UNAIR NEWS – Internships provide a valuable opportunity for students to gain practical experience and firsthand exposure to the professional world. Seeking such experience, Oktaviana Putri, a student of Japanese Language and Literature at Universitas Airlangga’s Faculty of Humanities, has successfully secured an internship with Japan’s FMG Corporation.

The selection process for the FMG Corporation internship is highly competitive, with only one Indonesian student being accepted. FMG Corporation, a leading company in the aviation industry, opened its 2024 internship program to students from various countries, including Indonesia.

Internship selection process

Putri shared that she pursued the internship to apply her Japanese language skills in a professional setting. A student from the Admission Class of 2021 has been studying Japanese since high school.

“I have been learning Japanese since high school, but I only seriously pursued it in college for about three years now, reaching the N3 proficiency level. The internship required at least an N4 certification, which I fulfilled, and I also passed the interview stage,” she said.

Putri had long aspired to intern in Japan and was particularly interested in experiencing the work culture of Japanese companies. “I was inspired by senior students who participated in similar programs, and I didn’t want to miss out on opportunities during my time in college. I wanted to gain experience outside the classroom,” she added.

The FMG Corporation selection process involved multiple steps, starting with the submission of a curriculum vitae and followed by two rounds of interviews. The first round was conducted via Zoom with a large group of participants, while the second round was limited to selected candidates.

Professional etiquette

Putri noted that FMG Corporation places great importance on workplace etiquette, including the use of formal language during the interview process. Interns are required to communicate in Japanese. She hopes the internship will help her further develop her skills and deepen her understanding of the field she’s pursuing.

“I hope with this internship at FMG Corporation I can learn more about the professional world in Japan and build a supportive network of colleagues and friends,” she concluded.

Author: Ersa Awwalul Hidayah

Editor: Edwin Fatahuddin