This was recently told by Dr. Dinh Mong Kha, CEO of VietGuys, to students of the University of Finance - Marketing (UFM) at the recent Integrated Recruitment Day - Job Fair UFM.

Ms. Kha said that if you are only doing marketing, business development, operations... you can totally learn while working. For her, a university degree is equivalent to the effort and discipline to get it without judging who you will be in the future.

She said she met people who graduated with honors but had a rather academic and bookish style. They did not accept high grades but the company only paid such a starting salary. She also met many people with average degrees but were very humble in learning.

"Being willing to work for free and spend time learning when you have no experience can sometimes help you make connections that can change your life," said Ms. Kha.

What to do to convince employers when you have no experience is a very popular question. Mr. Truong Anh Tuan, director of Vietcombank Ky Dong branch, said that depending on each business, they can choose to recruit people with or without experience. At his unit, Mr. Tuan said that 70 - 80% of inexperienced people are recruited along with experienced people who are excellent employees from other organizations.

"The elders say, 'Smartness does not come to the young, strength does not come to the old.' The advantage of recruiting inexperienced students is that they are like blank sheets of paper and will be trained to fit the corporate culture. I think the most important thing is ethics and work style. When we go to work, we will gain experience, and with mentoring, we will gradually mature," said Mr. Tuan.

Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Le Bao Huyen, HR director of Sofitel Saigon hotel, believes that the experience of fresh graduates can come from internships. Businesses do not expect fresh graduates to know how to do everything. Experience is when you go to work, you must be aware of putting yourself in an environment where even meal times need to be correct, not just working and eating whenever you want! Businesses want to see seriousness and have standards that you must follow.

Not to mention, students can completely choose the time to do their internship. Almost no business says they only accept final year students. "Accepting student interns is also a source of human resource training for businesses with the goal of supporting the community, not just profit. So when, where, and in what industry you want to do your internship depends on each person's goals" - Ms. Huyen suggested.

Students work... without pay

TT - Nowadays, there are quite a few students who seek practical experience for their future careers while still in school. They work unpaid for companies and organizations to gain experience.