Lin Kwan Ting, Maggie
M.Phil. of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong


I worked as an intern in the Human Resources department in the UNDP China office from July to September, 2008. During this internship, I have had the chance to handle recruitment processes from scratch. From posting the job description to screening resumes, arranging interviews, attending them and writing up the notes, it gave much satisfaction to have handled the whole process by myself. I have also had to organize some profiles before the auditors came. Compartmentalizing files and data has always been my major weakness but this opportunity has trained me and I feel my organization skills have improved. I have learnt that I indeed have the patience to handle matters in a meticulous manner, a skill of crucial importance to working in any company in the future. This experience not only allowed me a glimpse of how Human Resources function on a daily basis, it gave me real hands-on experience in working in a big international organization, which is beneficial for my career development no matter where I am heading in the future.

On top of working in matters related to human resources, during the last 70 days, I have had the chance to take up different roles and help out at various departments. This exposure offers me a well-rounded perspective of this organization as I could better understand the daily functioning of the office, how different departments operate and cooperate.

Human Resources may not be directly related to what I study in university, it nonetheless allows me to get in touch with people from different cultures and diverse background, which essentially is what anthropology is about. My anthropological training in university has trained me to communicate with a wide range of people, and being in the HR department gives me the opportunity to fully utilize it and make use of my interpersonal skills.
I love the international atmosphere at the China UNDP office. With the office located in Beijing, I have not only met colleagues who are elites from different parts of China, I have also come to meet incredible people from different countries. This is facilitated by the fact that I was in the HR department, as colleagues from different departments have to visit our office on a regular basis. This initial contact in the office allowed me to make friends with them and start conversations also outside of the office setting. I have met and made friends with many amazing people at the UNDP, which was a big bonus of this internship experience.

I would like to thank my colleagues and supervisor, who were most patient with me, teaching me how to handle every procedure and shared with me their experience. But all these would not have been made possible without the financial support of the Peace and Development Foundation in Hong Kong. Therefore I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to the foundation for allowing this invaluable experience.