"You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win."- Zig Ziglar
Believing this saying, I have always planned to give my best and expected best for me. Five minutes before my IIM Indore interview process, I was a bit nervous, but I reminded myself that I had burned the midnight oil for this B-school and have to give my best. I got myself into IIM Indore, where I got the opportunity to intern at Yes Bank during the summers of 2020 and received a Pre-Placement Offer(PPO) after my stint.
Various reasons contributed to the success of this internship, and I had a great experience working even with the online mode of the internship. Although the success of an internship depends not just on your performance for the assigned project but several other important aspects, yet some of the key points are to be followed while interning. My project at Yes Bank was a great learning opportunity, and for graduates looking to establish their career in the banking industry, it can be a stepping stone and provide an understanding of the same.
How did you prepare yourself one month before the internship?
One month before your internship begins, start reading and understanding the various new initiatives your company is taking up. If you are aware of your project beforehand, start researching about the industry, the breakthroughs made in the same, the best practices involved relating to your project. This would ensure that you have some meaningful initial conversations with your mentor giving you some brownie points at the beginning itself. Start following the newspaper, keep track of what’s going on around and form your opinion about the important issues based on the facts you encounter. This knowledge will help you speak up during the webinars, talks of industry experts, etc., conducted by the organization. It would show your awareness and a keen interest in the activities that are happening around and take each event seriously at the organization during your 2-month internship.
What key attributes contributed to your success at Yes Bank, and you got a PPO?
I would attribute my Pre Placement Offer (PPO) to the following reasons.
- The faculty and curriculum at IIM Indore have been highly supportive and conducted various guidance sessions on how to go about during the two months of summer internships. Since that was my first corporate life experience, I was excited and a bit nervous about it; I still remember Prof. Manoj Motiani’s words of caution and encouragement before the internship. I tried to abide by those guidelines throughout my internship.
- During the first week of my internship, I was assigned the project, and before all the things were getting set up (e.g., Login ids, passwords, VDs), I started my research on the project. Since it was the online mode, I would not have the privilege of discussing my findings with my mentor every day; hence, I wrote the progress of each day and started writing down queries separately to ask her whenever we have our meeting.
- It is important that you chart out a plan for your project and strictly follow that, leaving some room for flexibility and adjustments to be made in case of any issues that crop up.
- Keeping the mentor updated about your progress is extremely essential. Understand and discuss with your mentor whatever new findings you encounter and ensure that you are not going off track with your project’s objective. Your mentor is the primary lead of the project and would be the one finally delivering to the senior authorities or to the client; hence, do not even shy away from any issues or mishaps that happen while working on the project.
- Show interest in the activities conducted by the organization, for example, ask relevant questions in the various talks with experts, volunteer for organizing meetings between management and interns. This exhibits your interest and knowledge and your ability to lead the team and convey your quality to act as a reliable team member.
- Try to build a healthy rapport with other team members, and do not hesitate to ask for their help in your project. This shows that you value their opinions and do not have a conceited attitude. If required, discuss with them your approach towards the project and the deliverables of the project.
- Learn from the mistakes you make in the initial parts of working on the project and not repeat them in the future. Always keep a sincere attitude towards your work, never miss a deadline, and if you think you would not fulfil your commitment, let your mentor know beforehand.
Internship forms one of the most important parts of an individual’s corporate career, as it may lead to defining your field of career ahead. Remember to take complete advantage of the opportunity in terms of learning and enjoyment, because if you enjoy your work, you are bound to excel in it!
I hope my internship experience helps you give your 100% at your internship and convert into a PPO.
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