50 Rejections, 1 Lesson, and 5 Crucial Tips

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Sejun Kim completed an internship at a major investment holdings company. Harren Kim interned at an EdTech company. Hyein Kim was offered an internship in Japan during the global rotation.

These are some of the successes of the first cohort Taejae students and the big question is: how? Based on our experiences, these are five essential tips on how to get an internship as a Taejae student.

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Source: Pinterest

50 applications, 2 interviews, 0 offers, but from that very zero, I learned the biggest lesson about how to find a ‘real opportunity.’

During my freshman summer break, I sent over 50 applications for various internship positions. And all I got back was silence or rejection. It turns out that most summer program applications had opened in December of the previous year, especially at the “Big 4” companies (Deloitte, EY, KPMG, PwC).

Eventually, I was only invited to interview at two places: an Asian investment fund and a stock company under Vingroup. After these interviews, I realized they were looking for 3rd or 4th year students who had already taken specialized courses. They advised me to reapply the following year.

Although I felt a bit disappointed, I knew I had just learned my first lesson about the job market: timing and capability both matter.

As a student at Taejae University, you too, can also become an “exception” and find your own path.

An unexpected opportunity. Becoming the “exception.”

But I didn’t stop there. A friend I met through a U.S. Embassy–funded project during my gap year before Taejae referred me to apply to New Energy Nexus, a U.S. organization supporting clean energy with a branch in Vietnam. I was accepted and had the opportunity to engage with investment funds, startups, and international projects from Australia, the U.S., and beyond. My manager even said it was very rare for a freshman to be accepted, and I was an “exception.”

From that, I realized: “As long as you truly want it, you’ll find a way. There are many opportunities that don’t just come from the official or traditional route.”

As a student at Taejae University, you too, can also become an “exception” and find your own path; so, I want to share the advice from many seniors in my network, as well as what I learned after more than three years exploring the job markets in Korea, the U.S., and Southeast Asia.

(Disclaimer: these are just small tips based on my professional experience. You should still double-check and do your own research).