苗家女美国求职记：初入泰森食品感觉如何

Hli Yang成长于其苗族父母位于密苏里州郊区的家禽饲养场。在这里度过的童年让她对农业产生了浓厚的兴趣。24岁那年，为了追寻这一梦想，Yang从密苏里大学拿到了两个学位——农业和广播记者学士学位，以及新闻艺术硕士学位。在农业传播领域从事了多项工作之后，她来到了阿肯色州的斯普林代尔，并加入了泰森食品公司，担任公司采购部门的专职传播策略师。

以下是Yang的故事……

进入泰森的大门：

在大学本科毕业后我获得了一份实习工作，因为我联系了密苏里大学的顾问，当时她刚好在数周前从泰森那里收到了一封邮件，内容说的是想找一位传播业务实习生。我阅读了工作介绍，然后我觉得可以借此机会学习并为集团贡献自己的力量。因此我提交了申请并得到了这份工作。那个夏天过后，我回到密苏里大学攻读硕士学位，我依然通过远程的方式担任公司的实习生。又过了一个夏天，我回到阿肯色州担任实习生，然后在攻读硕士学位期间继续实习，然后在11月拿到了全职工作。

在泰森实习两次之后获得了全职工作：

去年秋天，我真的希望获得一份全职工作。我向我的上司表达了这一意愿，结果发现我所在的部门就有这个机会。然后，他们真的为我设置了这个职务，因为对于一家商品集团来说，传播职务并不常见，因为商品依赖的是资金。我不得不[正式]申请这份工作，以便让其他候选人提交申请，但其他人都不符合条件。因此我连面试都免了，在申请之后便得到了这份工作。

作为专职传播策略师的职责：

我负责为公司本土粮食服务业务部门的传播团队提供协助。他们会从农民手中购买玉米。我工作的主要目的是提升人们对公司业务的认知度。在过去，农民会将其作物销售给中间商，然后我们再从中间商那里购买。但如今我们直接从农民手中购买，这样的话农民能够多挣点，我们也可以多省点成本。

我一直在尝试提升传播效果，并试图为我们所做的业务增添价值。为了实现这一目标，我一直以教育为重点，让农民了解市场信息以及更为复杂的事情。我的论文研究方向之一便是农民及其传播用途。很多农民告诉我，他们对某些合约知之甚少。如果我们向其传授更多的内容，便能够加强相互之间的信任，而不是仅仅对他们说：“使用这项服务”。增强农民对市场运作情况的了解也会为其务农生活增添价值。

生活中的一天：

每一天的工作都是截然不同的，这真的是件好事情。我是集团里唯一从事传播业务的员工，而且专门从事这项业务。由于我是这个办公室的唯一员工，因此活特别多，而且有着各种不同的工作。周一可能是我工作最忙的一天。我会做两个视频报告，因此我会在一大早，也就是6点半来到办公室，通常要工作到下午5点或6点才会离开办公室，然而由于这些工作日的时长较长，因此我会在一周的其他几天内削减工作时长。在剩余的工作日中，我会更新一下Facebook页面，写写文章，并做一些公共关系活动。我也经常向企业传播业务团队寻求帮助，他们就在大厅对面的右边，因此我会就项目与他们开展很多合作，或征求他们的意见。

工作中最困难的内容：

我认为工作中最大的挑战是自己的年龄，以及责任太重和主人翁精神。很多时候我都会怀疑我自己。工作真的充满挑战，但我靠的是自身的直觉以及在学校内外学到的东西。

在泰森工作最美好的事情：

对于我来说，我异常看重的是，我所从事的工作是以改变人们的生活为目的。这也是我如此喜爱新闻工作的原因，因为这份工作对公众有着很大的影响力。而且我如今的工作的确能够为当地社区提供支持，并为农民的生计提供更多的机会。作为农民的女儿，我深知社区中这类生意的重要性，因为它的确能够促进经济循环。

作为移民农民女儿的成长经历对自己当前的工作有何帮助：

我的父母是泰森的家禽养殖农民，而且他们自2003年以来就开始务农，因此泰森在很久以前便已经融入了这个家庭。由于在农场长大，我学到的是截然不同的职业道德观念。除此之外，我的父母还是老挝的移民。作为美国的第一代移民，我的父母总是教导我们必须要努力工作。这一点很有帮助，不过很多人都对农业和农民存在误解。他们是那些为世界生产食物的人。如今，无论我到访何处的农民，这一理念真的很有帮助。我会试着搭建沟通的桥梁，因为我对他们所经历的困苦了如指掌。

应对冒充者综合征：

你必须了解你自己。在很多时候，这一点在于了解自身的直觉，并意识到我在学校学到了很多有用的知识，而且我可以在工作之中真正地去实施。我的一位导师告诉我，冒充者综合征将伴随你的整个职业生涯。研究显示，大多数成功的职场人士都存在这个问题，而且人们可以将其看作是动力而不是阻力。

导师的重要性：

我有很多导师，他们有着截然不同的观点。我试图和他们建立联系，而且不仅仅是业务上的联系。他们真的对我照顾有加，而且每当我遇到职业问题或存在疑问时，我都会向他们寻求帮助。他们真的就是我工作的支持者。我的办公室中还有很多年轻职员，而且我也发现他们可以成为我的同僚导师。他们与我年龄相仿，但他们和我一样也在经历同样的事情。我们有着很多共同的工作和生活难题，而且我认为他们的建议通常最有帮助，都是一些日常建议。

如何从农场电台进入企业传播部门：

我的第一份实习工作是一个非常小的农场广播站。我成长于一个非常偏僻的农村地区，我最初的打算是成为农业广播员，然后在大一之后的夏天，我进入《农场期刊媒体》杂志（Farm Journal Media）实习，也多少提升了我对杂志、撰文和编辑的兴趣，随后我发现，我真的很想从事广播这个行当。我的另一个实习工作是在RFD-TV，后者为农民和农村地区生活的民众播报了大量的农村新闻。然后，我在密苏里州哥伦比亚的当地电视台工作了一段时间，担任记者。然后我发现了泰森。

当我发现这个实习机会时，我已经决定要念研究生了，但我整个夏天没有什么事可做。我真的想去尝试一下企业传播业务，因为我以前从来没有做过，而且这是我遇到的第一个机会。我对公司十分了解，也深知其价值观，对公司也没有抵触情绪。因此我把握了这个机会，随后便一直为泰森工作。

工作福利：

我们是一家食品公司，因此很明显，食品是公司的一个超级福利。我们有个泰森公司商店，你可以以更低的价格购买泰森产品，这一点对于我来说真是个福音，因为我手头并不宽裕。除了食品之外，最重要的一个福利就是我们的股权。还有一个福利就是工作生活平衡。我的老板在这一方面真的是棒极了，尤其是在我实习的时候。她每天都提醒我，要以学业为重。公司的工作生活平衡真的不错，如今我已经走出了学校，我真的很感激这一点，因为这对我来说弥足珍贵。

因公出差：

我们访问了公司在全美很多小镇的农村饲料厂区。访问公司的农户对我们来说至关重要。这也是我工作的乐趣之一。

在新城市找房子住：

我长大的地方离这里并不远，但我对阿肯色州的这块区域不是很熟悉。我并不知道这个地方已经发展得如此之好，如此之现代化。沃尔玛的总部就在本通威尔，JB Hunt Transportation在罗杰斯，当然泰森在斯普林代尔。正是因为这些公司的存在，这里有大量的年轻员工，我只是不知道他们具体都住在哪。我选择了罗杰斯，但花了4个月的时间才找到一间公寓。我的妹妹也住在本通威尔，她到我这只需要花15分钟。这是我想搬到罗杰斯的另一个原因，因为距离我妹妹更近，真的很好。

居住条件：

我的房租800美元多一点，还是蛮合理的。这是一个独卧公寓，空间也很大。我希望当我不在家的时候，我的狗能有足够的地方跑来跑去。附近有一个大型购物广场和大型露天剧场，因此有很多音乐会，尤其是在夏天的时候。

今后的打算：

我喜爱传播业务，它的一切。我会尽力把复杂的事情用更加通俗易懂的语言表达出来，并发挥自己的创造力。在商品行业，金融与创意之间没有必然的联系，但你可以将创意融入金融。不妨去看看消费者饮食方式是如何改变的，以及农民的耕作方式是如何改变的，在泰森，此举真的能够为你创造很多机遇，并打开思路，而且我也想更多地了解与食品品牌定位相关的业务。

对年轻时候自己的建议：

要清楚地了解自身的价值观，然后不断地进行打磨。弄清楚这一点并将其写下来真的很有帮助。我也会遇到挑战，而且不得不做出决定，但却不知道从何入手，然而，我会以自己的价值观以及生活中我认为重要的事情为导向，此举帮助我度过了难关。无论你在什么时候获得了第一份全职工作，你会变得很忙，而且生活也是一日千里。你可能没有时间再去打磨你的价值观，因此先确定自身的价值观才是正道。（财富中文网）

译者：冯丰

审校：夏林

Hli Yang grew up on her Hmong parents’ poultry farm in rural Missouri, a childhood that gave her a passion for agriculture. At 24, Yang has received two degrees from the University of Missouri—a Bachelor’s in agricultural and broadcast journalism and a Master’s of Art in journalism—in the pursuit of that passion. After several different experiences in the field of agricultural communications, she relocated to Springdale, Arkansas, and has settled in at Tyson Foods as a communications specialist strategist in the commodity purchasing group.

Here’s what Yang has to say about...

Getting her foot in the door at Tyson:

After undergrad, I got an internship because I reached out to my advisor at Mizzou [the University of Missouri] and she had received an email from someone at Tyson a couple of weeks before looking for a communications intern. I read the description, and I thought that I could learn and add to the group as well. So I applied and got it. After that summer, when I went back up to Mizzou for graduate school, I continued remotely as an intern. That next summer, I came back to Arkansas as an intern, and interned again while I did my Master’s. Then I got hired full-time in November.

Getting hired on full-time at Tyson after two internships with the company:

This past fall I was really looking at getting a full-time job. I had expressed interest to my boss and found out there were going to be opportunities in my group. And then they actually created this position for me because it’s not common to have communications in a commodities group, since commodities is really finance-based. I had to [formally] apply to let other candidates apply, but no one else qualified. So I didn’t have to interview, I just applied and then got it.

What she really does as a communications specialist strategist:

I help our communications team for the local grain services business unit within Tyson Foods. They buy corn from farmers. The main goal of my job is to increase awareness about our business. Historically, farmers will sell their corn to a middleman, and then we would buy it from that middleman. But we just buy directly from the farmer, that way they get paid a little more and we save a little money as well.

I’ve been trying to implement better communications and trying to add value to what we do. To do that, I’ve been prioritizing educational content, teaching the farmers about what the markets are doing and more complex things. Part of my research in my thesis was on farmers and their communication uses. A lot of farmers have told me that they don’t understand certain contracts. We build better trust if we educate them more, instead of just saying “use this service.” Giving them a better understanding of how the markets work adds value to their lives as farmers, too.

A day in the life:

It is completely different every single day, which is really nice. I’m the only person doing communications within our group and for this specific business. Because I am the only person in this office, it’s a lot of work, and it’s a lot of different work. Mondays are probably my most consistent day. I put two video reports out, so I come in super early at 6:30 a.m. I normally don’t leave until 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., but because those are my longer days, I cut my hours for the rest of the week. On the rest of my days, I’m balancing running our Facebook pages, writing articles, and doing some public relation campaigns. I lean a lot on our corporate communications team, too. They’re right across the hall, so I collaborate with them a lot on projects or just get advice from them.

The hardest part of her job:

I think the most challenging part of my job is being so young and having so many responsibilities and ownership. There are many times when I doubt myself. It’s really challenging, but it’s just trusting my instincts and leaning on what I’ve learned in and out of school.

Her favorite thing about working at Tyson:

For me, it’s really important to do work that I can see has a purpose in changing people’s lives. That’s why I love journalism so much, because you’re doing impactful work for the public. And the work that I do now really supports local communities and the work of the farmers. Our business actually provides more competition and gives farmers more opportunities to make a living. And I grew up a farmer’s daughter, so I understand how important it is to have a business like that in that community because it really circulates the economy.

How growing up as a daughter to immigrant farmers prepares her for her job today:

My parents are poultry farmers for Tyson, and they’ve been farming since 2003, so Tyson’s been in our family for a long time. Growing up on a farm, you learn a very different work ethic. Not only that, but my parents are also immigrants from Laos. Being a first generation American, my parents have always taught us that you have to work really hard. So that helps, and then a lot of people have misconceptions about agriculture and farmers. They’re the ones who are raising the food for the world. Having that perspective really helps me today whenever I go visit farmers. I try to create a bridge, because I know the trouble that they go through.

Dealing with impostor syndrome:

You have to know yourself well. It’s often just understanding my instincts and knowing that I’ve learned a lot of good things in school, and I can really implement it at work as well. One of my mentors told me that impostor syndrome will follow you through your entire career. Research shows that the most successful professionals have that in common and you can use it to drive you rather than hinder you.

The importance of mentors:

I have a lot of mentors with very different perspectives. I try to make connections with them, and it’s not just business connections. They really do care about me, and I go to them whenever I have a career question or I’m having any doubts. They’re really champions for what I do. There are also a lot of young professionals in my office, and I find them to be peer mentors. They’re close to my age but they’re going through the same things I am. We share a lot of work and life struggles, and I think their advice is often the most helpful, day-to-day advice.

Finding her way from farm radio to corporate communications:

My first internship was at a really small farm radio broadcast station. I grew up in a very rural area, and my initial plan was to be a broadcaster in agriculture and then, the summer after freshman year, I interned with the magazine Farm Journal Media. So I got a little bit more into magazines, writing and editing, and then I decided I actually wanted to do broadcast. My other internship was with RFD-TV, which broadcasts a lot of rural news for farmers and people living in rural areas. And then I worked at a local TV station in Columbia, Missouri, as a reporter. Then I found Tyson.

This internship rose up when I decided to go to grad school and I had an open summer. I really wanted to try something in corporate communications because I’d never done that before and this was the first opportunity that came along. I knew the company well, I knew their values, and am comfortable with them as well. So I took it on and I’ve been here ever since.

Work perks:

We’re a food company, so obviously food is a huge perk here. We have a Tyson Company store and you can buy Tyson products for a lower price which is really nice for me because I am on a budget. One of the most important perks other than food is our stock options. A piece of it, too, is work-life balance. My boss is amazing about that. Especially when I was an intern. She reminded every day that school comes first. There’s still a really good work-life balance now that I’m out of school, and I really appreciate that because it’s a big value for me.

Traveling on the job:

We visit our rural feed mill areas across the country in a lot of small towns. It’s really important for us to go visit our farmers. That’s one of the more fun parts of my job.

Searching for housing in a new place:

I grew up not too far from here, but I didn’t know this area of Arkansas that much. I didn’t know how much it had grown and how modern it’s become. We have Walmart headquarters in Bentonville, JB Hunt Transportation in Rogers, and then of course Tyson in Springdale. With all of these companies, there were a lot of young professionals around, I just didn’t know where exactly everyone was. I chose Rogers, but took me like four months to find an apartment. My sister also lives in Bentonville, and she’s about 15 minutes away from me. That’s another reason I wanted to move to Rogers because it was a bit closer to her, which is really nice.

Her living situation:

My rent is a little over $800, so it’s reasonable. It’s a one-bedroom apartment, and it’s good-sized. I wanted a good place for my dog to run around whenever I’m not at home. There’s a shopping area and this big amphitheater nearby, so there’s a lot of concerts, especially in the summers.

What’s next:

I love communications, all the aspects of it, trying to put complex things into easier words for people and being creative. In commodities, you don’t really associate finance with creativity but you can implement creativity in it. If you look at the way that consumers are changing the way they eat, if you look at the way farmers change the way they farm, it really opens up opportunities and doors here at Tyson and I want to get more into the food branding side of it, too.

Advice to her younger self:

Really know your values and hone in on them. Having that figured out and written down really helps. There have been challenges where I’ve had to make decisions and I don’t know how, but I leaned on my values and what’s important to me in life, and that’s helped me. Whenever you do have a first full time job, you get busy and life moves a million miles an hour. You don’t have the time to hone in on your values then, so it’s nice to have them set already.