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By God’s grace (or the placement committee :P), I was shortlisted for the e-commerce giant – Amazon! While I somehow managed to reach the final round, I fumbled (too much introspection is counterproductive indeed). As I prepare myself for another disappointment, I hear my name being called. The PC representative sends me to the waiting area of L&T interviews, where the HR (luckily my college alumni) tells me that they have a role that extends explicitly from my past work experience in Edu-tech and they hadn't found anyone suitable for the role in all the B-schools they visited till then (and I thought my mom lied when she said I’m “special” :P). The role was mine if I cracked the interview, and 'I' was my only competition!
With just the right amount of confidence boost that I needed, the 40-minute-long interview went phenomenal, and the regular college day ended with an internship offer from the Corporate Technical Training division at L&T.
Although an engineer by qualification, I had absolutely NO experience with the software gamut. So, the virtual internship gave me a chance to learn, develop, and upskill myself. Time flew; the two months were spent in daily meetings, weekly updates to my company mentor, fortnightly reviews that made sure I was moving on the right track and loads of self-learning.
Following this protocol to the T was necessary if I wanted to deliver and make sure the final output was aligned to the expected project outcomes.
I had the opportunity to implement two other smaller initiatives that optimized the team’s time utilization.
And come the day of my final review – besides the encouraging response to my project deliverables, the most memorable part was the fact that the entire team joined the meeting to attend my presentation. It was a wrap!
• Interviewing for your dream company is one aspect; getting shortlisted for it is another. So, focus on placement preparation more than the company preparation.
• I was wrong: there’s no such thing as ‘too much experience’. The right company, the right role – they will cherish you for who you are.
• Be yourself. Consult your seniors, but make your own choices. Don't get caught in the blind race of CV pointers and certifications. They're essential, but only if you gain the knowledge. The company HRs are too smart to call out if the certification is simply ‘bought’ and not ‘earned’.
• Everything is a learning opportunity. Adapt and revive. I was hired for a specific project but ended up doing something entirely different. The pandemic has altered our new normal. So instead of holding on to ‘what could have been’, focus on ‘what can I do to make the best of it’.
• Stay fearless. A summer internship is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So, make it worth your while. Give your best shot, but admit to any mistakes or roadblocks you’re facing. Acknowledge that it’s a learning curve and you’re still growing.
• Document everything, and ‘excel’ at it. From any confidential data-related requests to any meaningful suggestions, from instructions to feedback, it helps to get things written down on an email.
• When applying your MBA learnings, keep it practical (and not textbookish). The models & frameworks you’ve learnt are simply to organize your thoughts and approach. Avoid proposing or implementing solutions in the framework format. Innovate!
• Leverage your understanding of the project objectives to make a remarkable presentation. Your recommendations should reflect a macro-level perspective. Aesthetics and interactivity are underrated. Incorporate both in your final presentation.
• Be on a lookout for the scope of improvements – within yourself as well as your organization. Self-improvement will help you thrive, and your organization will welcome the improvement initiatives. Ensure both are relevant.
• Stay positive. Keep your eyes on the destination, but focus on embracing the experience. I don’t know the ‘outcome’ of my internship yet, but I know that the experience has fulfilled its purpose. The internship has ended, but the learnings will go on!