Extraordinary Summer

The intake of Link’s summer internship programme is always very diverse, comprising students from different backgrounds. This year, our intake focused on Link University Scholarship awardees (Link Scholars) as well as the children of Link’s employees and contractors. In this issue of Channel 823, four Link interns share with us some of their unforgettable moments at Link.

Gaining hands-on experience in the community

As interns at Link Property Management Service Limited, both Carol and Frankie found their experience rewarding, as they were able to polish their interpersonal skills and professional knowledge through liaising with people in the community and different contractors. Although they could not interact in person with members of the community in the later phase of the internship due to the pandemic, they continued to have virtual meetings with contractors to discuss pandemic-related plans.

“One time, a tenant lodged a complaint during our manager’s visit,” Carol, who studies social work at Hong Kong Baptist University recalled. “It was so challenging, as we had to explain the situation to our manager while trying to keep the tenant calm and so we could find a solution together.”

Wishing to learn more about property management, engineering student Frankie, who is the child of a Link’s contractor, returned to Hong Kong from the UK this summer for the internship. “I have always had a keen interest in the business world,” Frankie said. “I had to liaise with contractors regularly to examine the maintenance needs of the car parks, and to conduct research on the parking fees of nearby car parks. My wide ranging duties spanned both commercial and engineering professions.”

The first taste of professional success

Kelvin and Sam worked at Link’s Headquarters at The Quayside. Just like Carol, they are Link Scholars.

Sam studies risk management at the University of Hong Kong and worked in Link’s Leasing Department during the internship. Having a strong passion for business, it was a dream-come-true moment for him when he learned he had received a Link internship. “It was such a satisfying feeling when the potential tenants expressed interest in my leasing proposals!”

“I am probably the intern who knows the most about Link,” laughed Kelvin, who worked in the Corporate Affairs Department. During his two-month internship, he was responsible for enhancing Link’s search engine optimisation (SEO) and thus had to read all the corporate information online. “I had previously worked part-time in other companies’ corporate affairs departments and was quite familiar with media relations. During my internship at Link, I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge and skill set, learning more about SEO and drafting social media stories.”

Although the interns worked from home for over a month during the course of their summer internships because of the pandemic, they were still very energetic when talking about their internship experience, which shows the depth of their engagement.

Gertrude Stein’s “lost generation” quote mentioned in the beginning of this story was an epigraph from The Sun Also Rises, which is especially poignant since here in the present, despite the turbulent times, the sun continues to rise every day. Learning how to weather the storm, get ready for opportunities and keep up with developing trends are challenges that all of us need to face, whether we’re fresh-faced interns or experienced professionals.