25
th May 2018 it was. I and some of my crazier friends were waiting for our turns to hand over our business assets (A laptop with charger, headphone, one bulky yet my favourite laptop bag and a cable lock) at the IT office, Deloitte E-block, Hyderabad. For the first time all of us had similar expressions on our faces, this was the last day of an eight week long summer internship which I assumed to go long on the first day but seemed too short when it was going to be over. We bid good bye to each other over a Punjabi lunch in the city of chutneys. When I look back in the memory mirror, the ambitious b-school summer internship seems no less than a sweet, entertaining and inspiring movie where you still want to hold your seat even if the movie is over.
The casting happened in the month of August; when it was the earliest phase of summer internship recruitment at XIMB and I was still new to the MBA life with a very little idea of roads ahead. I, a former mechanical engineer with 35 months of work experience at a reputed steel company was interested (not rigid though) for consulting sector and here I was; shortlisted to appear for the internship recruitment process for the big boss in the consulting arena: Deloitte US-India private Ltd. The first round was a case discussion round in a group which I cleared with a little effort to go through the 2
nd round which was the interview round. The interview was slimmer and smoother and all about my previous professional and personal experiences. The friendly gestures from the interviewer made the process easier. Not every time destiny has its blessings over me but this time it was kinder and I was selected. Not only the selection announcement was made but the recruiters also cheered us up with clapping hands and some adorable gifts. I was happy and with an expressionless face, I knew the journey was going to be exciting.
An MBA experience consists of two phases: the practice phase where the classroom teachings happen and the active phase where you get the real-life experiences in terms of live projects, competitions and playful activities. The summer internship can be regarded as the testing period of the active phase. So the time for my testing period knocked on my doorstep and I was all set for my journey Hyderabad on 1
st of April (the historical Odisha day). I accommodated myself in a good PG at Madhapur, Hyderabad and on 2
nd April, as communicated, suited up, reached to the already mentioned destination. It was Deloitte University, the learning centre of Deloitte organisation where our welcome to Deloitte (onboarding) programme was scheduled. There were hundreds of us looking alike in the dark colour business suits and groomed hairs - as jokingly pointed out by the HR team. The day continued with new interactions, introductory orientation sessions, awesome lunch with varieties of food options and finally eye-catching gift hampers which included creative diaries, customised black t-shirt with a name printed on the back, a made in Germany pen, a beautiful carry bag and business cards. For the first time, I was going to have a business card with my name imprinted on it. The day didn’t end there, we were provided with our business assets which I had mentioned in first two lines along with our working location for the next weeks and contact id of our reporting manager.
I have already heard before that Deloitte treats its interns very well at which really came true in the upcoming weeks. The next week I reached my reporting location; already amazed at the beauty of sky touching nineteen storeyed office building designed in the Deloitte theme which was going to be the dream location. I ,along with five interns was assigned to SAP service line and we were to report in time to our reporting manager. Our reporting manager welcomed us with a grin and we were assigned to our respective projects. To help us in the process we were also assigned with individual mentors and guides who would guide us through anything everything related to our project deliverables. I was given a challenging supply chain sector project where I had to find out a tech solution going through use cases and address the problem statement with own recommendation and feasibility study. Each day after the project assignment was no less than a joyful professional experience. I must say Deloitte has the most professional and excellent work culture. The door of learning was always open. As they say it has an open door policy which gives you freedom to interact with anyone and everyone irrespective of designation and this was the most helpful gesture to have happened to me. I interacted with many people who never said no to any help, each of them was approachable and insightful. Adding sugar to it, I had the opportunity to get in touch with some of my college alumni and we used to have college-related light talks. Despite of the busy schedule, there never was ample stress on the faces of employees and that itself was the beauty of the vibrant and positive working culture. Even I was able to interact with some great minds who were working in US offices and they took out time for me to help me in my project with their inputs despite of the time zone gap. My mentor and guide were frequently evaluating my ongoing progress and always came up with valuable encouragement and suggestion box. Not to forget I was also assigned a buddy who would help me in case of any sort of problem if and when lightened up, luckily I didn’t have any but we (me and my buddy) used to blend well. The story will be incomplete if I don’t mention the beautiful office space, the well-built art-filled creative walls which had some stories to tell every time I looked at it, cool personalized cubicles, break out area with always available tea, coffee and carom board always ready for some fun activities and what not. We even had one to one interactive sessions with senior managers, managing directors and feedback sessions with the HR team. We were guided and handled with care in each and every step. To sum it up, I was getting fulfilling taste of the consulting sector at the campus of world’s best professional business advisor.
The other side of the story was more enthralling which was the weekends. This was my 2
nd visit to Hyderabad, in the first visit which happened some two years ago, it already was my favourite city. This time it had a lot to offer. I didn’t let go the opportunity to live the life in the city of Nizams and what followed were extravagant luxurious satisfying food trips and place visits in the city of Biryani over the weekends. One thing is sure if you are in Hyderabad you are strictly advised not to miss varieties of tasty foods starting from Bawarchi’s Biryani to Bilal’s Ice cream. What made it more exciting is to experience the experience with the company of my new friends who became the inseparable part of the ride. Even for an introvert like me these friends were the charming addition to the voyage. Amidst everything else the awaited the final week arrived. Despite of a pinch of nervousness I was able to clear my final presentation with good feedback and appreciations received from the senior leadership group. All of it ended well with a team lunch with the senior leaders and heart touching e-mails, handshakes from many wishing for a bright future.
For me, the eight week-long internship phase was a rediscovery of my personality and professional acumen. I discovered and rediscovered some hidden strengths blended with a cloud of learning of the real-life business sector. If I subtract the Ola/Uber hustle everything was more than alright. I am thankful to each and every one who made it memorable. The classroom experiences in the college, the corporate competitions I have appeared all of those played a healthy part to make the journey special and successful. When I look back I find a well-spent summer season, a humble opportunity to shine, a bundle of new friends and guides. Last but not the least some well-taken photographs too…..