Samartha Narang is a MICA Ahmedabad alumna (Class of 2021), where she secured a Pre Placement offer from Tata Consumer Products. At MICA, she was a core member of the Alumni Engagement Committee. She is a Computer Science engineer from Symbiosis International and has a passion for problem-solving. Her stint through live projects from IIM Indore, Basecamp Startups, etc., gave her substantial professional exposure. She is also a National Level Rifle Shooter and won several accolades and a food blogger. In this interview, she talks about the summer placement process at Tata Consumer Products, her summer stint, why she thinks she bagged the coveted PPO, and her advice to future candidates. Read on!
1) Hi Samartha, Tell us in brief about how you prepared for summer placement interviews?
I followed a very timed and systematic approach for my summer placement preparation. I made a routine to read every day starting from July articles, management dossiers, made key pointers for my CV, thoroughly studied them, and had a summary penned down for a quick introduction. So basically, I knew how to validate every word, number written in my CV. Also, I will suggest subscribing to Eco Times or Mint because these newspapers enhance your financial & industry-related knowledge and give you pointers to add in a discussion. One should also spend some ME time in this process because that period gives you many answers about yourself and your decisions in life. Just introspect for a while.
2) What is the summer internship process like at TCP?
The process is pretty linear and straightforward. First-round is based on the CV shortlist, then we have a group discussion, and the last leg entails an in-depth interview with the HR & manager.
3) What were the reasons you think that you made the cut?
I believe I had a clear mind in terms of what I could offer to the company as it complimented the work required to be done, and my inner conscience resonates with the values, ethics & goals of the TATA group. The long and short of it is they like people who fit in their culture, are humble at heart & dedicated towards work.
4) Let's dive into history; tell us about your day-to-day work as an intern at TCP?
It was an exciting experience. I got a chance to work on a variety of projects and with different teams. So in terms of work & culture, I got exposure to various tasks and people. The experience was pretty solid interdisciplinary learning. Got a chance to work on live projects with direct impact on business and learn from the best people in the industry.
5) What, according to you, did you do right to achieve the PPO from TCP?
I believe my desire & hunger to perform was a key factor, and I am someone who naturally fits into their culture and ethics. As an add-on, I am very much inclined to the food & beverage industry because being a foodie; this industry had always been on my top interest list. FMCG keeps you on your toes, and that has always excited me the most: endless possibilities!
6) What did you like most about your internship?
My mentors were super helpful & supportive throughout my internship. It's only because of them that I have had the opportunity to come this far. Developed some quintessential skills working with them which help me a lot in my stint as a Management Trainee.
7) One piece of advice to the candidates who are looking for marketing roles in TCP?
My one piece of advice will be to join an industry that interests you personally. Since I am a food enthusiast, I love this category which is why I am here. So always be on the lookout for opportunities & places where you find yourself interested at a deeper & more personal level. If you can find your perfect fit, the sky's the limit of your success.
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InsideIIM presents the 8th Season of Summer Saga where you can share your bizarre, enriching, a-little-difficult-yet-fun experiences with everyone and win prizes for the same. We have changed the rules in the eighth season. You don't need to wait for your internship to end in order to share your experience. Instead, it will be a digital diary, where you will be able to document your learnings and experiences, during your stint.
Take part in Summer Saga 2021 now! Fill out Digital Diary 1 below using this link!
TIMELINE, PROCESS AND RULES
- You don't need to register on InsideIIM.com or on the Kampus App to take part in Summer Saga Season 8. Simply share your experiences in the Digital Diary. To maintain standardisation, every Digital Diary will have a few questions that you'll need to answer.
- Access all the Digital Diaries forms from here. You will receive Digital Diaries from us on the following dates:
-Digital Diary 1 - 02.05.2021
-Digital Diary 2 - 09.05.2021
-Digital Diary 3 - 23.05.2021
-Digital Diary 4 - 06.06.2021
-Digital Diary 5 - 21.06.2021
- After the end date, we will collate your entries as a single article and share the same with the same.
- Your overall submission will be evaluated on the following parameters:
-Completeness: This depends on the number of Digital Diaries you have filled.
-Value Addition: This depends on how in-depth your answers have been. The score for this parameter will be given by our Judges.
-Reach: This depends on how many unique people have read your internship experience once we publish the article. We maintain fair play, we will publish all the articles on the same day, so that you can also share the same in your network.
- There is also a title called, ‘Campus With The Most Interesting Interns’ that will be awarded to (a) the campus that submits the maximum number of entries and (b) the campus that submits the best quality entries (based on the score given by our judges). The minimum entries from campus to be considered for this title is 10. So, if you want your campus to win the title then make sure your classmates and other students from your b school share their experiences in this year's Summer Saga Competition.
This competition is broadly divided into four categories. Refer to the table below to know more about prizes in each category.
Prize Money
|
Category
|
|
Banking and Finance
|
Sales, Marketing and General Management
|
Operations
|
HR, Consulting and Others
|
| 1st Prize |
₹ 10,000 |
₹ 10,000 |
₹ 10,000 |
₹ 10,000 |
| Runner Up |
₹ 5,000 |
₹ 5,000 |
₹ 5,000 |
₹ 5,000 |
The 1st Prize winner will also get a one-hour 1-on-1 career guidance session with an industry stalwart, from our panel of mentors in Kounsel.
ABOUT THE JUDGES
Every year, we have Campus Managers from some of the top companies (such as Reliance, HSBC, Flipkart, ABG, HUL, TAS, etc) judging the annual Summer Saga competition. We will release the details of the judges of Summer Saga Season 8 soon!
Check out the previous year's
winners!
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Maybe this will help you reflect and recall these two months as well (which can come in handy when appearing for interviews in the future). InsideIIM is the perfect platform to chronicle your experiences, your highs, your lows and everything in between.
So guys, what are you waiting for? Start writing! You have a voice. You have the experience. Make the best of it!