I'm Kavya Pandey, a second-year student specialising in Human Resources from Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune.
As far as my profile is concerned, I'm an IT graduate. I worked with Infosys Pvt Ltd for about thirteen months before I took the MBA plunge at SCMHRD.
I interned with Vodafone Idea Ltd this summers. It was an out-and-out fun-filled learning experience, infused with regular fun engagements, thanks to the highly planned and well-executed program at VIL.
Let me take you back in time a bit and share my journey from the beginning of first-year that helped me grab an internship at one of the most coveted brands on campus!
Preparation Strategy & Interview Tips
As far as summer internships are concerned which happens just months into the beginning of the MBA journey, there are few things to keep in mind when it comes to cracking that one big interview which unlocks the gates to your coveted organisation! Following are few things that I took cognisance of.
- Decide on your chosen specialisation - know about it, the various functions in it, why it resonates with your personality, what makes you choose this over others.
- Be aware of the latest happenings in the outside world and have an opinion on it. Again, don't be very stringent with your thoughts as that may prove to be counterproductive.
- Surround yourself with the 'right' people - I can't stress on this enough! While it's good to be concerned about your future, a positive mindset goes a long, long way in ensuring you perform to the best of your capabilities. Try and be the optimistic person people like to reach out to.
- Research about the organisation and sector - be aware of any key decision taken in the recent past, change of roles, and so on.
Cracking an interview is just as simple as it gets - it can be a cakewalk if you're clear on what you're doing and your rationale behind the same.
Internship Experience
Interning with Vodafone Idea Ltd was an absolute delight. Few tips and tricks for my juniors:
- Enter the internship with the mindset to learn as much as possible in a span of two months.
- Stay curious - ask a lot of questions.
- Connect with as many people as possible in the organisation.
- Be proactive.
Tips for first-year students
Some of my observations over the last year that I'd like to pass on to my juniors as lessons would be:
- Have a positive mindset. Never let the situation get the better of you!
- Connect with people - your seniors, your batchmates.
- Help each other out whenever you can.
- Go for collaborative learning rather than unhealthy competitions among yourselves.
- Make the most of any opportunity that comes your way - case study competitions, internships, and so on.
- Someone is going to get a 'better' job, someone is going to win that competition that you gave your all to - Feel Inspired, Not Jealous. :)
All the very best to all my juniors! The lessons from the next two years shall stay with you all your lives.
Be stubborn enough to not let anything affect you. :)