When I first stepped into my college, after the hard work and toil of writing MBA entrances and sitting through numerous interviews and screening tests, one thing I knew for sure was the fact that I had reached an abode where life could only be better than what I currently had. This was followed by a realisation that I couldn’t have been more accurate in judgement and yet so callous in the process that actually led it. Sleepless nights, tight deadlines, tonnes of submissions, packed academic schedules were a reality; a reality that wasn’t appreciated in its time like all great things in life. The summer internship was the goal that drove all of us, and securing placement in one of the top companies was the ultimate close to it and we all came out of it with flying colours.
B-Schools are a sight to behold when the entire batch is preparing to get into their desirable companies. During my preparation for the summers, I remember attending numerous sessions conducted by the seniors to get my doubts solved on various areas concerning HR. One thing that definitely helped me was being a part of study groups in which we would divide various topics in current affairs and share our notes amongst each other. I also participated in various informal groups for Group Discussions, which was one of my weaker areas. Since the summer internship placement process happens barely 2-3 months into our MBA journey, I took cognizance of the fact that I couldn’t be a master of my subject, especially being a total fresher. But I made it a point to be very confident about whatever was written in my resume and my long-term goals. This helped me tackle all the questions that were asked in the interview for EY and I was successfully able to crack it.
However, the current scenario posed a new set of challenges for the Batch of 21 altogether as we were the first batch to undergo our internships virtually. Despite being a challenge, it tested our resilience and agility to adjust to changing scenarios and still come out as victors. We were onboarded successfully by the company and they made commendable efforts to make our lives easier. The company had a lot of plans with respect to the knowledge sessions, weekly HR connects to solve our problems and the mentors made sure that we understood our project well in the first week. My project revolved around understanding the learning and development space and required a systematic reaching out to L&D professionals to gain insights on learning health, sector-wise. The insights that I received through this exercise were eye-openers and has significantly touched upon my inquisitiveness in this vertical. As learning from the organisation, I took back various conversations on the issues in organisations due to the current scenario, the contextualisation of HR as a field through a study of the many clients that EY has and a lot of introspection on the feedback received every step of the way on my approach to things. I, now have a better idea on how to make the best use of my one year at the institute and shape my understanding in the field of my choice.
To our upcoming batch, I think one advice that would come unanimously by their immediate seniors is that the situations are rarely in our control. However, how you react to it is entirely an individual’s prerogative and it greatly shapes our paths ahead. To whatever may come, in your MBA journey or otherwise, enter with an open-mind and always remember to be very hungry to ‘learn’. Nothing is impossible as long as you are determined to do it and always be ready to take a reverse and revisit your approach to things. It may take time and courage, but you would find your way to the abode that all of us want to reach-Success!