The allure of the luxury industry often represents a pinnacle in career aspirations. While breaking into this world may seem like a distant dream, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant: CareER Thriving Grass Career Development Program 2024 (Thriving Grass) shows that it is indeed achievable. Meet Bosco Tsang, a CareER member with visual impairment, who shares his personal growth and professional development journey with us through his internship experience at Fendi.
How did you start your internship at Fendi? What did you learn from the experience?
I applied for this internship due to the unique opportunity it presented. When I discovered the chance to gain insights into the industry’s operations from four major perspectives – Retail Operations, Logistics, Training, and HR – through this internship at Fendi, I found it highly intriguing.
I had my shining moment during the internship, and one of those was being the mystery caller to investigate different luxury brands’ frontline staff’s attitudes towards hotline customers. This task shed light on the importance of consistency and exceptional customer service in the industry, emphasising the need for a high standard of service across all customer touchpoints.
Reflecting on my internship at Fendi, a pivotal challenge regarding my visual impairment occurred and highlighted the necessity of transparent and open communication with my team and peers. During my internship, I was struggling with an urgent document analysis task due to incompatible file formats. From that, I learned the importance of openly discussing my accessibility needs, which is crucial to enhancing collaboration with my colleagues. I aim to also share requirements for accommodations and tools like NVDA (screen reading software that reads information displayed on the computer screen) and DotWriter (an input method based on Chinese Braille concepts) to foster inclusiveness in the workplace. Furthermore, as I bring my guide dog to the office, I require a slightly larger seating area to accommodate the guide dog’s resting requirements.
How did your internship at Fendi propel you forward and shape your perspective on Disability-Inclusive Commitments?
My internship at Fendi provided invaluable insights into the luxury industry, enhancing my problem-solving skills and emphasizing the importance of exceptional service delivery in the competitive luxury brand landscape. The experience was enlightening, with each shared insight from colleagues contributing significantly to both my professional development and personal growth. This opportunity expanded my network, connected me with industry professionals, and deepened my understanding of diverse roles and responsibilities, reinforcing my dedication to ongoing growth within the luxury sector on both professional and personal levels.
Moving forward, I am eager to explore diverse roles and projects within the luxury industry to gain a more comprehensive understanding of different aspects of the business. This exposure can broaden skill sets and perspectives.
What’s your feedback on CareER’s support during this internship? Is there anything you would like to share with your peers?
Since my graduation in 2022, CareER has provided me with various forms of support and opportunities, guiding me along my career journey. I would like to express my utmost gratitude to CareER’s Recruitment team. If they did not share this internship opportunity with me, I would never have had this wonderful internship experience over the past three months. During the internship, they also regularly checked on my progress, letting me know that I was not alone in this journey and that someone was actually supporting and caring for me.
To my fellow CareER peers, I would like to share that whenever you encounter any opportunity, just give it a try without hesitation. Do not hold back due to your SEN or body conditions, as only through the process will you be able to discover what you can gain. Taking the first step will always lead to some form of gain.