Hannah’s Beijing Internship at Ernst and Young – EY [Case Study]

I joined Ernst and Young (EY) Finance and Advisory internship in Beijing with CIP during the summer of 2018. I am a Chemistry Major at the University of Oxford in the UK with an expected GPA of 2.1. I had a blast as an intern despite my initial hesitation about using an Internship platform. I took the step anyway and I paid CIP to assist me with an Internship Placement in Beijing. Holding on strong to the fact that I developed trust for the CIP Team and had faith in their Placement Process.

It came as a surprise when I had an Email from Marggie at CIP about the fact that EY was interested in my profile. This email has been the best news I had for the entire of 2018 and has changed my life and profile. I then knew I had enrolled myself into a good program and the summer was about to get better

“ With an Internship with CIP, You can discover a lot about professional life in a short period”

What First Brought you to CIP?

As a Chemistry and Maths major at Oxford, I was inclined to find the best job possible within the finance industry to apply my Math skills to consolidate my skill sets. After several experiences in Chemistry, I am on the agenda to diversify my skill sets in various industries and Finance, and Advisory is one of the areas I considered. I had it big!  Some may think that Chemistry Major has nothing to do with Finance, but there are advisory relationships. I was attracted to CIP because of its Talent Development Program, where I could move from practice to practice within the Financial Services Organization. I also was attracted to the reputation that CIP had for genuinely taking care of its interns. So it did not take too much deliberation before I decided that this would be a wonderful Program to start my career. And I’m glad I did because I also met several industry experts at EY, who have been fantastic helping me develop adequate skills and gain extra insights into Financial Services and Consulting. So EY has helped me professionally and personally in many different ways while interning in Beijing.

How did your Beijing Internship at EY  help?

I learned to work hard and to continuously pursue process improvement opportunities through my time in professional and financial services. The experiences that I had and the things I learned are just so applicable in moving forward. If you’re willing to promote change and push for the right thing and be a champion for new ideas that may give the organization extra value, then your EY bosses will be there to assist you to succeed

Help us with tips on the following Points

Preparation – How were you prepared to deliver?

You’ll need some foundational knowledge to be successfully admitted into EY Beijing Internship but my first week was dedicated to orientation and training. I was equipped with the essentials that helped me rapidly develop capabilities through a series of learning exercises – including on-the-job training, coaching, and technology training. I also receive functional and technical instruction related to core practices such as Advisory and Financial Service Roles.

Teaming – How does it work within a Complex Organization as such?

As part of the team, l benefited from the knowledge and experience of established professionals, including partners. This gave me an idea of where my ambitions can take me. But you can be assured our EY Beijing internship takes place in an inclusive and supportive environment that respects the individual and what he or she brings to the table.

Client work – How was it working with Fortune 500 Clients? Any pressure from within?

My internship assignments were varied according to available Prospects and I accomplished this with the team so there was no pressure. But there is indeed some amount of internal pressure to deliver accurate tasks as my supervisor relied heavily on upon – there was no room for mistakes. I was also competing with other interns, and I felt I need to work harder and complete my tasks on time to get ahead. After a few weeks of work, my supervisor noticed this and helped me manage my expectations such that I could excel at my tasks but not face too much pressure. I was mentored to allow my talent to flow naturally during my work and it helped!

L gained exposure to a variety of clients and industry sectors. This gave me insights into the business and a good understanding of life at EY. Our clients are high profile multinational corporations or entrepreneurial operations.

Feedback – how was the feedback system working?

This was a joint operation between CIP Internships and my supervisor and I appreciate the feedback system associated with the CIP experience. I wanted my Internship to be a valuable and challenging experience. So this is why I paid for the CIP Mentoring and Coaching Program. I saw this to be a beneficial package for Interns and I will encourage all future Interns to add this service to their package. I had a counselor to provide regular feedback and guidance on my performance and China internship journey. He was my main point of contact during your time at EY and I will say he is very responsible.

Relationships – How were you networking or connected?

I made plenty of contacts and connections during my internship. To help strengthen these relationships, I recommend interns you get involved in the many opportunities and events on offer. CIP also organized some networking events that were very helpful for my experience.

Job-Related Insights and Insights

How is the use of analytics evolving?

In the past five years or so, there has been a dramatic change in the sort of information that’s pouring into investment offices, such as pitch tracking technologies, Business Efficiency Applications, etc. The rush is boosted by the evolving trend of AI, bots and Complex Algorithms that could make meanings and predict investment outcomes efficiently. Analytics has expanded to various areas of operation, including how we anticipate the markets and how we’re hiring top skills to boost growth. I found that we can now use data to have a proactive impact on the development of business, countries and educational institutions

When you think about the role of AI and bots, what does the next decade look like?

This exponential rate of new technologies being introduced is giving rise to new research opportunities, new ways that teams can have a competitive advantage. So while you need to invest in both Employees and front office human capital and technology, it’s arguable that the rate of return Companies get are getting on new technology is supreme. But there’s always going to be more opportunity than there are resources to pursue them. It’s going to become increasingly important for organizations to make smart decisions about how they attack problems. The style or the approach of the analytical work will become its own competitive advantage.

What does it mean to you to be an EY alum?

It’s a badge of honor. And it’s something that, quite frankly, I can advertise as proof of my having learned from the best and brightest and had diverse experiences with some of the premier financial services clients in the world. It’s almost like having gone to a great school – (Every Oxford product is happy about their School too J) or having anything that is recognizable as prestigious by various people outside of the company or the industry.

How do you spend your time away from work?

I feel like I don’t need a lot of hobbies outside of work because I’m so passionate about what I was doing as an intern and thankful for the fact that I get to work with the brightest skills on earth. When I’m not working, I try to spend as much time as possible with my Family and other interns on the program, who are an integral part of my summer experience.

Tell us about your Mentor

So I paid for the add-on service, so I am connected with a Career Coach who understands the concepts and company requirements. I worked with Dr. Cathryn Llyed, and she was fantastic. She exposed me to significant industry details that I least expected. I left the CIP Internship program with a great experience as well as a well-designed career plan. I also understood what it means to stand out.

I made few mistakes as a student and ignored certain vital things I should be doing on campus, but now that I am aware, I am sure to make amends

Your advice to those considering Internships at EY in China?

I did not make it to EY overnight, I tried applying several times but failed. I will instead advise applicants considering top 4 accounting firms to first devote their energy to working on their profile. It is only the well-composed profiles can make it. While working with EY, I had the opportunity to see the internal requirements for admitting interns and I must say there are fundamental areas like campus activeness and volunteering experience plays many roles

This time, I did not apply directly to EY as I felt there so much extra I need to do, and I guess my years of packed summer internships and award participation paid off finally

What do you say to other interns considering Joining CIP?

I will recommend CIP’s Beijing Internship to any student over and again. I trust their instincts and advice when it comes to redesigning CVs, cover letters and also presenting opportunities.

The program Packages are well designed, and you may not be placed at EY, but the experience is undoubtedly the best.

I had the opportunity to interact with some of the participants on the CIP platform and they all are happy with the experience.

Question for The Placement Director

Della Delareba, our Placement Director II, was directly involved in the placement and she shared few insights.

How were you able to place her?

Upon seeing her profile, I was sure she would be an easy case to place, so I followed on our connections at EY and Accenture. Fortunately, I EY showed interest within a few days and decided to consider her, and the rest is history.

I noticed she scored a good point in the following areas

• Well developed profile she has experience with Startups, and other midsize but relevant companies
• Won several awards which were an indication of how competitive she will be when hired. Few of these awards are:
  • The overall winner for the Student Robotics Competition in 2014
  • Gold CREST Science Award
  • Gold Maths Challenge Certificate
  • Bronze Chemistry Olympiad Certificate
  • Silver Cambridge Chemistry Challenge Certificate
  • Level 5 Trampolining Award
• Hannah is very active on campus and helped with several essential projects
• Strong mathematical background

What feedback did you get from her supervisors?

Our team was in touch with her likewise all our clients. As usual, we administered review and performance appraisal forms, and the results looked good. She has few outstanding areas to improve, but overall, she was at her best. The Associate in charge of Hannah’s Experience never regretted taking her as an intern

What stages of placement were at EY’s Beijing?

Aside from the Placement Process CIP had in place, EY added few extra processes. There are 3 of such stages added to our existing process

• Profile review and selection
• Online test
• Interview and Official offer letter

What Advice do you have for other Interns who would like similar experience?

The standards are not reduced at any point –  EY UK has the same rules as EY China. I will advise applicants not to jump the concept of creating a good profile. Take your time to develop your profile to be ready for such experiences.

Start humble and build your profile to the top. Your First experience should be with startups and smaller companies where you gain technical and deeper skills. These skills will be tested during the interview to intern with Bigger Companies. Then gradually make it to the top

At CIP, we understand and have decades of experience helping young graduates have a strong plan for a befitting career.

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