昨年8月に行われた今年度の日本語弁論大会で、優秀な成績を収めたChloeさんが、オーストラリア三菱商事会社でのインターンシップレポートを送ってくださいました。
After my successful participation in the 2023 Victorian Japanese Speech Contest, I was fortune to receive an offer to undertake an internship with Mistubishi Australia Ltd, in their head office in Melbourne. Although I went in with no office or corporate experience, I decided to take up the challenge and learn new skills and practice my language abilities. Mitsubishi is one of the largest Japanese global trading and investment companies, which operates and develops businesses across various industries, meaning I was given the opportunity to experience in the a very immersive Australia-Japan workplace enivornment.
My internship spanned over two weeks, 10 days total, where I was set out to engage in two departments, Human Resources and General Administration. I was tasked in my first week to participate in the HR department, and follow along with every day tasks that the HR team face. I participated in several meetings, observing how a high-level corporate sphere operates, and soaked in the demands of each task, and how they relate to the other operations of the company. I was very appreciative of how every staff member was very communicative and accommodating to me throughout this process, informing me of different tasks in their departments, providing me with knowledge of Mistubishi’s projects.I was also greatly appreciative of the staff around the office that would take the time to introduce themselves to me in English and Japanese.
My tasks given to me throughout my first week varied from learning about the job hiring process, reviewing policies and researching any new government changes to be implemented. I also overlooked management of policy organisation and technical and arrangement errors in regards to file updates. As none of my office assigned tasks were related to my Japanese abilities, I set my own task to practice my Japanese knowledge with the Japanese employees within the company, primarily informing them to why I am doing my internship, and talking about my future plans in relations to Japan and my Japanese language learning journey. The Japanese employees challenged my conversational and critical thinking skills in regards to the language, which helped me improve my confidence and comprehensive ability.
My second week provided a new department and new experience, working along side the GA team, but consisted of fairly similar work. I reviewed policies in regards to areas that concern GA, and also organised some financial spreadsheets to make them more accessible for the whole corporation. The week I was in GA was also the week many other employees from interstate flew into Melbourne for business events, which allowed me to meet many different team members from all over Australia.
A highlight of my internship was an informative excursion which the some of the team of Mitsubishi embarked on, which was to visit the grounds of MITS (Melbourne Indigenious Transition School) and how Mitsubishi plays a role in being a corporate sponsor and support for the specialist city boarding school. It was very fascinating to learn about the programs history and goals towards giving regional Indigenous students opportunities in urban environments, school and tertiary education. We were generously given a tour of the housing and new facilities built for the students and community, and were given insight to the success of the program throughout the years, even amongst the pandemic. It was also nice to branch out outside of the office, and see a physical example where Mitsubishi’s efforts and energy contributes towards.
My experience at Mistubishi Australia LTD was insightful and rewarding, especially it being a field I had not considered for my own career path. I had gained a vast array of knowledge towards the operations inside a large corporation, and the hardworking environment in which large projects and organisations reside. It was also very nice to be immersed in a Japanese workplace, and learn about the expectations and procedures in a multicultural environment, compared to the other hospitality and retail jobs I have been accustomed to. For example, at the end of every day, “お疲れ様でした” was a common phrase used to respect the efforts of your fellow coworkers, and appreciate their hard work. Also I was able to pick up on Japanese honourfic customs which is not traditionally used in a Australian office, such as the title “さん” and other honourary language.
Although a short experience, it was a highly valued one that I would be interested in broadening in my future endevours. The corporate experience also allowed me to develop many more skills surrounding language, network communication, professionalism and understanding of the trades and investment industry.
Thank you to JCJSM for assisting this opportunity to take place, and my deepest gratitude towards the Mitsubishi Australia Ltd. team and Horie社長 for welcoming me into their highly accommodating workspace, and allowing me to work along the wonderful HR and GA departments.