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Observe, Learn, Elevate - Jamie Huang and Her HR Career

GHRM MBA Alumni Jamie Huang
GHRM MBA Alumni Jamie Huang
Jamie took an exchange semester in Czech Republic after finishing her thesis
Jamie took an exchange semester in Czech Republic after finishing her thesis
Jamie is an HR Associate in Alstom
Jamie is an HR Associate in Alstom

Jamie Huang graduated from GHRM MBA, National Sun Yat-sen University in early 2019 and has since then working at Alstom SA, the French industrial giant’s branch in Taipei. She had always been an organized person who thinks critically.

Jamie joined GHRM MBA as a fresh graduate. “I didn’t think too much into it. I just wanted a full- english environment.” She said. During her college life, career plans never really came into her mind; similarly, she had no intention to work in HR back in the days.

Apart from gaining theoretical knowledge in human resource management after joining GHRM MBA, Jamie looked for internship opportunities proactively and had thereafter encountered her career turning point by taking parts in both Adecco and Tesla as an intern. From her limited knowledge in HR, to her comprehensive perspective in how HR plays its role in organizations, her mindset had altered significantly.

She reaffirmed her career path after experiencing how HR works in real business settings. “I changed from not being too interested in HR to finding a sense of belonging and achievement in the field. More importantly, the supervisors I met during the internship experiences were the ones I see as role models. They have become my mentors.” (Click to see *Jamie’s Adecco and *Tesla experience sharing)

Jamie’s classmates see her as a very goal-oriented person with a candid attitude. During her graduate life, she utilized various resources wisely; alongside her internships, she was also the vice-president of the International Program Student Association and took an exchange semester in Czech Republic after finishing her thesis. While enjoying the exotic scenery in Europe, she got her hands on her resume, applying to multiple corporates. Soon after she returned to Taiwan to proceed with the graduation process, she went on board with her job in Alstom within two weeks. Her entire job hunting process was about two months.

In her job-seeking journey, Jamie was in touch with both international and local companies. However, with all the jobs she applied for being related to international affairs, the supervisors and interviewers were all able to speak English fluently, and thus the interview styles between local and international businesses were not significant. “The biggest difference... I’d say is that the Taiwanese companies are more likely to have written tests during the processes, such as logic tests and so on.”

Being a globally-situated corporate, Alstom’s operation in Taiwan is relatively small. How did the company become Jamie’s first step into the labor market?

“Taking its small-sized operation into consideration, the work load and delegation are not too specific, with which I can learn more.” On the other hand, Alstom as a multinational corporation has all the resources in hands for the ever-changing learning experiences. Among all, cross- country projects have become what Jamie enjoys the most.

“Cross-country coordination can make one go beyond the routines and stimulate ones mind. During the communication process, the cultural differences between colleagues from other countries are showcased through how they work. For instance, the Singaporean colleagues are more out-going, more expressive and talk faster, which can be very different in comparison to the colleagues from some of the other asian countries.” Facing the current project that requires communication with other countries, Jamie considers listening and trying other methods are the keys to success.

What is HR work?

Generally speaking, outside of the management level, the HR work in Taiwan is often misunderstood as solely coordinating and responding to the Labor Act. Even the employees within the company can be confused about what HR works actually are and what HRs do on the daily basis.

To Jamie, HR work is “elevation of output per capita”, just as what HR seniors described. On the practical side, the performance of HR is not as easily quantified and seen as sales operations. Thus, making the most out of the employees became a crucial part of running businesses. With the success of a company, comes with the right HR tactics.

“I wanted to get a more comprehensive look at HR work, which was why I chose to work as a HR generalist.” As current HR Associate, Jamie sees herself diving into the functions as a specialist in the future to face more specific HR needs. Perhaps after fully understanding each function in HR, she can proceed to deciding whether to continue working as a specialist or switch to the HRBP route.

“You can’t force people be what they’re not.” Jamie thinks that ultimately, job seekers cannot play up to so many companies’ expectations. By showing one’s true color, companies can then look for the best person-organization fit possible. However, while being one’s true self, she also encourages those who are about to look for job opportunities: Be well-prepared when facing each interview! Under this uncertain time with the pandemic, opportunities can be seen as rare. Making efforts to the positions and companies, collect information for a more well-rounded point of view will impress the interviewers and will benefit the interviewees.

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