Discovering ourselves as Gen Zs

In this article, we will be sharing how we found ourselves pursuing a consulting internship with TalentKraft, and how our experience here have shaped our self-discovery journey.

Did you know that 76% of Gen Zs have expressed concerns over securing a job that aligns with their passion and skills? In today’s era, we as Gen Zs have found ourselves at a pivotal point in our university journey, filled with endless possibilities, opportunities, and uncertainties.

At some point, many of us have felt adrift and contemplated our career aspirations. We’ve pondered whether certain roles align better with our personalities or what we truly value in a career. The number of options and questions floating in our minds makes it nearly impossible to pinpoint our desired path before graduation.

But what exactly is the problem behind our dilemma?

We figured it would be interesting to share our story by exploring each step of the problem-solving approach learned during our short stint with TalentKraft! This 4-step approach has helped us address complex issues like problem-solving and everyday dilemmas like grocery shopping. And you may have already been practising it without even realising it.

Defining the problem

Our journey begins with a fundamental step: defining the problem. In today’s generation, where academic excellence alone may not suffice, we face mounting pressure to set ourselves apart through relevant experiences and skill sets. However, even the quest to secure internships, which is crucial for gaining practical experiences, has become increasingly competitive. The underlying issue is our yearning for deeper insight into potential career paths and job roles that resonate with our values and passion.

However, the lack of time, limited opportunities, and societal expectations often steer us toward the most practical paths, leaving us with limited chances for exploration. To address this challenge, we engaged in myriad activities and workshops at TalentKraft to explore various options during our 3-month internship.

Generating the options

We vividly recall that during the first week of our internship, we sat in as staff members for a workshop run for students on “‘Building Your First Team”. As individuals who have been intrigued by personality profiling from a young age, we found ourselves engrossed in the workshop and explored the intricacies of the Big Five personality profiling. This personality profiling is a personality measurement tool focusing on five dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. It allowed us to pick up various insights into our personality and career choices, even if they did not offer definitive answers.

As the weeks unfolded, we participated in various activities and workshops. The consulting training sessions were a highlight as they further honed our problem-solving skillsets and nurtured our creative thinking abilities. These sessions reaffirmed our interest in consulting, which lies at the intersection of these skill sets. Moreover, we engaged in networking events at the TalentKraft gathering, where there were opportunities to interact with alumni from diverse backgrounds, ranging from investments to consulting and even law. Their firsthand accounts were more than interesting anecdotes; they provided invaluable insights into the internal and extrinsic motivators of pursuing these professions and their career trajectories.

Despite our role as “Consulting Interns”, we were not limited to purely consulting work. We took the opportunity to explore various types of work spreading across multiple industries such as valuation, marketing, and human resources. Among a myriad of experiences, the Venture Capital Accelerated program, introduced to us by Guo Jun, stood out. The course offered a deep dive into the dynamic and fast-paced nature of the venture capital industry. By incorporating both qualitative and quantitative aspects, we were able to delve into the due diligence process and develop a robust investment thesis.

While these structured activities formed the backbone of our internship, we were not limited to formal learning. We took it upon ourselves to embark on independent career exploration through online research, forums, and articles. This multifaceted approach enabled us to develop well-informed and carefully considered career options aligned with our aspirations.

Evaluating the options

As the months progressed, we assessed and honed our options in monthly catch-ups, which became a cornerstone of our development process. It was a safe and supportive environment for us to exchange feedback on ways we could address our weaknesses or leverage our strengths. The feedback we received was constructive and refreshingly frank, offering us actionable steps to improve.

Throughout our internship, we had the opportunity to sit in for client meetings and contribute significantly to various projects. With each project and every discussion, we developed a deeper understanding of the work to be completed and our individual preferences. For instance, our involvement in the employee engagement survey illuminated the internal and external factors that truly matter to us in a work environment.

These projects, centred on human resources, enabled us to gain real-world context for our career considerations. We utilised and weighed a set of job motivators, including people & workplace, company reputation, role characteristics & salary, and advancement opportunities to determine our career choices.

Green – shows that our job motivators for each category aligns with the top 3 of the average population

Yellow – shows that our job motivators for each category aligns with the median motivators of the population

Convincing Stakeholders & Conclusion

The journey of discovering our career is not linear; instead, it is one filled with twists and turns. Our career options will keep changing as we gain new experiences and knowledge. This means we must continuously reconsider our choices and return to the drawing board.

Yet, our experience at TalentKraft serves as a crucial step in charting our course toward a fulfilling career and unlocking our potential in the professional arena. We were enabled to make informed career decisions that resonate with our authentic selves and the realities of the professional world.

Reflecting on our internship journey with TalentKraft, every task was a new and fresh experience. We feel immensely grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow in such a safe and nurturing environment. This experience has allowed us to gain deeper insights into the life of a consultant and touched on various other industries, enabling us to make more informed career decisions and equipping us with crucial skill sets. Above all, it has been a transformative period of personal and professional growth.

Written by: Kew Ling Ying and Koh Wei Shan

Ling Ying and Wei Shan interned at TalentKraft in 2024 during their summer break. They are currently pursuing their tertiary education at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) respectively.

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