We were extremely pleased to host KMK China employees Yuan Cheng and Kelly Qiao Song at KMK’s corporate office in Morristown, NJ. Over their two-month stay, they made a lot of memories, and in keeping with KMK’s commitment to complete transparency, we used this opportunity to share our past experiences and current knowledge with one another.
“I am excited to be working on the commercialization of drugs” Yuan mentioned, “I find it to be particularly interesting because I can provide more value to physicians, nurses, and patients while developing an in-depth understanding on how the market works.”
Yuan and Kelly have completely different educational backgrounds, yet both ended up working for KMK. Yuan received his Bachelor’s in Pharmacy from the PLA Second Military Medical University and went on to work in a hospital as a product manager and researcher and most notably, a military pharmacist. Kelly, on the other hand, received a Master’s in Business Analytics from University College, Dublin, and has used her data analytic skills with top companies such as Accenture, Volkswagen, and Audi.
What was one thing you learned during your stay?
We primarily learned the type of work KMK is doing in the United States. We’ve noticed that business is handled in a significantly different way, whether it is a strategy approach or overall communication. The United States just goes about business from a different perspective. Our main takeaway is that communicating with our clients is key. It is crucial to disclose as much information upfront so there is less room for error.
Did either of you encounter any challenges while working here?
Fortunately, neither of us faced any real challenges since we are doing very similar work back in China. However, we did have many responsibilities here – some of which we have not dealt with before. We both had to shadow several employees in order to learn the daily functions of each position. This process was quite hectic since we were stepping into unfamiliar territory. Nevertheless, this is all part of the learning process which excites us, and we hope to take back what we learned to China.
How does work life in the United States compare to China?
People seem to be a bit livelier here. We think it has to do with all the greenery Morristown has to offer; we just don’t have that in China. We were very surprised to see a ping pong table in the office; these types of things are unheard of in China. As soon as we get back, one of our first initiatives is going to try and convince our office manager to get a ping pong table in the office!
Overall, how would you describe your stay?
We had a great time staying in Morristown, NJ. The environment is very clean. There are trees and green fields everywhere, and the weather was very kind to us. However, the town did lack in cuisine, but our colleagues made up for it by taking us to quality Chinese restaurants around New York. We hope to be back soon!
What is one piece of advice you would give a new employee?
Stay curious, keep learning and keep growing – plan your own way to work things out.
