NGO Internship In Hong Kong
True to its status of a global city, Hong Kong serves as the center stage for international NGOs that are looking to take their work to Mainland China and Asia.
Thanks to the well-organized legal and regulatory framework, a caring attitude of the local population towards charitable causes and various other favorable conditions, Hong Kong has seen a great surge in the number of international NGOs since as early as 1997.
Today nearly 215 international NGOs have their offices set up here, out of which a big number devote their majority of focus to cross-boundary and transnational activities.
An NGO internship in Hong Kong will allow you to do impactful work that is not impeded by any physical, social or economic obstacles.
The NGOs in Hong Kong cover a broad range of areas like environmental issues, youth outreach, children protection, animal protection and care, support for the disabled, alcohol and drug abuse, women and girls empowerment, health and rehabilitation, and many more.
NGO internship in Hong Kong offers the perfect environment for the young generation to come out of their cocoon, learn about the hardships of different lives and do their bit to alleviate some of these problems that plague Asia and rest of the world.
How To Ace Your Interview For NGO Internship In Hong Kong
Plan doing NGO internship in Hong Kong for your next summer break to get in touch with the realities of the other half of the world.
There are several local and international NGOs in Hong Kong that would be more than happy to receive a helping hand in their charitable endeavors.
But you should know that to get your desired NGO internship in Hong Kong, you'll have to do your best to stand out from some serious competition.
The NGO will interview you to see if you're the right fit for their organization before they accept you in their internship program.
So the most important task that you have ahead of yourself is acing the interview for an NGO internship in Hong Kong.
A great interview is all that stands between you and your coveted Hong Kong internship.
Here are a couple of pointers that will help you out in your interview for the internship:
- Research the NGO that you are interviewing with well in advance. You should know everything there is to know about the NGO, right from when it started to its current state and related latest news.
- Study up on the social causes that the NGO supports. In all probability, the reason why you've picked this NGO for your internship in Hong Kong is that the causes on which the NGO works resonate with you. So you need to show the interviewer that you're just as passionate as the NGO towards these issues. To be able to do this, you need to be aware of the historical aspects, current affairs and latest developments pertaining to the issues.
- Draw up a list of commonly asked questions in typical NGO internship interviews and write down answers for these. Usually, no interview is complete without questions like:
- Tell us a little about yourself.
- Do you have any prior working experience in a professional environment?
- Why do you want to intern at this NGO?
- How much do you care about our causes and why?
- What are some of your weaknesses and strengths?
- What technical skills do you possess?
- In what way can you contribute to the work that we do here?
It's best to have answers ready in written and in mind for these expected questions.
The reason why you should also be writing down the answers in a notebook, rather than just thinking about them, is because it helps organize thoughts which are usually in a state of clutter when inside head.
- Dress up in a way that makes you feel good, confident, and also leaves a positive impression on your interviewer. Even if your NGO internship Hong Kong interview is conducted via online video chat, you're still expected to wear formal, appropriate attire. Something as simple as the dress-up can tell the interviewer how serious the candidate is about the job or internship.
- When talking about your strengths, try to draw examples from your life experiences to support your points. Without examples, your strengths will just remain generic claims in the eyes of the interviewer. So if you say that you are a problem-solver, back it up with an example from your life where you've actually managed to solve a significant problem. If you say that you are a caring and considerate person, cite them examples from your personal and social life where you've shown genuine care for people in need of it.
- Don't get defensive or evasive when asked about your weaknesses. We all have them and your interviewer knows this! You can talk about 1-2 of your weaknesses while showing an attitude that suggests you're keen on working on them. But remember, just like you don't want to oversell yourself when telling your strengths, you also don't want to sell yourself short when talking about your weaknesses.
- Keep your body language in check. It's easy to lose sight of this when you're interviewing over video chat. You might find yourself fidgeting, casually looking down or away from the screen during pauses, playing with a pen or your hair, slouching, and doing other gestures that might down your impression. Sit up straight, maintain normal eye contact, and be consciously aware to stay attentive and smiling throughout the interview.
- As the interview approaches its end, you'll be expected to ask some questions too. Don't treat this opportunity lightly. Instead of coming up with random questions on spot, have a list of your questions ready ahead of time. Make sure the questions you ask are relevant and meaningful. They could be about your work responsibilities at the NGO, NGO operations, the work culture at the NGO, etc. Asking sensible and thoughtful questions indicates to your interviewer that you're indeed interested in the given NGO internship in Hong Kong.
With these tips on the top of your mind, you can easily pass the Hong Kong internship interview with flying colors and bag your favorite NGO internship in Hong Kong.
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