How to handle this without being overly obessive...

<p>So I am applying for summer internships currently and everything was going fine, chugging along, until I was randomly surfing and I thought, “IF be sooo cool if I can work in Beijing next summer for Olympics and etc”</p>

<p>Then I came up on a fairly large muti-national company’s website in Beijing and I found the chief marketing officer’s email through there and I said what the hell, so i just emailed him an intro about me and my resume and I did not expect anything to happen at all. </p>

<p>Then a day late, 9 clock in the morning, he called me from Beijing, American guy, down to earth, I was half asleep and I was not sure what to say…it was just an unexpected and sudden call and we talked for about 10 minutes discussing my future plans and my resume…</p>

<p>Then he said he would send me an email which he did and it reads the following, </p>

<p>"Thank you for your interest in ________. It was a pleasure speaking to you. You seem like a strong individual with a solid future. I certainly appreciate you entrepreneurial attitude at a young age. Please feel free to stay in touch and contact us again when it is closer to Summer 08. "</p>

<p>So what does that mean?</p>

<li><p>Does it mean that I will get an internship if I contact them again closer to the summer? I kind need to know so I can plan out everything…</p></li>
<li><p>I sent him an email back, just a generic thank-you email and I think I should update him on my progress, but how often should I do it?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Thanks for the help…</p>

<p>Sounds great...hope you have funds to go to Bejing and live there for the summer! It sounds like he does not have authority to hire you for a specific internship at this time and maybe he will be able to later. If its an unpaid internship you're looking for and this guy is really impressed with you, it shouldn't be a problem. Maybe contact again in February but look for other summer opportunities in the meantime?</p>

<p>thanks for the reply and a little more info, </p>

<ol>
<li><p>the internship is paid from what i understand, although not sure how much, but after googling experiences from past interns, it is suppose to be enough to cover everything.....</p></li>
<li><p>i am getting closer to several other offers over the summer but i really want to work in beijing since well it is beijing, is there anyway that i can "press" for an answer ASAP?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Ha! Dealing with Chinese companies is a whole different ball game. My daughter teaches at a school in China and only last week found out the dates for her January break. Actually, she found out the date it starts, she still doesn't know when she is supposed to come back! We had a heck of a time finding out the date her contract was to start last year. Good luck finding anything out before Spring. On the upside, it's very inexpensive to live in China - she said that she's going to have a hard time paying more then a few dollars for dinner now. Oh, and polish up on your Mandarin, English is not spoken by the vast majority of the population.</p>

<p>Yes, update him on your progress and reconfirm your interest. Do this in Feb. or March, and see if in follow-ups you can nail down an internship.</p>

<p>Im going to Beijing next summer too! My uncle and his family have an apartment over there and they invited me along for the Olympic Games!Can't wait! See you there!</p>

<p>Seems to me a bit stronger action is called for. </p>

<p>You were half asleep at 9 AM and may not have made the best impression. The f/u note is pretty generic. My biggest concern is that he called immediately, indicating some strong interest, but then sent a response to the effect of "later" (and "stay in touch" can be business speak for "we're not very interested") We're already pretty close to Summer 08, so what would he or you be waiting for? In his case, perhaps a more aggressive candidate. </p>

<p>I'm afraid a generic response did not help you much, and may have hurt. You got a very favorable response, but f/u with no strong show of interest. </p>

<p>So can you press for an answer now? Of course. But you already passed on one chance, your reply to his email. What are you waiting for now?</p>

<p>I realize this is not what you wanted to hear, but you must understand the subtlety of some kinds of business discussions. And remember the key to sales: ask for the sale. In this case, ask him for the job. If no go, ask what it would take to get it. If you want it, of course.</p>