On April 5, Vietnam National University - International School organized the annual event "Job Fair 2019 - The Ride to Multinational Companies" at the National Convention Center. The event gathered more than 30 companies, multinational corporations and international organizations as well as nearly 2,000 students and alumni from high-quality training programs in Hanoi. The participation of numerous generations of alumni of Vietnam National University Hanoi - International School has contributed significantly to the overall success of the event.  A lot of VNU-IS alumni enthusiastically shared their own experiences during their university years as well as the importance of understanding themselves and pursuing their passion for career development. 

Doan Van Toan - "Starting a business with a 10,000 VND raincoat"

Alumni of International Business, International School

Current job: Marketing Manager - Revo Pharma

"In my opinion, Marketing is a large industry with great demand for human resources. Anyone who wants to pursue their career in this industry needs to have a Marketing mindset, and more importantly, the ability to learn and explore themselves. I chose Marketing because I had a big interest in running business, and I realized that Marketing is one of the most crucial factors in order to start a business, so I started to study Marketing. 

My first business deal took place when I was in college. At that time, I really wanted to start a business, so I went to the market to find out which product that I should sell. I discovered that a nylon raincoat had the selling price of 10,000 VND,  while its cost price was only 2,500 VND, and it sells like hot cake every time when it rained. So I decided to buy some raincoats. However, you cannot stay still and hope the customers will come and buy your product, so I began to learn how to sell raincoat. I observed and realized that the weather in different districts was often different. So, my strategy was to sell the raincoats based on weather and location, and sales profit rose up to 500% in a good day.

Just start a business, then you will know what you need to do. When you want to sell something, you will realize what you need to learn in Marketing. Apparently, thorough training is necessary, but it just helps to go faster. It’s not attending plenty of courses to get the certificates that makes you a Marketing expert. Marketing is a career that requires you to experience yourself, and accept mistakes as well. Marketing mistakes will cost you a lot of money. A lot of times I spent big money on a product line's advertising campaign only to see it failed. At that time, I had to accept and find the way to stand up from those failures.

To succeed is to acknowledge that failure might come. Failure can have a big impact both mentally and financially on young people who have just graduated. When pursuing your career in Marketing industry, you need to prepare to face all the risks. Young people are sometimes confused when they come up with choices. In my opinion, the main reason is because they don't have enough experience. Just like when you are in a unfamiliar place where you have not been before, you will wonder where to go and what you should do. My advice is to keep walking, then there will be a path for your own. Everyone has their own strengths and suitable job. We will find our own path when we have enough experience.

Bui Thi Ha Trang - "A Management Trainee journey "

Alumni of International Business, International School

Current job: Administrative Trainee - Maritime Bank

"When I graduated, I was very confused because International Business is a large major, ranging from Finance to Marketing. VNU-IS lecturers were so helpful and professional that they made me fall in love with both Finance and Marketing. With the advice of Ms. Do Phuong Huyen, I decided to find a job that can help me to my pursue my dream of working in both Finance and Marketing industry, and that's why I worked as a Marketing Trainee for a bank.

Management trainee programs are basically training programs of many corporations and companies, which take in fresh graduates after assessing them on certain skills and take them through proper training in each department and aspect of the organization. When joining Management Trainee program, young people can have an opportunity to shorten the route to management positions.  During the working time as a Marketing Management Trainee, I have various experiences in different departments such as Sales, Product Development, Business Analysis, so that I can understand the typical working process and how departments corporate to work more effectively. 

When I was a sophomore, I was very interested in the Management Trainee programs and I told myself that I had to pass them. My secret is to try a lot, then your knowledge and skills will be improved. You can apply to several different Management trainee programs at the same time. This is the kind of program that brings you many advantages. You will have the opportunity to work in different positions, to learn, and perform to meet the expectations from management, and salary will be much better than working at other normal positions. 

It can be said that studying at Vietnam National University, Hanoi - International School is my destiny because I chose VNU-IS after I could not attend to my first choice university. But now I am very grateful and proud of what I learned in VNU-IS, and thanks to that, I am who I am today. " 

Nguyen Trong Quyen - "Studying at VNU-IS is an advantage"

Alumni of International Business, International School

Current job: Audit Assistant - KPMG

“When I graduated, I applied for the Big 4 accounting firms. However, at that time, my knowledge of Accounting and Auditing was still limited so I did not pass the application rounds. After that I got an internship at an insurance company, but I still had a dream of becoming a part of the Big 4. At that time, I always wondered “My friends can work at Big 4, so why can’t I? So I practiced and studied myself to improve my knowledge. Then I passed the application process.

I got to study quite a lot about accounting in International Business program, and I realize that I love working with numbers so I decided to pursue accounting. I started to find out the career opportunities that accounting can bring to me. I realized that accounting does not suit my personality because it is a repetitive work. But as an auditor, I can work with many customers in different fields such as production, trade, finance, ... and I get to learn something new every time I work with new customers.

Studying at International School is already an advantage because we are taught completely in English. Besides, Big 4 accounting companies also pay great attention to soft skills, especially communication and presentation. International School students are already prepared these skills in university years. But you also have to broaden specialized knowledge, and you can't do anything else but learn. Why there are so many job opportunities relating to accounting and auditing, but students studying this major can still be unemployed? The reason can be that you are not well-prepared enough when the opportunity comes. I always bear in mind the saying "You have not tried enough".  Just keep trying until you succeed, that means you have tried enough.”

Dao Tieu My - "Fostering confidence with VNU-IS "

Alumni of Management, International School.

Current job: Branding and Communication Executive - MSGI Vietnam

"I studied Management program at International School in 5 years with lots of great experience and  development. I really admire our lecturers. They are very professional and devoted - we are just like friends. The environment at International School is very dynamic and friendly with a lot of activities designed for students to develop their soft skills.

Also, the Management program allows me to learn many things that suits my current jobs. First, it has many courses including practical projects, which encourages me to research and learns a lot of new things. The other thing I gained after finishing the program is the dedication to work.Thanks to the helpful and caring  teachers with the high-quality curriculum, I became a much more confident person to pursue the job that I always dream of. "

Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao - "Don't let others decide your dreams"

Alumni of Bachelor of Accounting (joint program between VNU-IS with HELP University and Edith Cowan University - Australia)

Current job: Head of Japanese Scholarship Department - Atlantic Group

“My first job was an accountant at Deloitte but I felt that it wasn’t suitable with me, so I changed my job. There wasn’t any career guidance program like nchoose my career path, so the decision was often influenced by the family, and "stable” was always the first criteria to follow.

I worked in education for 5 years, then I moved to the logistic industry for over a year, then a new career opportunity brought me back to education as an educational counselor. In my opinion, changing jobs is not a bad thing, but you shouldn’t do it too frequently.  You need to do a job long enough to really understand whether you fit it or not."

Nowadays, with the help of technology and various sources of information, you can do some career tests or get advice from people who work in human resources to know which job suits you. Also, you should always ask yourself what you really want to do. Don’t be affected by people around you. Take time to understand your true abilities. 

All the stories from International School alumni are based on their own experiences, with the hope that these stories will inspire next generations to be brave as always on the journey to success.