6 Tips sophomore students must know to strategically plan their career ahead

This week, we want to focus on what the freshmen and sophomore year students must do for smart career planning. 👩‍🎓👨‍🎓 As Year 1 students, you would be familiar with the anecdote that in freshman year, when they first enter the halls, they can squat down and relax. However, when you get to Year 2, you must pull up your socks and get to work. You have to start planning your career by taking up projects that are both specialized and suitable for your own career path. We will share with you six very effective tips that can help you to build your own profile/ resume. ✅1. Participate in the company event The schedule in Year 2 is relatively easy, and you would be able to find time to participate in business societies, firm visits, Ibank/Conglomerate Insight Day, Big4 clubs etc. Such immersive activities can help you gain insight into specific industry, the company culture, specific positions as well as expected duties, so that you know and analyse your future options better. ✅2. Expand your network and seek more Mentors We would recommend Year 1 and 2 students to expand your professional network through participating in Mentorship Programs or engaging avidly in networking. Such professional connections can share industry knowledge with you and allow you to envision your career path by making the right choices. However, bear in mind that, it is unlikely that you can approach the mentors to request for referrals. ✅3. Participate in the Case Competition Many companies organise a host of case competitions, such as P&G, HSBC, ACCA and so on. You can join a few of these according to your own career interests. Such competitions are usually designed for you to apply your business knowledge and theoretical principles to analyze different mock business scenarios. Although only one team may secure the Champion’s position, even if your team enters the Finalist round or has a strong ranking, it is definitely an achievement worth highlighting in your CV. ✅4. Year 2 Summer Intern Many students hope to be able to enter the large corporates in Year 2, yet the large corporations tend to choose penultimate year students who are mature and possess the right experience. Therefore, Year 2 students should also consider internship with other smaller firms in the same industry or domain, to gather hands- on experience. At the same time, you can consider the Mainland/Overseas Internship Program or Non paid job opportunities, but the most important thing is to be interested in your future industry, such as Start Up Tech Firm, Property Management, etc. ✅5. International summer course/conference If Year 2 students cannot get a relevant job or internship during the summer vacation, do not allow your CV to suffer because of that. Students can learn about their school's promotion of International Summer Courses or International Conferences, which can increase their international exposure and make your CV more diversified. ✅6. Study hard! For students in Year 1 & 2, their GPA is the most important, and that alone will speak volumes about your academic competence. When you apply for summer internships, companies will consider you on the basis of your GPA score as well. So students should try to maintain a GPA score of 3.3 or above, which will help you with the Internship. Moreover, if you already have a steady and strong GPA, you do not need to stress over chasing high scores in Years 3 and 4. In addition, students can strategically plan to study some general courses and spread the difficult ones out through their four years to manage their grades better. So avoid combining tough subjects that might lead to poor grades, together in the same year. ✨Let us know what you think of this article and give us as thumbs up if you found this useful!