Editor's note: This article is reprinted from the WeChat public account " HRInsight ", author: Sean Ye, LinkedIn columnist, excellent human resources answerer on Zhihu, currently working for Mercer Consulting, the world's largest human resources consulting company; 36氪Reposted with authorization.
College students who have had an internship experience will find a problem:
Internship salary is not high.
Compared with tutoring, the cost-effectiveness of internship wages is very low; even for takeaways, floor pushers or express delivery, they earn more than interns in well-known companies.
Is this reasonable? Not entirely reasonable.
But if you give up your internship at a big company because of this, you're making a big mistake.
The first time I discovered this problem was when I was recruiting interns in the Zhihu column before, and a small partner jumped out and shouted that Mercer was too stingy and gave too little money - 15 yuan/hour, before tax.
Slightly aggrieved, I immediately researched the salary of internships in foreign companies and consulting companies in the HR circle. After asking around, except for Nike, which is 20 yuan, the internship salary of other mainstream foreign companies hovers between 10 yuan and 15 yuan per hour.
Finally an HR woke me up:
For those of you who have done research at Mercer, our interns are paid according to the results of Mercer's research.
So basically it can be confirmed: 15 yuan / hour, at least the market median value in the circle of foreign companies.
This money is really not much. As a friend said in the message, you can earn more by tutoring or delivering food.
My internship was in 2004-05.
I chose an Internet company that does e-commerce, well, not Alibaba.
The founder returned from studying in the United States to do e-commerce and sell shoes to foreigners.
14 years ago, the internship salary was also 2,500 a month, which made me feel complacent for a long time - at that time, many graduates could not get 2,500 a month.
But to be honest, if I can live again, I will try to get an internship in the best and most famous company, even without money.
In fact, that small company disappeared very quickly after I graduated.
Apart from money, it didn't help me with my job search later on.
01The first question of career planning, "What do I want"
Well, I can't change the salary levels of interns in big companies.
I also can't use the salary of tutoring and courier delivery to persuade my boss to give a raise to the college students who are typing in the office.
I can only ask the college students in turn:
Since it is more profitable to be a tutor or to deliver food delivery, why don't you see everyone flocking to grab it?
Why do you watch college students desperately go to MBB, and P&G Unilever go for interviews and internships?
If your answer is:
All my classmates go to big companies for internships, so I have to follow the trend and go to big companies for internships.
I suggest that you think again, internships are closely related to career planning after graduation. Do not think clearly, internship is a waste of time.
If you want to start a startup or take over the family's express delivery company business after graduation, it is related to takeaway and express delivery. During the internship, it is very valuable to learn about the express delivery industry and the takeaway industry, to help you increase your experience in the industry, so that you can stand in the perspective of a salesman and think from the perspective.
If you are a normal student and want to be a teacher in the future, then I encourage you to lead a tutor. In the future, you will be a model for others. Every tutor is a useful accumulation of experience.
If you want to enter the workplace in the future, whether it is a private enterprise, a foreign enterprise, or a state-owned enterprise. You need to know what you want: immediate money, or future career advancement (money).
To make an inappropriate analogy, an internship is a cohabitation before marriage. You need to know whether the company you want to work for is an ideal candidate.
If not, you can stop loss in time.
The job search after work is more like a marriage, and you can stop your losses, but at a higher price.
Once you change jobs in a short period of time, you will inevitably be asked by HR: Why do you change jobs so frequently ?
I have met too many small partners who mentioned in the consultation that I chose the wrong industry, and I don’t like the current company, but I also dare not jump / can’t jump out / jumping out is too expensive.
Internships allow us to avoid detours.
No matter who it is, mistakes will be made in the workplace. It is actually a good thing that mistakes appear earlier. Mistakes that come too late are often beyond repair.
Anyone who plays Go knows that mistakes in the final game are the most terrifying. The so-called careless move will result in a loss of the whole game, and there is no way to remedy it.
Just like in life, we don't want to be pointed at the nose and say that he is in his early 30s and has graduated from third marriages.
Internships are a very good opportunity for us to try and make mistakes, let us know what kind of business we want to go to and what kind of atmosphere we like.
02The second question of career planning, "What can I give up"
Know what to want and what to give up.
It's always hard to give up.
You like the excitement of Internet companies rushing to the front line of the times, and you may not be able to escape the depression of changing directions by trial and error;
You like consulting companies to be respected and well paid, and you may not be able to escape overtime and various reasonable and unreasonable demands of clients;
You like to take a nap after lunch in a state-owned enterprise, and then have a leisurely afternoon tea, you may not escape the result of a fairly decent salary;
You like the freedom of a chauffeur, and you may not be immune to eating irregularities.
Know what you want and know what you can give up.
After entering the company as an intern, you look around at the colleagues in the company. As much as they admire you, there is a high probability that they will be sad. If you want to be a successful white-collar, or even a golden-collar, then you must know what price you need to pay, and whether you can pay the price.
Take cohabitation as an example. When you are in a relationship, you are well-dressed. When you live together, you throw smelly socks all over the room. Can you bear it?
Acceptable, very good, advance to marriage; no, stop loss.
Yes, the internship fee is very small, and cohabitation consumes chastity, but we can use this opportunity to learn what type of companies and leaders are suitable for us to follow and join.
03The third question of career planning, "What does the market value?"
A person's development depends not only on personal struggle, but also on the historical process.
I've seen interns come to work with LV bags, and I've also seen friends who just graduated from being driven by the housekeeper every morning.
There are many rich people around us.
But for most children's shoes, there is no particularly powerful background and father. When we enter the workplace, looking for a job is a process of self-marketing. You have to tell others:
I am very reliable, please hire me.
Not only that, but you have to show evidence—endorsement:
Academic endorsement:
Which famous school did you graduate from? If you can get into such a prestigious school, there is a high probability that you are a talent;
Company endorsement:
Which well-known companies have you worked for, and they use you to show that you must be outstanding;
So I wrote " How much youth do you have to be wasted in a start-up company?" "This article, because large companies are naturally better endorsement platforms than small companies;
Project endorsement:
Which well-known companies have you served and what impressive projects have you done may also be important reasons why companies value you and recruit you.
Skill endorsement:
If you know Photoshop, you may be the talent that the marketing department needs; if you use excel, you may be liked by the finance department. You speak English like your mother tongue. Welcome to join European and American foreign companies.
Headhunter endorsement:
A well-known headhunter is willing to recommend you, or it can be a good endorsement.
I mentioned in the column " How to make good use of headhunting resources when job-hopping, professionals in the workplace ": The biggest advantage of recommending through headhunters is:
With the endorsement of headhunters, you don't look like a job seeker who is anxious to change jobs and send resumes everywhere. By.
For college students, it is not reliable to rely on headhunting. It's more about education and skills.
To put it bluntly, many small partners are still using research as a way to light up their skills, but for foreign and private enterprises, human resources certificates, marketing certificates, and even interpretation certificates are a bit tasteless.
Nowadays, the market is ever-changing, and those traditional exams have long been unable to fully meet the requirements of enterprise business. After you pass the exam as a marketer, will you be able to operate social media? Will the community run?
These things are done, you have not done it yourself, and it is difficult to prove that you have the ability in this area (CPA is not included in this list, you have to go to the four majors, and go to the research).
If you have an internship experience at a large company, then the company endorsement and project endorsement are added. This may become an important factor in choosing you for your ideal employer in the future.
For example, those who have interned at Mercer for more than 6 months have a high probability of being retained first. Mercer did not recruit students before 2015, and all junior positions were filled by retained interns.
If you don’t come to Mercer for an internship, and you want to graduate and then Mercer, the chances are very low.
If you have interned at Mercer for 6 months, even if you do not come to Mercer when you graduate, there is a high probability that other HR consulting companies will be interested in you because you have accumulated some experience at Mercer.
You can swap Mercer for a higher BAT, MBB or P&G. Your future career path will be icing on the cake.
write at the end
I know that more than 30% of fans in the nonsense workplace are college students.
I have also met many college students who are confused and don't know where the future is going.
I hope that all my friends who follow me, when they choose to take a fork in the workplace, or when they are confused and don’t know how to do it, think about three things:
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What do I want
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what can i give up
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What does the market value
Maybe it can help you clear your mind.