From Egypt to China: How I Found My Dream Job?

Asmaa Hemaid, from Egypt, has successfully gone into graduate jobs and internships in China. Studying Architectural Design programme at XJTLU, she has been offered an architect position in an international company in China successfully with the help of XJTLU career workshops and training. Asma shares with us her story of how she found her desired job and her advice for XJTLU students looking for a job.

How did you find the job / internship? (Websites, networking, personal recommendations, etc)

A: My tutor introduced me to the CEO of a company who came as a speaker to one of XJTLU’s events.

What are your main responsibilities for your work?

A: During my master’s degree and previous work experience, I learnt new methodologies and futuristic techniques in the architectural design process, so my responsibilities in the company will be to implement what I have learnt in the framework and bring the new language of architecture to the team.

Did you do XJTLU career workshops or training? If so, how did they help?

A: Yes, I joined a couple of workshops about how to create a CV to apply for international companies and how to be well-prepared for an interview. They were very helpful because I got the chance to enhance my CV and organize it professionally, and also the interview went exactly as the trainer taught us in the XJTLU career workshops.

What was the process of getting the offer?

A: As mentioned above, I was introduced first, talked with the company’s Head of Human Resources, and sent my CV and the portfolio of my academic and previous practice work.The HR Manager arranged an interview, and I visited the company and did the interview with the HR Manager and the CEO of the company.

We talked about my previous experience. They asked questions about the projects I have in the portfolio to ensure that I understood everything and my role in every project; they also asked me what I was willing to deliver for the company. And after two weeks, I got the job offer.

Do you have any advice for XJTLU students looking for a job / internship?

A: From my point of view, as an international Architecture student, you should work really hard on your CV and portfolio because in the interview, they focus on what you have done and what your plan for the future are. The more projects and experience you have even if you are a fresh graduate, the more it pays off.Also, if you are a master’s student and willing to apply for a job in a foreign country, it requires job experience first and foremost, even if it was internships. This strengthens your CV and participating in the career training workshops at the university makes your CV much more valuable.

Careers Service provided by XJTLU:

XJTLU has created webpages (https://careers.xjtlu.edu.cn/Home/Introduce?Type=International) for career development, assistance and information service for our international students. They include the following six areas:

What are the rules and regulations you need to follow to work in China as an international employee?

Work vacancies: we will advertise full-time jobs for international graduates to apply for, as well as internships that international students whose courses have not yet finished can apply for.

Careers events: on campus and online careers training workshops and talks that will be given in English; visits to companies that are keen to employ international students; and talks being given by company leaders and employees in English. The aim of these events is to improve your overall employability and your knowledge of the job and internship market in China.

Information on how international students can link to an industry mentor allied to XJTLU who is enthusiastic about working with international students in English.

A section on career guidance where we will post links to useful websites, useful documents, and other general information in English to help you in your pursuit of your future career.

Student stories: here we tell the stories of some of our students who have successfully found full employment or undertaken internships in China.

Our aim on these webpages is to keep as much of the content as possible in English and to provide information about and to supply links for reserving places at careers events, and for applying for work vacancies.

This article was originally published by XJTLU Global.


Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Xi’an Jiaotong – Liverpool University (XJTLU) is an emerging international educational institution established through a collaborative effort between China’s Xi’an Jiaotong University and the University of Liverpool in the UK. As a unique Sino-Foreign cooperative university, it embodies the best qualities of its esteemed parent institutions and holds the distinction of being the sole university of its kind sanctioned by China’s Ministry of Education.

XJTLU provides undergraduate degree programs in the domains of science, engineering, and management, conferring degrees both from its own Chinese accreditation and the University of Liverpool.

Learn more and apply for XJTLU’s programs through the China Admissions platform.

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) is an international joint venture university founded by Xi’an Jiaotong University in China and the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. As an independent Sino-foreign cooperative university, it captures the essence of both prestigious parent universities and is the largest of such universities approved by the Ministry of Education in China.
XJTLU

Join 180,000+ international students and get monthly updates

Receive Admissions, Scholarships & Deadlines Updates from Chinese Universities.
Unsubscribe anytime.