Star Search alums Zhang Zetong, 30, and Jernelle Oh, 29, were guests on YES 933 DJ Zhong Kunhua's podcast Kunversations, where they talked about their experiences as interns. 

Jernelle was an intern during her polytechnic and university days, and was involved in marketing communications and public relations.

On the other hand, Zetong worked as an intern for four to five different companies. He was also a full-time customer relationship manager at Carousell before joining showbiz.

“I’ve been both an intern and the manager of an intern, so I think I’m well-suited to [discuss] the topic at hand today,” said Zetong, whom we can safely assume is an expert at being, and dealing with interns.

Jernelle and Zetong shared their must-have qualities for good interns

 

Zetong and Jernelle were first prompted by Kunhua to share must-have qualities for interns.

“I think it is important for an intern to show up early for interviews. Not on time, but early. What if it starts raining and you don’t show up early? You would be drenched [during the interview],” said Jernelle, whom Kunhua called an "A-star student".

Jernelle continued: “I think you must also be sincere, and confident but not proud. You must also be respectful and dress appropriately.”

Zetong was then asked if he ever interviewed a potential intern who was not dressed for the occasion.

“I haven’t met anyone who was dressed too shabbily but [I’ve] met a youngster who probably felt that they were very trendy, and dressed in streetwear. They had shoes that covered their toes and long pants, but wore an oversized shirt. But the company I worked for didn’t have a strict dress code 'cos they were a start-up after all,” he revealed.

Kunhua brought up why it's important for one to dress for the job, whether they are applying to be an intern or full-time staff.

“Your first impression matters, and you want to care about how the manager perceives you. Some may be able to accept more trendy styles, while others will think that you need to dress well,” said Kunhua.

“If you don’t even dress well, how serious can your work ethic be?” he added.

They also shared some memorable incidents from their past experiences as interns

 

When asked about the year he spent in the United States as an intern, Zetong said: “The company I was working for specialised in education technology, and most of the people working there were all white men lah, like your typical American company.”

He recalled: “I remember a funny incident that happened. My English is not great, and I speak more Singlish, so [my colleagues] weren’t able to understand me at times. My manager, who was an American white man, couldn’t understand me well. There was one day when I asked if he needed help with the [company’s] blog, and he asked me “what blog?”. I had to repeat myself many times, but he still couldn't get me.”

Turns out, Zetong was pronouncing blog as ‘block’.

“Smart people would be able to understand that, no?” joked Kunhua.

Zetong was also the only Chinese person in his company but thankfully, he did not face any racism.

However, he did learn quite a bit about cultural differences.

“For example, they have a very different happy hour from us. The boss would take us to have red wine at 4pm. The company was small, so they sometimes brought interns along too. I experienced how they liked to have bread before their meals and drink red wine in the afternoon,” chuckled the actor.

Jernelle was lucky to meet some very nice colleagues during her internship

 

Jernelle on the other hand, was assigned her internship by her school.

“When I was interning during my poly days, there was one day when I was handed a document to translate at the last minute and had to work late. My colleagues all stayed late to accompany me while I finished my work. They didn’t need to do that at all, and I was so touched. I was so stressed to do my job right, but they stayed on to do their work and often checked in on me.”

“Very good meh? They didn’t help you what,” joked Kunhua.

Jernelle continued: “It’s my work after all, and they were letting me learn."

She then shared about how seriously she took her internships, and how work was the most important thing to her.

“I used to end work at 6pm, and you know how interns don’t get leave or time off right. I remember a day I had a relative who was in the hospital, and [my family] was aware that he was going to pass away anytime. I suddenly received a message [while at work], saying that he was going to go in the next few hours. I did not know what to do 'cos I still had to work. I didn’t specially bring the matter up to my boss, but when they found out, they immediately told me to get off work and go to the hospital,” recalled Jernelle.

Sadly, she did not get to see her relative for the last time. She, however, will never forget her boss’ gesture.

“It was only in recent times that I sent my then-boss a text, thanking them for what they did back then,” she revealed.

“For those interns who are listening to the podcast, if you’re facing emergencies like that in your life, don’t be afraid to speak up and let your boss know about the situation. 99 per cent of the time, they would understand your plight,” advised Zetong.

To find out more advice the stars have for interns, catch the Kunversations podcast on meLISTEN.

Photos: Zhang Zetong/ Instagram, Jernelle Oh/ Instagram