Living my dream

Ever since I visited Germany and neighbouring countries for the very first time when I was 14, I've been deeply fascinated by European history, its architecture, music, arts and culture and the beautiful languages. 

I said to myself, one day, I shall be back.

I didn't have to wait long.

In pursuit of a better education, I researched on A-Level schools in England, sought advice from friends who were already studying there, sent my application and passed the entrance exams easily, thanks to a thorough foundation nurtured by the Chinese education system almost solely based on exams. Chinese education, not all bad, after all. May 2005, we went on a family trip to England with a week of unbelievably sunny days wherever we visited. Incredibly lucky to have such fantastic yet deceiving (!) weather for our first visit. Still, totally felt in love with Great Britain, the campuses I've lived in, all my solo travellings, experiencing the beautiful historic cities or alfresco style buzzing seaside towns and above all, the lovely people I've met during my six years of studies with unforgettable memories...

Time flies. May 2011, a call from a graduate headhunter changed my life. I was introduced to an international graduate trainee opportunity at a FTSE 100 company, enjoyed the entire process of getting to know the company through telephone interview, face-to-face interview followed by an interesting assessment centre where I clicked with the company and its people straight away.

Six years of memories squeezed into six large shipping boxes. Sealed. A new page of my life has began. I stayed in China for 3 weeks, travelled back to the UK for a week of graduate induction meeting my fellow graduates on the same programme, off we went the two of us recruited for China, to a place that's far, far away - Down Under. 11 months in Australia was filled with a very steep learning curve getting my head around the industry and the world of work, lots of sunshine (at least I'd like to remember it this way), Aussie accent (which I brought back with me :P) , friendly locals, endless beaches, fun parties, meeting new people (travellers and professionals alike through some fantastic social networking communities), wild life encounters, concerts, theatre night out, Christmas on a midsummer day (still a strange thought to me but hey!), wine tasting, city breaks, backpacking...Such a fabulous time!

Towards the end of my assignment, I travelled intensively as I always thought I had a chance to extend my assignment further to stay in Australia for another summer, but another opportunity had come up so I learned that I had to pack and go in less than a month. I love travelling so much and yet I felt like I was getting that "local laziness syndrome" already since staying in Australia, that I hadn't been travelling as much as I wanted to, thinking to myself, I will always have time, next month, next summer...I'm sure there will be a way to do this. No. Reality check: no, no, no. Of course the purpose of me moving to a mature market is to learn as much as I could from the very experienced. Business needs determines where we graduates will go and what we will be doing in our next assignments/rotations. There are unknowns, uncertainties and we are very flexible and open-minded about the arrangements but what welcome all of us, are unique, exciting, challenging opportunities to fast-track our career internationally like no other.  

Self-note: If I want to do something, I will do it. I do it now.

I didn't have time to take any days off in my final months in Sydney, so I carefully planned several weekend trips and realised there are so many things you can do within 48 hours. Just a bit more research effort goes a long way. 

Friday 3rd Aug after work, I rushed to the airport, got on the plane at 20:00, arrived 5 hours later in Perth, 3000km away from Sydney, at local time 23:00 due to 2 hours time difference. First proper couchsurfing experience for me - meaning, not knowing my hosts before I stay at their place! I am always a little bit scared about the idea of sleeping on someone else's couch, as you have never met each other yet! Even though I have hosted 20+ where I lived in Sydney. I'm an experienced host but was still cautious about surfing myself. I got to my host's flat in Merrylands, beautiful place, spacious flat shared by 3 boys, massive living room downstairs by the door, where my host Robin prepared me a very comfy airbed with warm blankets. It was great! We were chatting for 3 hours or more until I could hardly keep my eyes open after almost a half-day worth of travelling after a long week of work! 

2 hours sleep. Up and go again! I jumped on the first train in the morning to Perth city centre to join the 7:00 tour to the Pinnacles Desert. Solo traveller globetrotter Michelle sat next to our wonderful driver/tour guide, speaking to him and some fellow Welsh ladies during the entire tour, had great fun and happily exhausted after seeing this stunning, moon like view on earth!

The rest of my Perth weekend was completed by koala encounter, visiting the Indian Ocean Lobster factory, museums and art galleries, promenade with a Czech guy working in Perth towards the famous King's Park for a panorama view of the city, touring inside a submarine (it's tiny down there!), seaside walk, alfresco pub food and beer, exploring the neighbouring city of Fremantle at night, before catching the last flight on Sunday night departing at midnight, arrived in Sydney at 6:00 in the morning. Got home, showered and embraced another working week straight away. :) Super tired but super happy. What a weekend! 

In a similar fashion, I spent some fantastic weekends in Gold Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Canberra. (More travel stories, photos and city tips to come! Watch this space!) It's different when you're working full-time instead of travelling full-time. But honestly, weekend travels are great and you can, and definitely should make the most of them! :) Go Explore! 

So yeah. Back to Sept 10th, I arrived in Shanghai with mixed feelings upon leaving a country I loved so much. Since then, I've been travelling a bit within China, relocated to Hong Kong, "crash course" on my new role and responsibilities, horse racing (little gambler's first time unlucky^^), company boat trip... Attended a global team conference in the amazing Antalya, Turkey, did henna tattoos, tasted many Turkish delights (sweeeet *_*), experienced traditional Turkish bath in a 150-year old Hammam place, had photo walks/shoot and finally went rock and roll at Scorpions concert in Istanbul with a couchsurfing friend Serkan who happened to be in Warwick University at the same time as me but we never met each other! Small world indeed! 

Then Istanbul - Cannes (trade show) - Athens (induction) - Hamburg (induction) - Hong Kong at the end of November. I'm enjoying my life, learning so much more every single day from all the colleagues I work with, challenging myself to step outside my comfort zone, being incredibly independent, and getting stronger, smarter, as a person. Of course, I do get homesick from time to time and I owe my parents so, so much as without their support and unconditional love all these years, I wouldn't have such amazing life experiences around the world and to be able to grow into the person I am today. There are always sacrifices and trade-offs. Right now, I am exactly where I wanted to be and I know that I will become even better. Keep going. Living my dream. 

Till next time. Good night Europe. 

Career FAQ-1 Should I work as a contractor?

Q: I have just finished my postgraduate studies in the UK after working in Asia for five years. I hold a PSW (Post-Study Work) Visa valid for two years until Feb 2014. Should I work as a contractor for a couple of months now? Is it worth it? What are the benefits?


A: I have had many conversations with graduates in the UK or expats new to Australia on this. Our consensus is that, when you have no evidence of work experience in a new country, it is always better to start with SOMETHING rather than absolutely nothing and having to keep jobhunting, waiting for news, incurring living cost with no income support, especially if you are hoping to stay in the big cities like London. If you have been actively looking and applying for jobs for 2, 3 months now, but still haven't found the perfect match, maybe it is time to consider contract work for a couple of months. 


Some of the benefits are:

1. Gain experience in the new culture, have a feel of what it is really like working in this country. Sort of reality check for yourself: is this what I expected? How do I feel working in this new culture? How am I adapting to the work environment? What are the barriers or difficulties if any? What support is needed to break those barriers down? Am I able to converse, socialise and integrate with colleagues and locals at ease? What do I find different about that culture? What can I do to improve myself in this situation?
2. Prove that you can do the job. Work experience in this country is crucial. Of course there are transferable skills you bring from your previous jobs overseas, however, employers tend to be more willing to hire you if they can see clear evidence and convincing demonstrations of your skill sets. Adding valuable experience to your CV/resume instead of leaving a gap between your last role and this one.
3. Get referees/references. Doing some initial contract work exposes you to some local managers who are able to work with you, evaluate and comment on your performance, which would add credibility to your work in that country.
4. Networking. More than 4/5 jobs are not advertised? You could explore job opportunities through speaking to people at social functions or professional networking events about any vacancies they may be aware of in their organisation. Or they simply know there is another job vacancy somewhere else. It may be make a list of your friends, classmates, university alumni, all contacts: is there anything you would like to update them with? Do you have any questions in a particular organisation or industry they work in? What do you want to know? Is there anything they can help? Generally people are nice and willing to help! :)

Contract work may not be your ideal match (in your case probably both a challenge to yourself as well as a transition phase) but you might be able to learn something different, something new in this completely new environment. So you that you could learn more about industry insights, rules of the game, but more importantly, use it as a platform to demonstrate that you can learn quickly the new systems, new ways of working. 

On top of that, you have a 2-year visa. Even if you use your visa to work as a contractor for 6-9 months, you will still have one year for a job that you really, really want, which you will find as you carry on jobhunting and exploring potential opportunities while you're working and developing yourself in this first role you have. You need to start somewhere.

Best of luck with your jobhunting! Work hard. Work smart.

1-year old Hairy Cow Honey :) met in the Highlands, Scotland (April 2012)

Assessment centre tips

Share with you some tips and reflections from my recent assessment centre day with a leading FMCG company. It is more of an evaluation and feedback session for myself and I hope it is helpful to whoever reading it now and good luck to you in your assessment days!

Arrivals

Arrive early to avoid any delays due to traffic or other unforeseen reasons. Check in and tidy up everything. Have a quick shower and get changed into ‘casual’ outfit, which wasn’t too casual. Always keep smart appearance! It is okay to slightly over-dress rather than dress down. Jacket/blazer works with everything. Arrive early and ask hotel staff for directions around to familiarise yourself with the surroundings.

Meet and greet

Arrive early at the venue, wait for the others to come, think about things you would like to ask and topics to discuss with your fellow candidates. Learn from the others’ experiences. Be friend with them and get to know them by asking questions about their background. You are at the assessment centre for the same job. It is always interesting and inspiring to see what the others have done in getting into the field of interest. Discuss the sort of activities they are involved in. What are they passionate about? What books, blogs do they read? What are they good at? How have they coped with difficult situations along the way? The learning can be magnificent.

Dinner and drinks

Table manner is important. Be careful with how you eat what you eat while still actively paying attention to your neighbours and spare reasonable time for discussions. Perhaps choose some dishes that are ‘easier’ to finish? Don’t make too much noise as you’re cutting things into pieces or having soup. Of course these are all common sense but it is surprising how many people do not pay enough attention to the small bits and pieces resulting in losing points over dinner table. It is also a way of finding out more about the people working in the company – what they like, are they approachable, friendly, what do they talk about, and ask as many questions as you like about the profession, the company, the industry over informal setting. There are assessors dining with you and it can be stressful being surrounded by three pairs of eyes from the senior management of the company. The key is to be yourself and be professional. Think before you speak and listen as they do. 

p.s. know your limits, drink responsibly!

Morning

Go for breakfast early, try to check-out early and be at the venue 15 minutes early. Double check meeting time with the organisers - sometimes they do get the timing wrong. Be energetic. Breathe. Don’t stress yourself too much. Assessment days are both for you and your employer to find out if they really want to work with you on a daily basis. They are just as nervous as you are believe it or not. They fear that after spending so much time and money hunting for great talent, only to find out that you are not the one you say you are or you may not be the perfect fit with the company... or simply: they do not like you.

Exercises

-        Tests

Numerical and verbal tests are often nerve cracking. You cannot concentrate fully under time pressure and especially being in such a competitive environment, your brain is not functioning as well as it could. The key thing to remember is that everyone else who are doing the tests are in exactly the same situation as you are. They are also feeling nervous. They may not be performing as well as they wish. It’s normal. The tests are not there to trick you. Well-designed exercises explore your ability to learn a routine, or a technique quickly and to apply it in replicated scenarios. There are often various exercises in order to assess your strengths and weaknesses in a balanced way. Do you often find yourself good at certain set of exercises rather than the others? Nobody is perfect. Just try your best and stay focused. Your scores from the tests are normally compared against the average taken from all the people who have taken the test under similar constraints, rather than the absolute scores out of 100, per se. Take it easy.

-        Interviews

Be succinct. Highlight your key words in a orderly fashion. Show your trace of thoughts. Be logical in answering questions. Signpost your audience as they take notes. Help them by starting your answer with: there are three main reasons why... This helps them comprehend you better so that they can listen to your examples and illustrations with full attention. You can sense when they want to hear more about something, right? Don’t start talking about one example and get carried away. You can always speak less in the first instance and elaborate upon request if the interviewers are interested in knowing more details. Sometimes less is more.

-        Case study

Timing is absolutely crucial in case study preparation. You have one hour to read over 30 pages of materials to extract the most valuable pieces of information to put together a 10 minutes presentation with flipcharts or any visual aid that you can come up with in such a short time. You also need to tidy your thoughts and organise your words, following a clear logic, delivered in a compelling fashion and convince your audience.

Be selective in your reading, skim through the pages with your key questions in mind, otherwise you are just going to waste your precious time jotting down notes that are not going into your presentation. Waste of time. Use a combination of texts and drawings, bullet points and simple tables for easier visual illustration of what you are describing. Talk about key trends, challenges, stakeholders, specific strategies and what are the contingencies. Practice makes perfect.

Some people say the best presenters speak at 140 words per minute. If you can’t do that then do not try to speed things up otherwise you might screw your presentation by not having enough time to think through what you are going to talk about next. You can be a bit slow but accurate and fluent in your speaking, rather than trying to impress the assessors by moving fast in the beginning and losing your threads altogether later on.

-       Group exercise

Get to know your teammates before the exercise. Try to analyse their working style and figure out who is outspoken and who needs a bit of encouragement and inspiration (or delegation) to contribute some ideas. Rapport building is crucial here, which is why you should always get to know people whenever you can. Leadership does not necessarily equate to being aggressive, forcing people to follow his or her suggestions. A good leader listens, evaluates pieces of information and recommendations and has clear logic of thoughts on what is needed and what happens next. He or she also encourages the others to participate, facilitates discussions and try to include everybody in the team, contributing. Ask for volunteers, ask for time-checks (try not to do it yourself J) and ask if there is anything anyone wish to add, or if anyone has spotted anything missing in the discussions. Basically, ask you can see, ASKING, analysing and summarising.

End of the day

At the end of the (long, stressful, daunting) day, remain enthusiastic and energetic even if you are shattered and feel the urgent need to go home and run a hot bath. Keep smiling. Feel proud of yourself over the course of the assessment tasks. Reflect your learnings and think about what you would have done differently if you were to do it all over again. Talk to the others to find out how they feel about the day. (Then you will feel much better as you will find out that they feel exactly the same.) Everyone is tired and doesn’t wish to speak anymore. Summarise your takeaways from the day and thank everyone on behalf of all the candidates. Thank everyone you have spoken to with a firm handshake and sincere smile. 

Remember people’s names and write them thank you notes immediately after you go back, before preparing your cuppa and running your hot bath. Also thank those who helped you as you were doing your preparation, anyone you have contacted within the organisation when you tried to find out the culture or any specific areas within the business operation that you are particularly interested in. I know this is all common sense. It takes time. It’s tedious. But do get into the habit of doing things this way, be a naturally interpersonal person. You never know what fortunes these small actions will bring you.

Lastly, best of luck and never give up! You will meet the one. : )

What am I doing to myself?

We don't have much time left. We're losing time. Thesis. Job-hunting. What is going to happen after September 9th 2011 seemed like a futuristic question a while ago. But not any more. Kitchen party was getting serious. People were talking about jobs, blogs, Linkedin groups. Who has got a job, who has not. Who is struggling with their thesis, who has great supervisor with great interviewee contacts ready for them. Who is going for another interview or assessment centre. Who is moving back to their home countries after studies.


Personal development training day was on June 24th, when I clapped my hands like crazy, got completely wet in a dragon boat race and got a cold straight after - and was not appreciated in any way for what I did for the team. Which is fine. If we expect for returns and recognition for everything we do for others, we're only going to be very, very disappointed from time to time. No one will truly appreciate what you contribute. Self-motivation is what keeps me going all these years. Can never do good enough, or shout loud enough about your own achievements or what you have been doing altruistically for others. Sometimes perhaps one should be more selfish. I enjoy though, organising things for people, preparing surprises, cooking and sharing. While no one ever asks to contribute a little bit to all the money I spent on preparing those little treats or big meals for 10, I mean it's okay - it's for friends sharing, enjoying each others' company. I'm not from a rich family otherwise I wouldn't care - I have always worked so hard every single holiday while I'm in this country to earn some extra money for subsistence. I work very, very hard to achieve what I have to achieve. But really, not everything you're doing for them is ever being appreciated. I was just really upset every now and then. Obviously it is going to be the same, if not worse in the real world. Mental toughness. Have principles. Say no. Be mentally strong to cope with all the unfairs and storms in life. I will have to move on and learn from lessons.


Almost 11 months in the village of Cranfield. The moment of truth is near. Soon enough we will say goodbye to each other and move on in our lives. Whatever we do, wherever we will be, it's gonna be a brand new page and Cranfield is going to be archived in our memory. A rather emotional time, really. I can't imagine the day when we all meet up in Grad Admin or wherever to submit our carefully binded theses, nervous and relieved. Before that day, we just have to keep going.


Work placement. I know I should not be compromising too much given the skills, knowledge and experience I have had for what I am capable of doing. Having got used to being paid 8 pound per hour on some jobs, this work placement is not ideal at all. But still, when an opportunity knocks, after a long and difficult debate with myself, I said yes. What I am putting myself through is an incredibly busy summer all the way to October. 


No more freedom. No more leisure. Lots of struggle. 3 hours of bus travelling by the often fashionably late Stagecoach buses - Venus 1 from Cranfield University to Bedford then Mars 3 between Bedford and the business park - then a 7 minutes walk into the office. Buses in the village are not as frequently as we would like them to be. There is just one bus heading as far as Cranfield University from Bedford, which is understandable - not many students are travelling in between very much during the day. But what this implies is: if you missed that very bus going into the university, you have to wait for another hour in the middle of Wooton Village. Taxis are available at 12-15 quid. I just went to the company for a 2-hour induction but I started travelling on the bus at 8.40am and came back to uni at 15.00 sharp... 


Why do I have to put myself through difficult tasks? Why do I always challenge myself too much? I mean after all the hard work I know I will be pleased for the experience and what I have learnt by then. But it is painful. 3 hours a day on the bus, makes it 180 hours over the course of three months! I can do so much with that time. A Megarider day ticket costs a shocking GBP10.30. At my own expense which is supposed to be covered by the allowance which is nothing compared to my previous roles. On top of time and money, I have my terrible motion-sickness to overcome along the wiggly country roads in and out of every single village, trying not to think about the dizziness after the long journey. As I was waiting in the middle of a village, I even wrote Cranfield Uni on a notebook, waving to the cars approaching,  hoping that someone would be kind enough to give me a lift for that 4-mile trip which I had to wait for 1 hour. Could have walked actually, if there was a safe pedestrian path...Basically I was just a bit upset, feeling a bit stupid for everything I am doing to stretch myself and to enrich my CV with some responsibilities directly relevant to what I would like to do in my future career. Just that I am pushing myself so much and paying a lot for what they are.


Michelle, be strong! You can do it. Just don't give up. Love yourself. Have faith in yourself. You will do great stuff!

Warwick Advantage

Old glories from my undergraduate days, originally published here on Warwick Advantage website, the most brilliant platform offering holistic career and personal development information, resources and opportunities for students that I have ever seen, after comparing across different universities in this country.

Michelle Ou – Philosophy, Politics and Economics

When I first arrived I couldn’t mix with the home students because of the culture difference and I knew nothing about the topics they were talking about. At college, the academic experience was very different from China. It took me a while to get used to a class size of 10 instead of 50 and to participate in discussions fluently.

I was eager to practise my English and learn more about British culture, so during my first week I found a volunteering job at a charity shop where I worked for the next two years, achieving the 200 Hours Millennium Volunteers Award. At A2, I volunteered to be a Charity Representative and coordinated a team of four to fundraise for two worthy causes. Our efforts resulted in over 10,000 Pounds raised, exceeding our annual target of 2,000 Pounds. I was then appointed the Marketing Officer for our Young Enterprise and initiated ideas of making handmade jewellery by recycling materials as well as photo frames with artistic prints, both of which were popular in the local trade fair. I also mentored a little Chinese girl, helping her to build up confidence and support her academically.

This year I worked as one of six Freshers Supervisors at the Students’ Union to manage a team of 150 student helpers to ensure the smooth running of the Freshers’ Fortnight events. It was hard work and I’m so glad I threw myself into such a challenging environment, representing an international perspective, working with home students and staff of the Students’ Union on a daily basis, which significantly boosted my confidence.

I have done various part-time jobs and my passion for volunteering continues, working as a volunteer interpreter for the local refugee centre. I organized a China Day cultural event for the local community, presenting them the latest image of China. I’ve also travelled in Europe – the 2 levels of French I completed within 1 year helped enormously when I visited Paris recently.

Now five years on, I’m actively applying for jobs in China and HR managers have shown great interest in my CV as the wide range of experiences I have had made me stand out from the crowd. Studying in the UK is not just about academic work, moreover, it’s a unique opening to a world of opportunities of networking, getting involved and self-development. I’ve never regretted my decision to come here.

• 
  

PIAF x1

Not the legendary Edith Piaf we're talking about here. But PIAF - Prague International Advertising Festival, it is. 

May 11th-12th 2011. Prague, Czech Republic. Incredibly beautiful weather, warm sunshine, lots of  tourists, trams, yellow cabs, various architecture styles spotted around the city, where history meets modernity.

Arriving into Prague at midnight, the airport shuttle bus driver took us on a city tour, dropping the other passengers off at different stops while I was so excited to see all the major attractions dotted in the city centre and along the riverside - the Castle, National Theatre, Charles Bridge and lots of towers and churches. I held my breath, eagerly capturing the beauty of the city with my own eyes, falling in love with it.


May 11th
The venue of PIAF 2011 was chosen at Veletržní Palác, a National Gallery with five floors of marvellous fine art, contemporary installations and sculptures from the 20th - 21st century, both Czech and foreign, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore and many more. The extensive exhibition space in the building was astonishing. One could easily spend a couple of hours going through everything in detail - that could be a peaceful, pleasing afternoon well-spent in Prague.

Donald Gunn with Enthusiastic Chinese journalists outside the venue.

Source: www.piaf.cz

By the entrance of PIAF venue was a military style 4wd with the slogan 'where bad ideas go to die' which was a controversial campaign PIAF launched, challenging the creativity industry in a bold, somewhat a bit violent way by encouraging users to type in 'bad ideas' and kill them (brutally). 

Source: www.piaf.cz

Walking down the stairs, sharp blue light rays brought us to an open space with ads entry boards carefully clipped onto coat hangers in the centre. 

Source: www.piaf.cz

Viewing all the entered creative works was a pleasure. From time to time you would go 'Wow, that is so smart!' Speakers, creative directors and journalists mingle around, enjoying refreshments provided by Kraft, Espresso by Nestlé Nespresso and beers by Heineken. 

Policy briefings: recap

For current students:

-          We can apply for a study visa within the UK if it is at a higher level, for example, we may need to obtain documents as proof if we want to do another MSc elsewhere in the UK after Cranfield

-          Students are restricted to a maximum of 8 years staying in the UK on Tier 4 student visa

-          PSW – Post Study Work Visa

o   Will be cancelled after April 1^st 2012, students have to secure sponsorship from companies in order to obtain a Tier 2 visa

o   MSc students currently have 2 months after their course ending date to remain in the UK, but they still need a formal document stating their results once they are passed by the Exam Board as supporting evidence for their visas

-          Working while studying

o   Students are now allowed to work for up to 20 hours per week during term time

o   And full-time during university closure periods and after their course is finished

-          Students with families

o   Families/dependents are not allowed to come with the student who’s on a one-year course, from July 2011 onwards

For new students:

-          The university will carry out academic progress check 3 times a year to ensure the students are actively engaging in their studies

-          English proficiency requirement will be tightened

o   Evidence check by UKBA

o   Understanding conversations with the entry clearance officer

-          Even if some African and Asian students have been in full-time education taught in English in their own countries, they would still need some kind of English proficiency certificate as proof

Useful websites:

http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/index.php   (explained in plain English)

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/                 (official UKBA website)

ACTION:

Attend the talk on May 9th 2011 18:30, Auditorium, Building 52!

On Monday 9th May Jennifer Lambe from Gherson solicitors will be coming to campus to present on the issue of immigration and working in the UK.

The presentation will include:

• The recent changes to the UK Immigration system.
• How students are and will be affected.
• Remaining possibilities to work in the UK.
• Whether there is still the chance of gaining permanent residency and ultimately Nationality.
• Q&A session.

Happy birthday to myself: L’Oreal Brandstorm et al

So much has been going on for the past two weeks.

An important lesson learnt during this time was to CHECK EVERYTHING, DOUBLE CHECK, TRIPPLE CHECK AND NEVER PRESUME UNTIL IT IS CONFIRMED. I felt really upset one day. I had asked Ben to help me with some leads on Corporate Social Responsibilities or Sustainability issues in China or in the UK. I didn’t realise that at the same time, he forwarded my CV to some of his contacts asking for job opportunities. When I received an email from one of Ben’s contacts right after I sent him my thesis proposal, I took for granted that it was regarding my thesis. While busy and stressed with meeting other deadlines, I prepared thoroughly on the sustainable case studies about the company but not yet had the time to do a proper recap as for a job interview. When I realised it WAS for a job interview, it was too late. : ( I felt so sorry for him and for Ben as they would have had high expectation about me whereas I didn’t even do my homework properly just to confirm whether it was for my thesis interviews or a job interview. : ( Lesson learnt: if in doubt, always ASK.

Team L’Aesthetics attended L’Oreal Brandstorm UK National Final, juggling between numerous deadlines and huge amount of pressure. In the end, we didn’t manage to win the tickets to go to Paris for the International contest but we’re happy that we’ve done our best. For me personally, it was such a deep learning curve, from putting everything we’ve learnt from MSc Strategic Marketing at Cranfield School of Management, to designing A3 double-sided handouts from scratch, every stage along the way while preparing for the National Final, I’ve gained so much valuable experience.

Time management was crucial as the preparation was throughout our Research Methods lectures which were vital to our thesis writing and a First Review Paper which includes the most important elements of the thesis. I had done online tests and kept receiving ‘sorry but...’ emails. I had buried myself in the main library searching for articles and past theses until midnight. Sometimes it was difficult not to compromise on food as there was so little time to relax and cook a proper meal for myself when Tesco ready meals became my best mate for two weeks. Now that the Brandstorm competition was over, I can finally relax a little bit to treat myself and catch up with some sleep.

We arrived in London on May 2^nd preparing for L’Oreal Brandstorm Final, going through presentations, sorting out team outfit as well as getting some beauty sleep the night before. Early morning, we took our suitcases and printed display boards with us, battling with the working Londoners during rush hour in the tube. Nervous but excited. Being the first team arriving at reception, we calmed ourselves down and tried to brush up our presentation flow one last time. ‘I see competition!’ Said my teammate. The other teams arrived one by one, with glamorous dresses, beautiful heels, professionally prepared point-of-sale materials and big smiles.

Amongst the ten finalist teams, there were 8 teams of British students, a team of French and us, two Chinese and one Romanian girl. It was a challenge for us first of all, to do the presentation with confidence in front of all our competitors in our second language - huge pressure. Six teams were from the same university, Nottingham Trent, doing fashion marketing and another relevant course, with their lecturer who has supervised a previous winning team. Their presentations were soooo good... Really, I was amazed by the runner-up team and totally loved the innovative ideas they had for products and the smart installation of a hair scanning machine to be placed as a salon experiment for existing L’Oreal Professionnel portfolio salons, which I also thought about but wasn’t developed further in our presentation. Great minds think alike – the winning team from our group was called Team Manifest, we had our original idea on creating a full-service salon called Club Manifesto, offering holistic male grooming experience. In the People’s Choice lunch hour, when we presented our display materials and ideas to L’Oreal staff, quite a few people voted Manifest instead of our team name L’Aesthetics. Was a bit unlucky in terms of that. :P

To be continued...

The clock is ticking

An important year in my life. A number of major decisions to be made. An Easter break 2 weeks before Easter. A fabulous month with gorgeous weather that is quite unusual for this time of the year in this country.

Five months left before thesis is submitted and everything is packed back into my suitcases when I'm about to embark on a new journey, whatever that may be. Online tests, telephone interviews and waiting lists. Jobhunting has come to a bottleneck partially because of the post-study work visa requirement for all overseas students. Some companies have screening questions asking if one has the permanent right to work in this country. Nope. Sorry we cannot process your application any further. Of course one has to keep applying, keep getting rejected, keep practising tests and attending interviews and all that before receiving a YES. Some can multitask, some can't. I'm the latter. 

The reasoning is simple. Thesis, which is what I spend most of my time on, counts 60% of our final grade. Of course grades don't matter any more when you have a Masters. People don't even care what you did it in. Just another attempt to differentiate ourselves from the pool, isn't it. Having the opportunity to dig into the literature of sustainability marketing is great. Having the chance to work with Publicis over the course of my project is challenging. Do all the thinkings twice - academically and in practice. Deliverables apart from the perfectly written, carefully proofread and beautifully bound thesis, are formal presentations for the organisations involved. Lots of tasks coming up giving me the chance to practise, challenge myself and proving what I am capable of in the real world of work. Which is AMAZING. I'm really excited about this project!!

Deadlines. New deadlines. Timetable. Timetable changes. Timetable changes again.

On top of all the work I do, I did manage to get a life somehow. Coventry visit on a very sunny day. Met up with Siyuan, an artist who works at jobs.ac.uk and home-delivered a surprise for Peter Muckersie my British grandpa - I wish him well. Been to student concert night watching talented fellow students playing guitar, memories drifting back to the summer in Beijing Houhai when we sang our song in a pub. Indian night, the music was sooo danceable although food was a bit spicy for me (definitely not spicy at all for those from India). La Tasca, delicious Spanish tapas - can't wait till summer when I could visit Spain for the first time. Brunch and Easter egg hunt around campus, relaxing in the sunshine, being lazy, we were like kids fighting for the big prize when searching for chocolate eggs.

Cranfield Taxi Buddy has been, reasonably successful, thanks to technical solutions accompanied. Lots of members in the group now, posting taxi-sharing requests and sharing a lift with other Cranfield buddies. Good stuff. Should have done this since the beginning of the term though!! : ( Would have saved hundreds of $$.

 Make the most out of my stay here at Cranfield, really. Busy, stressful, working hard yet no regrets.

Recap: L'Oréal Brandstorm

Something extraordinary is happening.

L'Oréal Brandstorm it is.

In the case study, students are required to develop an experiment to attract men to go to hair salons where women also go to. In addition to the salon idea, a brand new product range is to be designed while the new range brand identity ought to be in line with L'Oréal Professionnel Homme.

On Feb 28th, except for getting the address hence directions wrong for the lovely breakfast briefing at Cafe Rouge, Team L'Aesthetic had an amazing day at L'Oréal Headquarter in Hammersmith, London - because we were fortunate enough to be in the UK National Final, baby! : )

L'Oréal is keen on raising the hair industry standard through educating hairdressers of the future as well as establishing business partnerships with excellent hair salons. There are hundreds of hairdressers attending various training courses and practical sessions across different levels at HQ.

End-to-end experience is important throughout all the different elements a consumer encounters during the consumption process: the packaging, smell, feel, texture, product performance etc. Every stage along the way influences the overall experience hence perception of the brand. In order to understand the male customers and how to sell products to them, we not only have to focus from a consumers' perspective, but also to convince the hairdresser or stylist to pass on this crucial knowledge persuasively.

Four male consumer segments were identified by L'Oréal.

1) Metro-sexual
Confident, enjoy attention, would like people to know that they're spending time and money on   their appearance, fashionable, designer styles, sexy.

2) New masculine
Effortless, groomed, stylish, like to smell and try new products, appreciate sharing knowledge, discussions, adopt new innovations.

3) Cautious
Reassurance on masculinity, classic with a twist, solution seeker, need simple advice, relationship is important to them, trust is crucial, one has to subtly tell them that a lot of men are using these new products in order to convince effectively.

4) Traditional
Unchangeable styles, conservative, have specific benefits, quick and simple styles, easy, no fuss, classic. Apologies Ross, I forgot who it was that L'Oréal put originally - you might or might not fall into this category? No offence.

According to Stacey Egan from Guy Kremer Salon, products that can be used at home to recreate the looks done in the salons are particularly attractive to men. Men are new to the idea of taking care of themselves, looking good, spending time on their appearance by using haircare or skincare products.

Beth Rowe, the Account Technical Manager suggests a potential challenge in the current L'Oréal Professionnel salons, which is the conflict between Toni&Guy own product range Label.m and L'Oréal products as participating salons have no contract obligation on the proportion of products by L'Oréal. Therefore there is an ongoing battle to keep the salons motivated and confident in passing on the benefits of L'Oréal products on to the customers.

 The company has also stepped into the green and sustainability regime, including launching Serie Nature, where science meets nature, promoting alternative ingredients. This range includes 7 products and acts as a platform to promote the ethics of the company.

On another note, male consumers are said to use 6 products on average whereas there is a potential of 3 more products that can be adopted in both the existing and new skincare/haircare categories. Which product categories do we want to develop further? Colour, haircare or styling? Or is it skincare which we want to extend to by leveraging the power of L'Oréal Professionnel brand. We want to invite them to come to hair salons, spend more for bums on seats. What models wear can also influence customers' choice significantly, depending on whether or not they reflect the male customers' style to make them feel comfortable.

These are not all the challenges that we need to tackle.

On Wednesday April 6th, we will be meeting an ad agency who is allocated to work with us, helping us to develop illustrations of our salon experiment, product range and ad campaign.

Watch this space! : )

*Picture credit: Katherine Tian Meng
*From left: Julia Vladu, Katherine Tian Meng, UK Marketing Director, Marketing Department cool guy, Michelle Ou
(picture can be removed upon request as permission was not obtained prior to publishing)

PIAF jury 2011

Michael Conrad, President at Berlin School of Creative Leadership, Switzerland

Gideon Amichay, Chief Creative Officer at Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R, Israel

Ian Armstrong, European Communications Manager at Honda, United Kingdom

Ferenc Benesch, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Group, Hungary

Susan Credle, Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett US, United States of America

Timo Everi, Senior Advisor, Board Member at Hasan&Partners, Finland

Daryl Fielding, Vice President Marketing, Kraft Foods Europe, Switzerland

Francois Chilot, President of the CFP-E and President of Les Producers, France

Pete Favat, Chief Creative Officer at Arnold Worldwide, United States of America

Pedro Ferreira, Executive Creative Director at Y&R, Portugal

Guido Heffels, Creative Director and co-founder at Heimat Berlin, Germany

Ralf Heuel, Chief Creative Officer/Partner at Grabarz & Partner, Germany

Sandrine Huijgen, Communications Manager at Heineken, Netherlands

Oleg Lasphin, Creative Director at Saatchi&Saatchi, Ukraine

Marco Monteiro, Creative Director at Loducca, Brazil

Pablo Pérez-Solero, Executive Creative Director and President at Bungalow 25, Spain

Eric Schoeffler, Chief Creative Officer at DDB Tribal Group, Germany

Emiliano Trierveiler, Copywriter for Adidas Global at Sid Lee Amsterdam, Netherlands

Seyoan Vela, Executive Creative Director at Grey Amsterdam, Netherlands

Marco Viganò, Art Director at Publicis Group Milan, Italy

happy new (tough) year

The end of one challenging week.

CSA meetings on Monday with committee and also the lady in charge of Internal Communications. Had a relaxing time reading FT in Lanchester Hall Reception. Went to Social Club for some oriental food, always a bit homesick at this particular time of year - Christmas and New Year... Worked with my lovely Team L'aesthetic girls until 2am, designed floor plan for a concept hair salon for men, offering pampering full-service salon experience with makeover and personal styling consultancy. Wanting to do a graphic design course over summer.

Tuesday and Wednesday were again packed with lecture slots and L'Oreal Brandstorm teamwork. Stayed in School of Management till late again... We could literally grab some pillows/duvet and spend the night in a syndicate room so that we didn't have to walk all the way back to Lanchester... Augusto my lovely flatmate is way too kind to help me with Tesco delivery once again. : )

The clock is ticking, girls!!

Finally finished Brandstorm salon experiment pre-case study, sent off before deadline. It was such a steep learning curve. Hugh was really nice - he went through the case with us and offered some great ideas and suggestions! Anyway it's done. Now time to write about the launch campaign of Lady Gaga in 2008, which seems like a long, long time ago. Looking through some of her semi-vintage videos while doing research for my Integrated Marketing Communications individual assignment, Michelle was so carried away by the impeccable creativity and the passion delivered by the music videos...

"Oh oh oh oh oh, oh oooohhh... poker face..." Yep, dancing the night away was what she ended up doing...

Impressed by her exam marks so far this year. I was very fortunate since I joined Cranfield for Masters. However difficult this year may be, I'm sure all the effort will be paid off eventually. IMC deadline, done. Friday 4pm. Finance exam revision starts. But then again, it's Friday night...

Cooked Thai chicken curry, second attempt in baking a chocolate cake following a foolproof recipe...with the help from a master chef from Le Cordon Bleu. Love cooking and cleaning. Should really try to make more time doing things that make me happy and relaxed.




Weekend well-spent in SOM again. There's no heating in the syndicate rooms. Coffee machines saved lives!

Grabbed a Groupon deal today. : ) Happy!! Just did some pre-reading for tomorrow's session on Sales, Key Account Management and B2B Marketing.

Back to finance revision now. Fingers crossed for questions on investment appraisals, balance sheet, cash flow forecast, break-even point, financial ratios and no budgeting or variance control!