Xinyu Jin, an undergraduate student of Finance, Accounting, and Management at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), not yet graduated, has secured an offer from a Fortune Global 500 company in just six weeks. This autumn, she will step into Deloitte, one of the most renowned accounting companies around the globe. Amidst the surprise and admiration from those around her, Xinyu humbly credits her success to the soft skills she developed at UNNC.
In February 2023, during her third year, Xinyu learned from upperclassmen about Deloitte's winter internship opportunities. Seizing the chance, she began her six-week internship at Deloitte. At that time, the company was in the midst of its busy annual audit period. Faced with piles of documents, she felt lost at first. Unwilling to back down from challenges, Xinyu decided to start small. She approached every task, no matter how trivial, with great diligence. Also, she didn’t view these simple tasks as mindless repetition but constantly thought about the bigger picture. In addition, to quickly familiarise herself with the company’s processes, Xinyu used her spare time to study past work cases and tackled each problem she encountered.
Her diligent work style, quick adaptability, and sincere approach earned her the recognition of every team member. This played a crucial role in her securing a full-time offer. "During the final interview for the full-time position, the interviewer mentioned that the high evaluations from my colleagues and managers were a significant reason I received the offer before even graduating."
Xinyu acknowledges that, apart from essential English skills, responsibility, quick learning, and teamwork are crucial workplace skills. It was UNNC’s unique teaching and cultivating approach that honed these key soft skills before she entered the professional world.
"When I first joined UNNC, the independent exploration in classes and the critical thinking encouraged by the teachers were a huge shock to me, a stark contrast to my high school learning style. It was my first strong realisation of self-motivation." And this sense of self-motivation has accompanied Xinyu throughout her learning and growth journey.
“Moreover, UNNC supports us in pursuing our ideas freely,” Xinyu also highlighted an experience as the External relations director of the Student-Alumni Association. “Our proposal to host a midterm stress relief event received strong support from the university, and the project was successfully implemented.”
Xinyu expressed that being in UNNC's positive environment and vast platform significantly developed her skills in independent thinking, self-exploration, and interpersonal communication, which boosted her confidence as she entered the workforce and earned her employer’s recognition.
Published on 26 June 2024