As an undergraduate, my closest experience to the working world are through my internships. Despite extending my internship tenure from 2 to 6 months, I still wasn’t able to fully grasp the industry I was interning in. Speaking to experienced professionals in that industry and hearing them share about their rich experience helped me envision what a career path in that industry would look like. I find their sharing extremely helpful and priceless. – Zhao Na

Fresh out of junior college, my next phase of life was filled with excitement and uncertainty. I heard of the struggles of securing internships and managing time to achieve good grades and results in co curricular activities. At Northstar careers, my Mentor guided me and we crafted a personal 3 year plan, from university modules to take, to activities I should invest my time in. Now I can paint a story on my resumé that would give me the best chances to land internships that would help me achieve my dream job. 

– Jaren

Growing up with social media, I thought managing my Linkedin profile would be easy – like posting on Instagram. Upon review with my Mentor, I learnt what works on Instagram does not work on LinkedIn. Now, I understand how to better portray a professional image through posts that showcase my insights and my reflections on learning experiences. These are the crucial building blocks to help build my personal brand over time.    

– Joshua

As the saying goes - Failure to plan is planning to fail. This cannot be further from the truth. I managed to secure 7 internships throughout my 4 year undergraduate course. This is done through proper planning and strategising my internship opportunities during the Summer and Winter term breaks.   – Brandon

The only way I ever knew how to write my résumés were Canva templates. My Mentor taught me how to present my achievements and experiences in a succinct and visually appealing way, like incorporating company’s colours into my résumé design to subtly reflect my enthusiasm for the company. Hard work and my carefully crafted cover letter and resume helped me stand out and I landed my first interview with PwC in 2 weeks!           – Rui Xiang 

Before signing up with NorthStar Careers, I believed being extroverted and articulate was enough to succeed in interviews. Despite attending several interviews, I struggled to land the internships I truly wanted. My Mentor helped me realise the importance of soft skills—especially how to read and respond to interviewers' body language in real time. He demonstrated to me, through a physical mock interview, non-verbal cues to look out for. That insight was a turning point, taught me the skill to tweak my answers in real time and impress my interviewers, securing my dream internships.   – Zi Jian

I’ve always struggled with curveball questions during interviews. I always knew the politically correct answers to say yet didn't like to come off as fake and pretentious. Through exploring the different approaches to these trick questions, my Mentor showed me the slight difference between textbook answers and correct and genuine answers. I am now able to give responses that are sincere while still highlighting the values and strengths interviewers look for.    –  Darryl

NorthStar careers transformed how I approach case studies. Unlike the generic ones I encountered in university, these were real-life scenarios that were relatable and required innovative but practical solutions. I gained a deeper understanding of the rationale behind case studies and what interviewers are looking for. This understanding, paired with the structured approach they taught me, helped me tackle complex problems with ease and give answers that interviewers are looking for.

– Eliaz

NorthStar Careers offers an incredible array of resources—from mock interviews to case studies and résumé refinement. What made the experience truly worthwhile were the mentors. They were kind, patient and genuinely devoted to my success!

– Ding Kai

Big organisations usually hire in batches and it is always a challenge to stand out and get promoted. Being fresh out of university,  I appreciated the guidance of my Mentor in explaining to me how Managers decide and evaluate us for promotion. With a clear direction and trajectory in mind, my Mentor worked with me to chart out my career milestones to be well positioned in my batch to be promoted.  It is as much an art as it is a science and I learnt that purely doing well at my work does not necessarily equate to a promotion.  I am grateful for the guidance provided by my Mentor.   – Faith 

I had a smooth career progression and I wanted to elevate my growth more exponentially. My Mentor taught me the importance of building my network through a strong and consistent personal brand on LinkedIn. I have been proactively posting thought pieces and my personal opinion of professional events. This has greatly elevated my personal branding and new clients I meet get to understand me better just by viewing my profile on Linkedin.   – YiChang

I only realised 3 years into my first job the importance of building internal ecosystems. In large organisations, we often work cross function and cross border. We can be excellent individual contributors but we are never as strong as a team. Having friends or allies across the organisation helps more than I could have imagined. Even if we are on a project with new faces, people do ask around in their natural circle of work friends if anyone has worked with someone else. It goes a long way when friends speak well of you. A recommendation top down goes even further,  but that also comes with bigger shoes to fill.  I am thankful to my Mentor for pointing this out early in my career. – Rick

Growing up with social media, I thought managing my Linkedin profile would be easy – like posting on Instagram. Upon review with my Mentor, I learnt what works on Instagram does not work on LinkedIn. Now, I understand how to better portray a professional image through posts that showcase my insights and my reflections on learning experiences. These are the crucial building blocks to help build my personal brand over time.    

– Yee Kung

My mentor helped me break down my current role, worked with me to chart out the milestones I need to reach and exposure I need to gain to be well positioned amongst my peers for a promotion. Working hard definitely played a part in getting my promotion, but I learn never to discount the importance of planning for success.   – Vera

I was on to my third job when I met my Mentor. She recognised my hard work and dedication to my job and sat me down to suggest how I should position myself for a promotion. She also helped me strategise an exit plan in the event I don't get promoted so that I am still on track to move up in rank and remuneration. We also discussed possible roles to broaden my exposure in the field of corporate finance so that I grow professionally. This is indeed proper career planning!.   – Elisa Elisa

In an economic downturn where job vacancies are getting scarce and an oversupply of workers, it is all the more crucial to ensure my resume and cover letter stands out from the crowd. My Mentor guided me on how I should break down the JD and mesh it up with my work experience and the company's culture, to write a compelling cover letter and resume that resonates with recruiters. It is not about sending 1000 applications, it is about making each application stand out and count.  – Malcolm

There is truth in having interview experience and I found that after multiple rounds of interviews, the anticipated questions are more or less the same, hence the value of having interview practice and experience. In my experience, tackling curveball questions well usually skyrockets my chance of landing an offer. Role playing with experienced Mentors has helped me beyond my imagination. The types of curveball questions they have asked candidates over their years of being the interviewer is exactly what we need to prepare for interviews!

– David

First impression counts, last impression lingers - summarized very accurately. Coupled with how my Mentors have prepared me for interviews and case studies, I was able to confidently introduce myself, my work history and the experience I carry with me and finish off with an impactful, well thought out case study presentation. Practice does make perfect! 

– Shawn