, and I will recommend it again here: the speech given by Apple founder Steve Jobs at the 2005 Stanford University graduation ceremony. "Stayhungry, Stayfoolish", keep it in your heart and you will feel the power of faith. There is also the movie "Three Idiots" that I recommend everyone to watch, telling a story about pursuing excellence rather than pursuing success. A high-paying job or an offer from an Ivy League school may not mean much. If you haven’t found something you really love, keep looking! ;