Internships are a great opportunity for students to gain valuable work experience, learn new skills, and build a professional network. As an intern at Funding Societies, you will get the exposure to work on meaningful projects that make a real impact on SMEs and develop skills that will help you stand out in a professional career in Financial Technology (FinTech).
To give you a glimpse into a Marketing internship with us, we are proud to introduce four of our former interns who are now our full-time employees!
Meet Sekar, Bella, Laxman, and Tze Nam (left to right in the image above) who are all valuable contributors to our regional Marketing department. Read on to hear about their internship experiences at Funding Societies, how they overcame challenges in their transition period, the company culture, and some tips to start a full-time career in FinTech!
How long have you been working at Funding Societies | Modalku after the completion of your internship?
Sekar: I’m reaching my 2-year mark soon! I started my full-time career with Funding Societies | Modalku in July 2021.
Bella: And I’ve been working here for about 10 months.
Laxman: I’ve been with Funding Societies as a full-timer for slightly over 3 months now.
Tze Nam: I’ve been here the longest, it’s coming to 4 years for me!
Congratulations on becoming a full-time employee with Funding Societies | Modalku! Tell us about your journey from being an intern to a full-time employee.
Sekar: I joined Modalku as a Public Relations intern in January 2021 and I was impressed by the real-est warm welcome from my mentors, as well as from the whole team 🥰
It is my first professional job, and I believe that making mistakes is something I do daily. But my direct manager, Natasha, never gets mad at me and always gives feedback in a positive way. She always teaches me how to be thorough, and how to communicate better, alongside many other skills required to do my job well.
When my internship contract was almost over, Natasha asked me if I was interested in joining the team full-time because she saw some potential in me. I was excited to take up the offer because I believed that she would give me many opportunities to learn! And today, I have learned so much about how to succeed as a PR practitioner in Indonesia’s FinTech industry.
Sekar on the ground with the Marketing and PR team, after a successful event launch
Bella: When I first joined Funding Societies Malaysia as a Social Media and Public Relations intern, I had little knowledge about the financing and investment industry. Despite this, I took a leap of faith and decided to give it a try. During my 3-month internship, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I had the opportunity to learn a great deal and work with a diverse group of stakeholders. What I found particularly satisfying was the freedom to exercise my creativity and perform my duties without any limitations. It was this sense of fulfilment that ultimately motivated me to pursue a permanent position with Funding Societies.
Laxman: It has been an incredibly thrilling journey from being a digital marketing intern to now becoming a digital marketing executive at Funding Societies Malaysia. I joined Funding Societies as an intern, eager to learn and contribute to the digital marketing team. From day one, I was immersed in various digital marketing projects, working closely with my colleagues and learning the ins and outs of the industry. After my internship ended, I was thrilled to be offered a full-time position! I gladly accepted and continued to work with the team to implement digital marketing strategies and drive results for our campaigns.
Tze Nam: After my 3 months of internship with Funding Societies Malaysia, my manager had plans to convert me into a full-time employee. Coincidentally, I was interested to continue working with the company. So, to my delight, we came to a consensus very quickly for me to join the team permanently.
(Left to right): Bella, Laxman, Tze Nam
What about your internship experience at Funding Societies | Modalku that made you want to start a career here?
Sekar: There were not many memorable things during my internship because it was still in the pandemic era. But after joining the company full-time, I remember how nervous I was to become the emcee for internal activities and for our Instagram lives in front of our loyal customers and to introduce Modalku to people who have never heard about us before. What I cannot believe is that I got the Modalku Star!
Sekar was awarded the Modalku Star during a town hall session.
This is an award to recognise outstanding employees based on their implementation of value, performance, and collaboration across teams.
Bella: What I love most about my role is the freedom to brainstorm and propose unique content ideas, as well as the flexibility to create content that goes beyond what we have done in the past. It’s truly enjoyable to express my creativity through experimentation and producing content. Additionally, I take pride in the growth of Funding Societies Malaysia’s TikTok account, which I have been nurturing since the beginning.
Tze Nam: The culture at Funding Societies is fun, which makes me enjoy my time at work more. My bosses and colleagues also gave me the freedom and flexibility to propose my ideas and execute them.
What are some challenges you’ve faced in the transition process from a uni/college student to a professional? How did you adapt to the change?
Sekar: I think the challenges I faced are quite universal among fresh graduates starting out at their first job.
I was overloaded with information. At that time when I first graduated, I knew nothing about the FinTech industry. So to cope with it, I found that I needed to ask as many questions as I had about the things I didn’t understand. I also found it important to find a balance between confidence and arrogance in the things I knew how to do. I was afraid that if I showed confidence, some of my coworkers would mistake it for arrogance. So I was conscious about making sure they didn’t get the wrong impression.
Meeting new friends from different backgrounds and ages was also a challenge. We have more than two hundred employees at Modalku, so it was difficult to remember the multitude of names and faces at the start. So what I did was to make notes of everyone’s quirks or the conversations I had with them, and recall who they were by their Slack profile picture.
Bella: For me, I believe that many fresh graduates experience pressure when transitioning into a job with defined OKRs (objectives and key results), which is how we measure performance here. However, I am still exploring and deciding on my career path. That’s why I appreciate my current role because it allows me to experience different scopes of work. This exposure has been helpful in guiding me towards my future career goals. Additionally, I am grateful for the support and guidance provided by my team, which has made my transition to a full-time role much smoother.
Laxman: The challenge was shifting from an academic mindset to a professional mindset. In university, the focus is primarily on theoretical knowledge and academic grades, whereas in the professional world, real-life campaign results and performance matter more. Learning to balance deadlines, work under pressure, and meet my manager’s expectations was a significant adjustment for me.
Tze Nam: Learning and mastering the digital marketing tools we use here was one of the challenges I faced at the beginning. Although I studied marketing in school, it only covered the knowledge in theory. Putting the theory into practice is important.
Communication was another challenge I faced. It’s important to communicate in a clear and concise way when working in a team. In order to do that, I learned by listening to how senior employees and management spoke. I also constantly talked to my reporting manager to understand how I could improve my communication skills.
What advice do you have for current and upcoming interns at Funding Societies | Modalku that are interested in a full-time career here?
Sekar: You need to watch and learn. Try to understand and embody your company’s culture. What is the routine, dress code, and habits of your colleagues and bosses like? If it’s appropriate, ask to sit in on meetings or shadow other employees so you can learn the ins and outs of the business. Don’t forget to always be mindful of how you present yourself. Manage your time and keep track of all the projects you’re tasked to do. Remember that some of this information will be confidential, so always get approval before taking any copies of work with you.
Laxman: Don’t be afraid to ask questions if you’re unsure about something. It’s better to seek clarification and gain a clear understanding rather than make assumptions that may lead to unnecessary mistakes. Asking questions also shows your initiative, curiosity, and willingness to learn.
Bella: Joining Funding Societies | Modalku as an intern is an excellent opportunity, even if you are like me and have no prior knowledge of FinTech or financial services. There is no need to worry because the team and everyone in the company will be here to help you along the way. As an intern, the pressure isn’t as heavy, so you will have ample time to learn and understand everything you need to know about Funding Societies or FinTech in general.
Tze Nam: Keep learning. Don’t be afraid of sharing comments and ideas!
Are you a student looking for an internship to explore and grow your professional interests? Or a soon-to-be graduate looking for opportunities to kickstart your career? Aside from Marketing positions, we have a list of positions available. Check out our internship positions below!
Disclaimer: The information provided to you in this blog post is intended only for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice on any subject matter. The materials and the information provided are not intended to be and do not constitute an advertisement or solicitation. In no event will Funding Societies be liable to any party for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages for use of such information by you or any unauthorised third party.