The following is part of the GPS Alumni-Student Connections Series, highlighting some of our students who have been recruited by our alumni. This series shows the power of connection between current students and our alumni.
David Levitch ’06 is a senior manager at Nielsen in Vietnam. He hired GPS student Hrishikesh Somani from a resume book distributed from Career Services.
Why did you choose to hire a fellow “GPSer”?
I trust the skills that a GPS alumni would have. Also, there’s not many alumni in Vietnam, so let’s get some more here!
What tips do you have for students about the hiring process?
To be blunt, for most international businesses, if you’re a local hire, the salary is going to be low. If you want a U.S. (or even Singapore) salary, you need to get hired there and then transfer internally. But we need to acknowledge that companies are localizing staff, and salary is one of the key reasons. Know this (or at least ask around) before beginning the interview process.
Overall thoughts about your experience?
GPS students have international backgrounds already, so there was no worry about culture shock or getting acclimated to the local lifestyle. What is important is to know what skills the hire wants to develop and whether that can be done in the organization.