My journey with Abbott began the moment when they arrived on our campus for the pre-placement talk. My sister being a dentist I was always curious about how a pharma organization works and always wanted to be part of one. Through Abbott I got the opportunity of working with one of the best pharma organizations on this planet!
On the preparation front I had read about the pharma industry in general and especially how is pharma marketing different from FMCG or any other kind of marketing. This background reading as well as the information I had gathered on Abbott helped me a lot throughout the process.
The selection process was CV screening followed by GD rounds followed by personal interviews. I have not seen any process more streamlined and well planned than this one. Candidates were made comfortable and the GD and PI panels were very friendly throughout the process.
I still remember my first day at Abbott. The office is situated in BKC Mumbai surrounded by all giant multinationals from every sector of the industry. The induction for us interns was planned for 2 days and on the very first day we were given the opportunity to interact with some of the very senior officials in the company. The fact that we could share the same room with these veterans and ask them our doubts and get those doubts clarified was a sign assuring enough that this internship was going to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.
Being a marketing intern I was supposed to work on 2 projects both of which involved extensive market research. My mentors and guides for both the projects, no matter how busy they were always took time out of their schedules and solved my doubts. This was one of the most valuable aspect of the internship for me, as we were treated not as interns but employees and were given a free hand when it came to sharing our ideas and were treated as equals. Most organizations promise employees an open door policy which allows free interaction with even the senior employees in the company. This policy was realized at Abbott and it helped me a great deal as the interactions saved a lot of time and we got expert opinions from the seniors as well.
Most of the interns being marketing interns had to work on the field where they interacted with doctors and gathered useful insights from them. My projects also involved field research for which I worked in Mumbai and Pune as well. The field work seemed exhausting in the beginning but soon I realized that working with people from all levels in the organization and interacting with doctors and understanding their point of view about Pharma industry as a whole helped me get a holistic view of the Pharma industry and I understood how the whole industry functioned from every stakeholder’s perspective.
The HR SPOC was also very friendly during the entire 2 months and helped us with everything that we needed so that we never had to worry about anything else other than the project.
The one thing I learned from the internship is that in Pharma industry the prime customer is the doctor and the consumer is the patient. This is one core principle basis which the Pharma industry functions and people who can understand and make use of this fact can achieve a lot in this sector.
My message to all the first years who will be joining B-Schools this year is prepare well in advance for organizations from different industries and make most of the insights you get from your seniors who have gone through the process already. PPO or no PPO give your best as the learning is what matters the most. All the best!