Career coaches reveal what gets students hired—beyond the usual playbook

by Tan Zi Jie

1. Confront the tough career questions early, not in your final semester

Start thinking about what you want to do from your first year in university.

“Some students only start job hunting in their last semester or after convocation,” says NTU career coach Benn Goh. 

“If they haven’t planned ahead, their resumes may lack the projects or technical skills employers expect. They end up applying blindly for positions they don’t qualify for and it gets frustrating.”

In today’s tight job market, a fresh graduate could take up to a year to secure a suitable role, with the hiring process alone – from submitting a resume to signing a contract – easily taking three to six months.

In your second year, NTU’s core career module will guide you to chart your career path, craft stronger resumes and build essential skills like networking and interviewing.

For electrical & electronic engineering undergrad Izwan Indra, the class pushed him to interview a project manager who oversaw fitness training services. Joining an NTU leadership programme, where he acted as a consultant for Dyson, also exposed him to roles he could see himself in.

“It’s liberating to realise that being a project manager could be a perfect fit for me.” Izwan says. “I could combine my love for working with people and public speaking with my engineering and problem-solving training.”

Izwan was voted best presenter in a month-long NTU programme where interdisciplinary student teams tackled real business problems with partners like Airbus, Deloitte and Mastercard. 

2. Use hackathons and projects to get the right internship

Internships are a must. All NTU undergraduates complete one graded attachment with the University’s support. But in popular fields like finance or tech, students can submit up to 100 applications before landing a stint.

To open doors to coveted internships or full-time positions, competitions and short-term industry projects can be your secret weapon. Built around real company problems, they help you gain practical skills and tangible outcomes in specific areas such as sustainable finance or artificial intelligence for healthcare.

Take mathematical sciences and economics student Teo Cheng Han, who spotted a Telegram poster for a quantitative finance competition and joined it as a freshman despite having no background in the field. 

To his surprise, he beat even PhD students to win the national challenge. “I’m now sure of my aptitude and interest in quant finance,” he says. “This experience will help me get a foot in the door of this competitive field.”

Through the competition, Cheng Han also met inspiring peers and professionals who advised him on improving his coding skills and exploring research areas. “I now have a much clearer sense of which internships align with my goals,” he adds.

After taking part in a competition, Cheng Han is now sure of his aptitude and interest in quant finance, and is looking for an internship to build expertise in this field.

3. Your outfit speaks before you do. Make it count.

Whether it’s a networking event or an interview, first impressions matter. Show up looking like the professional you want to be.

“It’s perfectly fine to be slightly overdressed compared to the interviewer or the company’s usual dress code,” says Kevin Lee, an NTU industry relations consultant and former regional human resources head with over 20 years of experience.

"Dressing professionally shows that you respect the employer and take the opportunity seriously." Your outfit doesn’t have to be expensive. Just make sure it fits well and that you look neat and professional. Proper shoes are essential: dress shoes for men and close-toed heels for women.

During her business foundational courses, first-year undergrad Phoebe Chen gives group presentations nearly every month. It’s helped her get used to speaking in public, pitching ideas and dressing professionally. She’s been building her wardrobe since her polytechnic days, choosing versatile, affordable basics she can easily mix and match.

Presentation matters: Business freshman Phoebe Chen dreams of running her own art business one day and is aiming for internships with top art brokers like Sotheby’s.

4. Be the proactive intern who gets noticed

Getting the internship is only step one. Standing out is the real work.

“If you take initiative during your internship, you grow faster, gain new contacts and get solid feedback,” says Wilson Huang, an industry relations consultant who coaches NTU students.

He recalls two student interns under the same supervisor. “One waited for tasks to be assigned and later said they didn’t learn much. The other volunteered to help the team with tasks like data collation. That intern got noticed, earned trust and was later given more challenging work,” explains Wilson.

Career coach Benn shares another example: a student who followed up after every job interview. “He’d politely ask what he could have done better, rather than just chasing the interviewer for an update on his application,” Benn says. “The feedback ranged from sharpening examples that linked his experience to the job requirements, to fixing a distracting Zoom background.” 

Small, proactive steps like these don’t go unnoticed. They signal professionalism, curiosity and drive – qualities that make you unforgettable.

5. Tap mentors to zoom in on your niche

Industry insiders – like your internship supervisor or a mentor – know their field best and can help you figure out where you’ll fit. 

Mechanical engineering student Clement Choo sought help from several professionals to “peel back the onion layers” of the semiconductor industry he hopes to build a career in.

An active person, he wasn’t keen on a deskbound role like a supply planning internship he’d tried. When he consulted his internship supervisor, he was encouraged to explore hardware engineering, a role that blends hands-on and analytical work. 

Clement later joined NTU’s mentorship programme, LevelUP!, and was paired with alumnus KC Boon, a quality control engineer. KC mapped out the intricate stages of microchip production and helped Clement build a pitch deck for an interview with GlobalFoundries, one of the world’s top five chip foundries.

That preparation paid off. Through NTU’s Work-Study Degree Programme, Clement secured a 45-week attachment and a sponsored final-year project at the multinational corporation. His strong performance later earned him a scholarship with GlobalFoundries, and this February, he will start full-time work there.

Mentors made the difference for Clement (left). He credits his current supervisor at GlobalFoundries, Wang Chai Yuh (right), for giving him opportunities to learn and grow.

6. Go deep and be specific about the role you want

Let's say you’re keen to join the banking sector. Telling a bank recruiter you’re “interested in finance” can make you seem unprepared or unclear about the industry. 

Instead, show depth and detail. For example, you might share that you’re interested in project finance, which funds long-term infrastructure projects, especially in the renewable energy sector.

“If you’re a K-pop fan, you know your idol’s star sign, birth year and favourite colour, and can talk about these effortlessly,” says Kevin. “Channel that same passion and specificity when talking about your career goals and the type of job you want,” advises the career coach.

7. Know the hiring deadlines: Your dream company may be recruiting two years before graduation

Once you know who you want to work for, find out when they hire. 

In banking, for instance, top firms like JPMorgan Chase and Citibank rarely hire fresh grads but turn their interns into full-time staff. If you’re graduating in 2028, you’ll need to apply for their 2027 internship – which might close around October this year. 

“For management associate roles in hot tech and consumer companies, interviews and hiring usually start about a year before convocation,” says Benn.

“So start applying from the first semester of your final year.”

This story was published in the Jan-Feb 2026 issue of HEY!. 

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