What it's like to be an American intern at Alibaba headquarters in China
Working as an intern at one of the most successful tech companies in the world in China is beyond eye-opening. It's a similar world filled with investors and flush with cash, yet at the same time staggeringly and wholly different.
For one such summer intern - Conan Zhou - "being a part of the company was a surreal experience."
Departing from the city of Berkeley, California, he journeyed halfway across the world to Hangzhou, China, during the summer of 2014 to intern at Alibaba headquarters. He worked at Alibaba as a Global Business Operations Intern, taking part in various projects within different business units of the company, from Taobao to the Microfinancial Service Group.
When Alibaba went public in September 2014, it ranked as the biggest IPO in history after additional shares were sold. For all intents and purposes, they were the most sought after company in the world. Naturally, Alibaba's hiring process was competitive and unique. When we asked Conan about the hiring process, he replied:
"After a family member forwarded me the opportunity from Alibaba's Weibo page, I applied through their online portal. The application required three written essays and a resume submission. Then, the selected applicants were given phone interviews."
The program itself was started by Jack Ma a few years ago as an effort to bring people from around the world into Alibaba - not as a path to a future job at the company, but as a way to learn about and experience the company culture firsthand and take those ideas and observations back as inspiration and tools for their own success.
Our team of interns consisted of students, teachers, chemists, engineers, entrepreneurs and more, with ages ranging from 18 to 31 years old. Each had something unique about them, whether a dream they were in pursuit of or a success story they were continuing. I think the diversity of the interns really spoke to how the application essays were structured; the questions were broad, such as 'Who are you?' and 'What expectations do you have for the world in the next decade?'. There was no formula of GPA, extracurriculars, and skills to distinguish what an 'ideal' candidate would be.
Working at Alibaba wasn't a sinecure by any means. Conan tells us that he and the other interns "performed a variety of tasks, from market analysis, financial analysis, strategizing marketing plans, and increasing customer satisfaction." Beyond that, interns were encouraged to make the most of their experience and be sponges to the world around them.
Though Conan wasn't able to meet the big man on campus - CEO and founder Jack Ma - he did have the chance to meet Ma's successor, Jonathan Lu.
He says, "We got to hear about his own path through Alibaba and what driving forces helped him succeed throughout his journey. He also gave us a variety of life advice, from how to pursue our dreams to dealing with obstacles. I even got to take a selfie with him!"
Conan ZhouOur intern takes a selfie with the former CEO of Alibaba - Jonathan Lu
A typical work day for a Business Operations intern consists of:
1. Waking up at 7 AM
2. Taking an hour-long shuttle to Alibaba headquarters
3. Sitting through a team meeting at 9 AM
4. Breaking up into project groups and working on daily project
5. Lunch break
6. Regrouping into teams for more work
7. Dinner break
8. Finishing up work until the last shuttle leaves at 8 PM
For Conan, the environment was fast-paced, with employees "constantly on call or working on projects. Yet, the overall atmosphere was one of fun, excitement, and happiness."
In addition to learning about Alibaba's business operations and business units, he also strengthened his Mandarin skills as a byproduct of speaking mainly Mandarin for the duration of the summer.
It wasn't all work, though. If you work at a large company, you typically get to enjoy the many perks that come with it. As the largest company in China, some perks are larger than life:
One of my fondest memories at Alibaba was the day when suddenly everyone's phones were lighting up from notifications that Kobe Bryant had been spotted on campus. I, along with many other employees, ran out of the building frantically asking where he had been seen last. Soon, we were all congregated below Jack Ma's office. After waiting for half an hour, we got to see Kobe come out, embrace Jack Ma, wave to the crowd, and leave in a heavily guarded van. I never would have thought to be able to be 20 feet away from both Kobe Bryant and Jack Ma in China!
Conan Zhou
And what about the campus itself?
Each building on the campus has recreation activities open all the time, such as ping pong, foosball, and billiards. There's a gym on campus with weights, machines, and an indoor basketball court. The campus also comes with places for free massages and yoga classes.
In addition, you can find in many of the buildings fresh fruit marts, flower shops, Starbucks, and cafeterias. The food itself was "inexpensive and good, with a variety of Chinese and Western foods."
Of course, his summer internship at Alibaba provided him with the opportunity to visit Shanghai and other tourist locations on the weekends with the other interns. He sums it up succinctly: "Most importantly, I learned the life stories of other interns and their goals and passions, which gave me a lot of inspiration and motivation."
Conan ZhouFormer Alibaba CEO Jonathan Lu talking about success at Alibaba