Barely a few days into our MBA journey, our summer internship preparation started in full swing - brushing up with the academic concepts, taking up online courses, making our CVs, appearing for mock group discussions & interviews and balancing all these with classes, guest sessions, competitions, quizzes, assignments, midnight meetings and so on. But we realized that compromising on our social life (and even sleep!) was worth it after the summer placements were done. Bagging a summer internship at Tata Steel Ltd. to be an INSPIRE 2021 Intern was the pinnacle of my MBA journey so far!
But with the fast-rising covid cases amidst the relentless second wave of the pandemic in our country, we interns had the only option of working remotely during our internship. But it never felt ‘remote’! The whole Talent Acquisition Group extended a warm welcome to all the INSPIRE Interns and provided us with a beautiful onboarding experience (including the lovely, eco-friendly goodies!).
The Best of Guidance and Mentorship
On the first day of my internship, I was inducted into my project by my project guide. I still remember how nervous I was just before my first conversation with my guide but he made it very easy for me. After an informal introduction, my guide first helped me understand the objective of the project. He explained numerous topics which were connected to it in one way and another. The project dealt with the Research and Development department of Tata Steel. My guide helped me identify the problems associated from his perspective. He also encouraged me to speak to as many stakeholders associated with this project as possible to get wider perspectives. It was a long conversation which also included clarifying expectations from both the ends and what should be my initial approach.
Thus I first began with my secondary research. I spent my first week reading scientific and academic research papers on the topics, finding useful information from research databases and digital libraries. Simultaneously, I was preparing a list of the resources and information that I would require to work on this project.
My project involved speaking to a lot of people, which was initially intimidating in the virtual scenario. But my guide helped me with reaching out to the right people so that I could interview them and seek their recommendations on my work so far. The constructive feedback I received from all the senior executives I was working under helped me keep improving my work and come up with recommendations.
A Journey Without Challenges, Has No Meaning
Everyone at Tata Steel was so approachable and eager to provide assistance. But the most challenging part was the external benchmarking where I had to approach people in other organizations. I carefully selected my questions as I had to be very prudent not to get into any information that might have been confidential. It was a challenging task to instill the confidence in the external people and make them realize the actual purpose which was to learn about the best practices.
Since my project dealt with R&D, there were a lot of technicalities involved. I was introduced to many new metrics for performance measurement of the researchers and had to do a lot of research on my own.
There were many concepts that I had learnt in the MBA classes that I wanted to apply here, but I realized that we cannot apply everything everywhere. That is why it is important to understand the culture, the practices first, which can be challenging in virtual scenarios. Perseverance is really important.
I also had the final review of my project in the same week as my MBA semester exams, which was pretty challenging but I could handle it well since I had ensured to complete all my work and get well versed with my presentation before the final week.
Overall, an Experience of a Lifetime!
My notions about virtual internships altered entirely. I never felt like an intern there. I was treated like an integral team member in the organization. Everyone was eager to listen to my findings and discuss my ideas. I loved the work culture, the unstinted support & cooperation from everyone and the warmth with which all we interns were received. Its people practices at every stage never failed to inspire me!
Before signing off, I would like to share some of my learnings for those who are undergoing their internships on how to be a good mentee and leave a lasting impression online or offline (and perhaps even bag a PPO along with gaining an amazing learning experience!).
i) COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY! Clarify expectations with your guide/mentor in the beginning. Decide on the mode and frequency of your meetings. Be very clear about the deliverables. Keep giving timely updates to all the people you are working with about your work. You might have to give up on many of your ideas so better discuss their feasibility before applying them. Ask for help whenever required (so that you don’t regret it later!). Be ready with your questions beforehand. Keep a note of all the important points during such conversations.
ii) NETWORKING IS SO UNDERRATED! Try connecting with people beforehand like alumni/seniors who had interned there or now work there. Try to understand the culture there (transactional or relational). Speak to as many people as possible to gain wider perspectives. Ensure to be able to convey your message in a proper, concise manner when you contact them. They only have limited time because of their busy schedule. Also, connect with your co-interns.
iii) It is good to be well versed with tools for data visualization, data analytics, etc. before your internship. But it is not necessary that you use everything you know. It all depends on your project and the kind of data you have. Also, share the rights to the relevant company people for the files you create.
iv) NEVER miss any deadline! You must be professional and punctuality is a sign of that. For that purpose, proper planning is required. I used to make task sheets in Excel for my weekly plans and strictly adhere to them. Have a project charter, if required.
v) DON’T JUMP INTO SOLUTIONS FIRST! Understand the strategic and financial outcomes of the project. Understand why things are the way they are and discuss them with the stakeholders before you propose changes.
vi) Keep checking with your guide for the budget or financing part in your project. Some solutions may have the manpower, vendor, supplier or other requirements.
vii) PRESENT YOUR STORY. Adhere to the company template or colour sequence (if any) for the PPT. Your PPT must have a logical flow. Highlight to draw attention to important information during your review. Have research-backed data points (never fudge any data!). Get your PPT validated by your guide/mentor. You have to show them your journey, your research, your hard work, and your takeaways in those few minutes through your presentation. The art of storytelling is also applicable here. In your mid-review tell them how you plan to proceed further. Don’t forget to practice in front of reliable people who can give you constructive feedback.
Lastly, have an active presence on Linkedin and try to be in touch with the people you worked with even after your internship.
The learnings you imbibe upon are going to help you in your corporate journey ahead. Just cherish this journey, give your best and what you get will be even better!