This semester, I interned for Singapore-based consulting firm OML Consulting. As I worked at this internship during a pandemic, the experience was quite interesting and unique. This blog post will briefly detail how it was to work as an intern at the firm.
OML Consulting is a consulting firm based in Singapore with offices around the world, including in Amsterdam, Jakarta, Quito, and Vietnam. The company aims to act as a bridge between European and American businesses and Asian businesses, hoping to facilitate connections between the regions. OML primarily concerns itself with the area of hospitality but also works in trading, management, and operations.
When I first joined the firm, I did not really know what consulting was. At first, it was difficult to get a grasp of the job since my internship was completely digital (thanks COVID-19), but my supervisors worked as closely as possible via Zoom to assist me in my tasks. I mostly worked on updating OML’s social media profiles and also helped design their new website. Much of my time was also dedicated to helping partners of the firm edit their industry-related articles. All in all, I learned how to work as a communication professional by employing rebranding and writing strategies.
While much of my internship went smooth, working during a pandemic proved tough. Since I never visited an actual office, I had to rely on virtual meetings with people who lived in different time zones. The time differences between me and my supervisors was often difficult since they would respond to me during their working hours and I would respond to them during my working hours. Since many of them lived in Asia, it would often take a whole day to hear a response from them. To remedy this, my supervisors and I focused on having lengthy Zoom calls each week to discuss the work they expected me to complete during the week. This helped us stay organised and have as smooth of an internship experience as possible.
Even though the internship was completely digital, I was able to network with communication professionals from all over the world, which was very exciting. I collaborated with a hospitality specialist in Jakarta, a rebranding specialist in Singapore, and a management coach in Vietnam, among many other international colleagues. This network will hopefully prove fruitful as I make my way into the professional world.
Since I worked at this internship during the height of the pandemic, and since it does not seem like the pandemic will end anytime soon, I thought I would provide some tips on how to tackle a digital internship. First, try to have a normal work schedule. You may feel tempted to work whenever you want, at any hour of the day. But working unusual hours without a set schedule can prove detrimental to your sleep, physical health, and mental health. Second, have as many Zoom and phone calls as possible with your colleagues and supervisors and try to limit the emails and messages you send to them. I often had tens of unread emails sitting in my folder. It was difficult sifting through all of them, especially with the time difference. What really helped was having lengthy Zoom calls with my colleagues and taking notes. This more personal interaction can help you stay organised since you won’t have to respond to many emails.