Please introduce yourself and tell us about your background.
My name is Florence Uy and I'm currently in my 4th year pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management at the University of the Philippines Diliman. I've had marketing internship experiences at companies like Nielsen and most recently Shopee, where I worked in their Consumer Insights department. My roles involved handling data analysis, market research, competitor analysis, and preparing reports. I'm also involved in several organizations on campus like the UP Junior Finance Association, UP Red Cross, and Chinese Association.
What are things that you consider before taking the internship program at Shopee PH?
The main factors I considered were work-life balance and career growth. As a student, I wanted to ensure the workload at Shopee would be manageable alongside my academics. I was only taking one subject when I applied, so I knew I could balance it. I also wanted to gain more first-hand marketing experience to complement my business studies. Shopee was a great way to get exposure in an e-commerce marketing team and learn new skills.
How did you find out about their internship openings?
Shopee came to our UP Diliman campus for recruitment events like roadshows and the career fair. I already used Shopee regularly as an online shopper, so I was very interested when I found out they were hiring student interns. They also posted internship openings on Facebook and LinkedIn which made the application process very accessible.
How is the application process as an intern at Shopee PH?
The application involved submitting my resume online and then two rounds of interviews. The first round was with the HR team and focused on behavioral questions about my fit for Shopee's culture. The second interview was the most intensive, with the department manager asking situational and technical questions related to the marketing intern role I applied for.
What was your onboarding experience like in the first few days as an intern at Shopee PH?
The onboarding process was very supportive. I was assigned a "buddy" - an employee to help guide me - which was great because the Shopee offices can be overwhelming at first. My team oriented me to the role's expectations, systems, and tools. The first week was mostly spent training and shadowing my colleagues on initial tasks until I could work more independently. I also had access to learning modules on topics like work management to help ramp up.
How does the training and development programs offered at Shopee to their interns?
Shopee has a dedicated Learning and Development team that provides various training programs beyond just the onboarding. They offered online modules and seminars to help interns develop skills like time management, effective meetings, work ethics and more. As an intern, it was extremely useful to get this head start in professional development from Shopee's L&D resources.
How stressful as an intern at Shopee PH? Do you have a good work-life balance?
It was stressful at first when everything was new. But my team was very supportive with my student schedule. As I ramped up, I learned how to manage the workload efficiently so I could focus on academics after work hours. My team would check in on my availability and was very flexible with rescheduling meetings if I had exams or classes. Overall, Shopee enabled a good work-life balance.
How is the working arrangement as an intern at Shopee PH?
Shopee offered a hybrid setup. I would go on-site to the office 2-3 days a week and work remotely the other days. As a student, I appreciated the flexibility to work from home when needed to accommodate my class schedule. The offices also had great spaces to study or work in between tasks and meetings when I was on-site.
How is the stipend and perks working as an intern at Shopee PH?
The compensation was competitive and there were nice benefits even as an intern. Shopee provided medical insurance with clinic access in the office, as well as food concessions on-site. One perk that stood out was access to otherwise paid tools like the Statista database which was very useful for my market research projects.
So what have been some of the coolest things about working there?
The best part was the supportive and engaging team I worked with. My team really took the time to train me and help me succeed in my role. But they also focused on creating a friendly, collaborative environment. I made close friends with coworkers and even my co-intern! It ended up being a really fun experience, beyond just the work tasks themselves.
Do you have any final pieces of advice or things you'd tell your student self?
I would tell myself don't be afraid to take chances and apply for internships that interest you, even if you're worried you may not get it. The application process is a learning experience in itself. Rejection is just another opportunity to reflect on how you can improve. With hard work and the right attitude, you never know what kinds of doors an internship can open in the future, even if your grades aren't perfect. The skills and network are invaluable.