“There is a degree of freedom that creates aspirations “– Mr. Anand Mahindra
My aspirations were given wings when I got the chance to intern at Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd, and though nervous in the beginning, this journey turned out to be the most amazing and fulfilling journey ever! I am Nikunj Ved from Xavier School of Human Resource Management (XAHR), erstwhile XIMB-HRM, sharing my summer internship experience at the US $20.7 billion multinational group of Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. I am going to share this experience in a different way- the ‘Storytelling’ concept that I learned during the internship.
Beginning with the preparation, I would recommend everyone to go through the company’s website. Organizations put millions to showcase the world, what do they actually stand for. It’s in these values that one can find the traits necessary to be company fit. Also, it is a good practice to know about the current happenings of the company. Other things specific to Mahindra would be choosing the sector according to your profile and also thorough knowledge about the sector.
It is very normal at the beginning of the internship to feel nervous, but what if I told you that I, on the other hand, was nervous while even preparing for my project. The reason was nothing but the phrase that I used earlier ‘The US $20.7 billion multinational group’ that ran into my head, but my anxiety calmed once I joined the company. So, on a sultry Monday morning, wearing the best set of formals that I had, I set foot at the corporate office of the company determined to work hard and prove my mettle. Well, on the contrary, and to my surprise, I found myself listening to leaders, savouring delicacies, cycling along the coast of Mumbai, and partying with the new friends I had made. Well, the corporates have their own way of pampering their employees. It was a one-week long induction program which made us feel like a part of their family. The best part of this program was interacting with Mr. Anand Mahindra and though we were expecting to learn from his immensely rich experience, it turned out to be vice-versa when he took insights from each and everyone’s opinion and planned a CSR activity through this interaction. The fun quotient during the internship period was always high. I was living my dream, in the city of dreams.
My project was with the GMC team which manages the flagship leadership program of Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. - ‘Group Management Cadre’. Soon after attending the induction program, I found myself working on designing induction programs. My learning graph during the internship period was much higher than my learning during the first year as I got the chance to apply practically the concepts I learned in the first year, be it
learning and development,
capability building framework or
job evaluations. I would say that I was very lucky in terms of my project mentor and guide as they helped in every possible way and even my silliest of doubts were cleared. The top management was also very approachable and was always receptive to my ideas. My stint also taught me the importance of
clarity of mind,
attention to detail and even the
formatting of documents and how these small intricacies can make a larger impact on your performance. The best learning experience during these two months was attending a Design Thinking Workshop that changed my way of designing solutions and it helped a lot in my project as well. My ideas whether implementable or not were always heard and thought of.
These two months made me more humble and calm in my approach towards work. My final presentation went well, and I was given a brief about my strengths and shortcomings. But this doesn’t end here as my team also took feedback from me and I had to find shortcomings for them. Finally, came the day when I had this moment - ‘I
don’t feel so good, Mr. Stark’ and I had to bid adieu to my team. It was hard but the delicious lunch treat by mentor made it a bit less severe. I stepped out of the campus for one last time with a smile and determination of applying the learning during my second year at college. And it was at that moment that I ‘rose’ with Mahindra.
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About the Author:
Nikunj Ved
XAHR (formerly XIMB-HRM)
2017-2019