Being a student at Northeastern means that there is a decent chance that while you are studying abroad you will also be applying for co-ops. This was certainly the case for my time abroad and that is what this blog will cover. I was applying for my second co-op and I was hoping to land in either New York and live at home or return to Boston. At times the process was easy and at other times it was relatively challenging.
My process was not too complicated on a day to day basis. I essentially checked the job list postings every day until I finally accepted an offer. Whenever I wanted to apply to a new job(s) I simply emailed my co-op coordinator. (Of course I did not have to meet with her as is common practice because I was abroad) She provided me timely responses including a Sunday morning before my application was due the following day.
The biggest issue in acquiring a co-op is the communication difficulty. The twelve hour time difference is very manageable when you are talking to family and friends but when communicating with people at an office the time is further limited due to their work hours. The only times that really work are night time in Hong Kong (7 to 11 pm) which is the morning in the US. (7 to 11 am) This meant that any time I sent an email to my co-op coordinator or a potential employer I had to hope that they responded before I went to bed. If not I set my alarm for 4 am to respond to any emails I may have received and then went back to bed. So that I could check my email before they left the office. In fact, one of the jobs I was looking at had an online info session that began at 5 am Hong Kong time so I had to wake up for that.
There a couple of instances where I had miscommunication with some of the potential employers. On two occasions an employer would email me to confirm an interview time and I would not respond until the following morning when they were then sleeping. I would prepare for my interview and then when they woke up they would inform me that they changed my interview time because I had not confirmed my time slot quickly enough. This situation transpiring twice is what prompted my new 4 am wake up calls.
I was faced with an even more worrisome situation towards the end of the whole process. I interviewed with my top choice position and had not heard back from them after a couple of days. After an additional few days I received an email from the employer’s Northeastern partner and they told me that they had called me and left a voicemail and they had not heard back from me. I knew that I had been furiously checking my phone everyday for a response but had not seen anything. I then realized that they were trying to reach me by calling my US phone number. I did include my new Hong Kong contact information but I guess they only saw my old information somehow. I was able to remedy the situation by contacting all the involved parties and I ended up taking that job. It was definitely a close call but studying abroad increases the chances of crazy situations like that, despite them still being the exception.
Another major issue I encountered was room procurement for interviews. Unfortunately the University of Hong Kong’s library is only open until 10 pm (One of the very few things I dislike about HKU) at night. This meant that if any of my interviews went past 10 am US time (Nearly every single one) I needed to do the interview in my apartment. Ordinarily this might not seem like a huge deal but I live with five other guys and needed to trust they would be quiet and the wifi is not that great in my apartment either. Oddly enough the interview that resulted in my employment offer was one I did in my apartment, so it can definitely be done.
One thing that I was pretty concerned with going into the process was the fact that all my interviews would inevitably be Skype interviews. I had never done one before and did not know if I would be able to have my personality be exhibited as well through a screen. I did five interviews in total and actually found them to be quite similar to an in-person interview. Many people dislike them but I did not encounter any hinderances resulting from the medium. I utilized the circumstances as a friendly icebreaker making jokes about not being able to shake hands and about the time difference being so stark. One interview was interrupted by a library announcement that the circulation services would be closing for the day in thirty minutes which gave the interviewers a good laugh. They want you to succeed and having that in the back of your mind is helpful in shaping your approach to the whole thing. Admittedly I did wear sneakers to a few of them knowing that my shoes would not be shown on camera. I do recommend that you still wear professional pants though because it is helpful to get into a professional mindset by wearing the full attire.
Luckily I had Northeastern University on my side! I would not have been able to accomplish what I did without the tireless help of my co-op advisor and other advisors in the finance department. I also was the beneficiary of Northeastern’s great relationships with employers. All of the positions that I applied for had no problem accommodating to my situation and offering me a Skype interview. Only one employer was unable to adapt their interview times to adhere to my scheduling conflicts. In the end everything worked out and I got a job that I am super stoked to start in January. Do not be deterred from studying abroad, just be cognizant of the impact it can have.
