From Intern to Employee: An Interview with Yee Wei Ling, Product Executive

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the National University of Singapore (“NUS”), Wei Ling joined Hyphens at the start of this year, and she is already no stranger to the Ocean Health? brand.

Wei Ling did two internships with us last year (2022) — the first as a full-time intern for three months, and later, a five-month part-time stint — which turned into a full-time job with Ocean Health's marketing department.

During her internships, Wei Ling was tasked to assist in the creation of marketing collaterals and social media content. She also supported in the analysis of the competitive landscape, including researching major competing brands for the team to gain market insights into their products, sales, and marketing strategy.

In this interview, we asked her how she came to know about us, her job duties then and now, and most importantly, her tips on how to put your best foot forward so that you too, can turn your internship into a full-time job.

1. How did you know about internship opportunities with Ocean Health?

Previously, I interned at GSK as a marketing intern, and that sparked my interest in the pharmaceutical industry. This led me to look for summer internships in the same industry on the NUS Business School’s career portal, and I came across Hyphens’ marketing internship opportunity with Ocean Health.

2. What was it that attracted you the most?

To be completely honest, I’ve never heard of Hyphens until I came across the internship opportunity on NUS’s career portal.?

I went to find out more on our products, and was surprised to see brands, such as Ocean Health? and Ceradan? — brands that I am used to seeing at retail pharmacy chains, like Guardian and Watsons, and I thought “Wow, wouldn’t it be exciting to work on these?”

Also, the products were different from what I was exposed to at GSK. I figured that it would be beneficial and interesting to work with supplements, and so yes, here I am! ??

3. Describe one memorable project that you have worked on during your internship

One such project for me was the National Day campaign. I worked with our media agency on the various aspects of our Key Opinion Leaders (“KOLs”) engagement, such as ensuring the proposed KOLs are the right fit for our media kits, and vetting the KOLs’ content to make sure that they are aligned to our campaign requirements.??

This project was something new to me, and it was very satisfying and exciting to start from a vision of how our media kit might look like, to something tangible at the end of it all.

Prior to joining Ocean Health, I didn’t know the inner workings of KOL marketing, as this was not something taught in school. It was an eye-opening experience to learn more about engaging them for campaigns.

4. What did you like most about being an intern??

Being an intern gave me the opportunity to watch and learn. I believe that one can learn from the best during an internship. NUS provided me with the relevant academic knowledge, however as a campus environment, it couldn’t provide me the exposure to what work will be like. It was only through work attachments while studying that I can learn from professionals to help me get ahead.

5. What has changed since becoming an employee at Ocean Health?

I became more open and confident in voicing my opinions, as I no longer doubt if I was a good fit for the role. I have more control over the projects that I am handling, and with more work experience, I also felt my opinions will be taken into more serious consideration.?

6. What does your typical workday look like?

Most of the time, I’ll be reviewing respective channels’ trade promotional collaterals and activities development to support channel sales team. Some examples of collaterals are point-of-sale displays, such as top-shelves, wobblers and gondola ends. It is to ensure that these displays have clear messaging and are appealing to consumers. I also make sure they are set up on time. In addition, I do content research and copywriting for our social media posts.?

7. I think for all our readers out there, especially for those who are in an internship stint, what are some tips to increase their chances of turning an internship into permanent employment?

I think first, is to make full use of the internship to learn, grow and perhaps, most importantly, to make mistakes, own them, and learn from them. As an intern, you have more direct supervision, and this gives you the opportunity to receive beneficial feedback.

Also, not being afraid to voice out your opinions is important, and even if you think your opinion may not be taken into serious consideration, bringing it up can still drive a meaningful discussion.

Your opinion could generate some alternative lines of thinking and new perspectives to keep the conversation moving forward. You might be able to catch things that others overlook and offer a fresh outlook. This helps you to come across as someone who is confident of his or her opinions.

Lastly, your team will appreciate someone who takes ownership over their projects and delivers results on time. It may take a couple of weeks to get to know your superior and understand their expectations. Just do your best to meet the deadlines and complete the tasks to the best of your ability. This can help you grow further in your career when others see you as a reliable and dependent person.