Hello there, dear readers, it is I aka Justine Lara T. Chua back with a triple whammy: a solo post + an Intern-view + an INKOMPASS post! With only 24 days to go before INKOMPASS Philippines’ signups end, I decided to ask my co-interns for some time out of their busy schedules to talk about their different INKOMPASS stories too, partly because I think you’re all tired of me talking. 😁

First up is 1 of my 16 favorite co-interns, Greg!

Gregory Shawn Chua is a Management Engineering turned Management major from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). Out of all of the interns, we have the most similar backgrounds, like the fact that he came from the all-boys school across the street from my all-girls school. And that we’re really Chinese. So much so that sometimes we talk in Hokkien in front of the other interns. We usually do it to talk smack about something. 😁

For INKOMPASS, he was the only Atenean assigned to the Finance department, specifically under the Financial Planning and Analysis department. His fellow interns there are all Business Administration and Accountancy majors at UP Diliman. BAA has a death rate of 100% aka everyone who goes through it feels dead afterwards, and it only accepts the top 100 UPCAT takers who choose that course as first pick. So, Greg was with equally smart people during his time at PMFTC.

Also, Greg passed BAA but chose to go to ADMU instead. I don’t know why he did so and if he’s happy with his choice in life lol.

When asked to give me facts to introduce him, he left it blank because Greg isn't the type to ever talk about himself. So I’ll brag about Greg for him because we’re that close. 😁 (We have no relation to each other whatsoever; Chua is just too common a last name) 😁

Greg is a Director’s List for ADMU so he receives a discount of Php 50k a year for his tuition aka he’s intelligent so ADMU is cheaper for him, he’s funny in the dry sarcastic way aka he’s either brilliantly funny on my good days and terribly annoying on my bad days, and he drove me home for majority of the summer which makes him easily one of my favorite people in the world hahaha.

His answers to my questions are so much like how he speaks, that I felt I couldn’t get him to edit it into a nicer tone. Just accept him for who he is. It’s what all of who love him have done.

How I did this Intern-view post though is a little different than usual. In the first half is the generic questions we ask all our guest writers. But on the second half though, I asked Greg some questions hyper-specific to his experiences.

All pictures in this post are from me because Greg's first DP here on FB was the INKOMPASS picture. 😁

Thanks for reading and hope Greg answered something useful for you!

Explain your Inkompass joining process.

I never saw any of Inkompass’ advertisements actually. We have Ateneo to blame for that. I only heard about this from a friend. He mentioned a company called “Inkompass” offering an internship for 26k a month. I remember hearing only the “26k,” and that was the only part that caught my attention, but I felt intimidated by how extensive the application process was. I never really thought much about it until the deadline for applying online got nearer.

I remember visiting the Inkompass site on the last day of applications out of boredom, deciding it wouldn’t hurt to try It seemed easy enough so I just filled it up and submitted it. I got too lazy to make a resume since it was optional anyway. Eventually, I was sent an online test on situational judgment and some numbers. I thought I bombed the test, but a few days later I received a text for an interview at The Enterprise Center in Makati.

I cannot give proper advice on that face-to-face interview because I did not properly prepare for it. I only had an idea of what the interviews would be like based on my experiences in college. All I did in preparation was dress properly and Youtube how to tie a tie. I thought I bombed once again but fortunately, I was invited to join the final step of the application process, the on-ground assessment.

I won’t talk about it because that ruins the fun. We walked into that clueless and you guys should too. The one advice I’d give is that you really have to bring your A-game. So many people will be watching so you better be your best self. Don’t be ruthless though, no one likes working with an asshole

Lastly, really do avoid being shy or hesitant in the interviews and during the on-ground assessment. It is so important for you to meet new people and make friends. That’s a big chunk of what the outside world is all about. Take it from an introvert who finds meeting new people effortful. There were times where I did things I’m naturally uncomfortable with, but it all worked out in the end.

And why did you decide to join them after you were accepted as part of the top 17?

I felt like it would be a waste not to. It’s better than doing nothing all summer long. I did not expect to get in throughout every step of the entire application process, so it would be so dumb for me to turn down the offer for what I thought I wouldn’t achieve.

Did you pick up any new skills through your internship?

I’d like to think my internship has made me more strategic in how I work. I never took things like time management and keeping a list of tasks seriously in school. The intensity of work forced me to adapt.

I also learned to be more concise in things I do, especially in how I write reports or present. After trimming down all the useless things I spit out as I speak, I realized how quickly and effectively I could deliver my message. I’m all for snappy presentations now.

Lastly, I’d also like to believe that my experience has taught me to be more resilient when faced with problems. It may just be me, but I learned one of the best motivations for doing a task is wanting to get that task done. Sometimes, there’s no time to be a mopey sad sack because you’re demotivated or you’ve lost your drive. It helped me to whine less and do more.

What was your expectation for the internship? And how did the actual experience compare?

I didn’t have any clear expectations just because I don’t know how these internships usually went. I was amazed with the amount of freedom and responsibility the company has given us to taken on specific, complex tasks. Neither did I expect them to pamper its interns so much.

It was tough to take on a project alone, but working in such a supportive environment made it more than just worth it. With such friendly co-interns and such supportive co-employees, you can’t help but feel like you’re an equal and important part of the company.

What did you do during your internship? What kinds of tasks and projects were you given?

I took on a project that helped make the company run more efficiently in a certain aspect. My project was one that I handled alone, so I was in-charge of determining what I need to do. A lot of what I did it was number-crunching and using data from the company. It sounds boring but reading data allows you to see and know so much more about the company. It’s interesting when it doesn’t get overwhelming yet.

Your project benefited the company as a whole, how does that feel?

Great. It reinforces that feeling that in PMFTC, you’re a “somebody” rather than a “nobody.”

What would you say were the best parts about your internship?

In no particular order:

Random trips out on field work
Going to CDO
Rides with van salesmen
Intern get-togethers
Presenting to the company’s Management Team

What would you say were the worst parts about your internship (or interning in general)?

[Small tidbit: In 2019, when I am fixing this blog post for The Bumpy Career, Greg is my boyfriend now. The other guy in this photo is another Intern-view on the site and is my ex-boyfriend now. Lol.]

Driving to and from work was the worst. Traffic was so bad that I was willing to leave my house at 6 AM and leave work at 10 PM just to avoid it. EDSA isn’t so bad at 6 AM actually, in case anyone is considering driving to Makati from any place to the north of it. EDSA is still shit at 10 PM though so just Waze your way home.

Your greatest learning from interning?

Stop hesitating and just do it.

The most interesting thing you got to do while at PMFTC?

I became a farmer for a day.

What’s the coolest thing or perk you got from INKOMPASS?

An invaluable experience of the corporate world. Freebies and treats were nice too. I’m so grateful for a free dinner when I’m so tired and exhausted. Try not to fixate on this and expect too much though. We’re interns, not leeches.

What advice would you give anybody who wants to be part of this year’s batch of INKOMPASS interns?

If you really want to be part of this year’s batch, you have to REALLY want it. Have your best foot forward always. You’re going to be matched with so many others so it’s extremely important for you to be aggressive in pursuing this goal. You have to want it more than they do.

Do you have any regrets in joining INKOMPASS?

Nope.

If you had to go back and do it all again, would you do anything differently?

I’d complain less and focus on working more.

Why should sophomores join INKOMPASS

It’s the best internship out there for sophomores. (J: Also, the only internship program for sophomores! Or for juniors of a 5 year course!)

And now for the part of the Intern-view where I poke Greg for more personal info about his stay at INKOMPASS! Also the part where I drop embarrassing photos of him simply because I want to.

You were able to go to Tuguegarao for free in the context of helping you complete your project. What was the experience like?

Going to Tuguegarao was a great experience. Just as it’s an opportunity to explore a place I’ve never seen before, it’s also a chance to see how the company runs its operations in other parts of the country. Aside from the blistering heat, it was fun. You get a completely different view of life in another area. I mean I landed right next to a cow.

How was it like to handle and analyze a LOT of financial data before having official course work about it in school?

It was overwhelming at first, but I eventually got used to it. Asking help from the people in the company really helps a lot. I learned to appreciate how certain things that I thought were unquantifiable can be expressed in numbers. They are flexible in a way that you can manipulate them to arrive at the results you need to back up whatever it is you want to show or prove.

How did it feel to win the CDO bungkal ng lupa race unfairly because your partner was MJ who is just as tall as you aka 5’8++ with your long ass arms and legs?

I just made the most out of my advantages. (J: this is the part where I stare resentfully because I'm only 5 feet tall and the hoe was as tall as me.)

You drove around a ton of us (especially me) home all the time after work aka either 7 or 11 pm, what was that like?

It sucks, but the company of my co-interns made up for it. It is also possible that they were just using me. Right, Justine? (J: HAHAHA THANKS GREG, PLEASE REPEAT DRIVING ME HOME AGAIN THIS SUMMER!)

And there you have it, a quick peek at being a Finance intern for PMFTC from Greg’s Intern-view post!

Hi! I’m Justine.

I’m the founder and writer of all things in The Bumpy Career and welcome to Intern-view, a whole category where we ask people who've interned at other places here in Manila to share their experiences and advice for anyone and everyone's reading. Hopefully from their experiences you'll feel like there's a lot more possibilities out there. We want you to feel like sky's the limit for you!

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Intern-view: Greg Chua on INKOMPASS