Amway, a leading direct marketing company based in Michigan, U.S.A., has carried out a global internship program exclusively for Korean talent since 2011 with the aim to leave a bigger footprint here.

And the competition heats up every year with the number of applicants soaring, according to Amway Korea.

This year more than 900 college students applied to grab an internship opportunity at the global company and six finalists were selected to join the two-month summer program that started on June 24.

“The key purpose of the program is nurturing young talent, equipped with a creative and global mindset, for them to grow into high-quality, competitive human resources,” said an Amway Korea official.

“That’s why we prioritize, among other things, creativity, passion and communications skills in selecting interns rather than typical credentials such as school rankings or grades.”

This year’s six intern workers were dispatched immediately to different teams considering their majors and interests and directly joined ongoing or new projects. The program completes on Aug. 16.

Min Ye-ji, 25, who hopes to work as marketer at a global brand, is currently working for Amway’s hair-care brand Satinique on its rebranding project to appeal to all-age groups.

“What’s most exciting is my idea, if it is good enough, can be implemented directly into actual marketing activities. I’m also learning a lot from my mentor,” she said referring to the program’s mentor system.

“I also get practical tips on how to communicate with colleagues, including senior officials, at workplace. It was totally different from what I have just assumed vaguely.”

For Hwang Se-lim, 23, who studies finance, the most attractive part of the Amway internship program was a week-long trip to the U.S. head office in July, she said.

Amway Korea offers interns an opportunity to visit the U.S. headquarters for a week. They meet company executives and carry out joint projects together with interns working there.

Participants especially cited the “Job Shadowing” program as the most exciting experience during their U.S. trip, in which they mingle with U.S. interns and “shadow” their work.

“It was a rare case for me to feel the corporate culture of a global company,” Hwang said.

Considering the positive response from participating students, Amway Korea said its planned to ramp up efforts to further develop the program that had also become a positive inspiration for existing workers.

“We are also learning from passionate intern workers joining every year. The U.S. head office especially considers them quicker-learners who come from IT-advanced Korea,” the official said. 

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)