Alumni Story | Jiani Xu
“You can surprise yourself!”
Jiani Xu, a graduate of Biomedical Science from the University of Auckland, flew to Shanghai in March to complete her CRCC Asia Internship Program in Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare. After a successful three months in China, we sat down with Jiani to chat about her experience.
Jiani Xu spent years studying Biomedical Science, and this was a chance for her to apply her academic credentials in a professional pharmaceutical role. For three months, she interned at a Shanghai-based pharmaceutical compliance consultancy company. Often centering on health-related policies in China, her internship was heavily focused on expanding her Country-Specific Knowledge, one of the CRCC Asia 5 Key Learning Objectives.
“My work mainly consisted of report-writing and analysis. I did a lot of consumer research, and learnt a lot about how the Chinese food and drug administration works here. Everything was very new to me, but I learnt a lot!”
Even on the first day, Jiani’s host company – located in the city center – wasted no time in plunging her straight into the deep end with their latest projects.
“On my first day my supervisor came downstairs to pick me up and I went and met the whole team to find out about my office environment. My colleague gave me a Chinese article to translate – it was all to do with product compliance and the re-structuring of government, so I had to find certain phrases and translate.”
A busy first day can be overwhelming, but Jiani’s supportive colleagues made sure she wasn’t feeling out of her depth.
“There were a lot of skills to gain from a small startup team. They were always next to me answering all my questions!”
Before long, Jiani Xu was excelling in her role and adding more varied and valuable experience to her CV. She recalled times where simple workplace skills made all the difference.
“I think the industry is very flexible and very adaptable. You have transferable skills that I’m sure most people pick up during university – I think you can surprise yourself, knowing that you actually have those skills.”
After three months in Shanghai, Jiani definitely left a lasting impact among the interns and the Program on the ground, even offering advice to incoming interns about to start their own adventures. When asked about her favorite part of the CRCC Asia Internship Program, Jiani didn’t hesitate for a second:
“Definitely meeting all the new interns and being able to live with different people from all over the world who I wouldn’t have been able to meet!”
Best of luck, Jiani! We can’t wait to see where you go next!
Picture of Jiani Xu in Shanghai
If you are inspired by Jiani’s Shanghai story and want to apply for a CRCC Asia Internship Program, you can find our quick and easy Application Form here.
