TAS Internship in Tata Motors Ltd., Sales and Marketing, Bhutan
It was just before I joined IIM Bangalore. On a golden warm summer evening, I and a couple of my friends were strolling by the marine drive for the first time. Typical of first time visitors, we were a bunch of gleaming eyes staring awestruck at the Taj. Suddenly one of my friends said, "let’s go in for dinner!" The rest of us turned around and looked at him - unkempt hair, crumpled shirt, torn jeans, whacky sandals and a sheepish smile on his face – pretty much like any one of us. But still, we mustered courage and thought, if not dinner we can at least afford coffee, even though it would mean we would be penniless to go back home. When we reached the entrance, the guard asked us, “Sir, May I know where you are going?” In a “know it all” tone I said, “Why do you think people come to a hotel? We wanna have coffee”. The guard politely pointed to a nearby building and said, “The coffee house is there sir. Unless you have a check-in I can’t let you in here. Would you like to check in?”
Suddenly I realised I got a call in my phone . So I “attended” the call, waved at him and we fled from the spot.
Exactly one year later I was staying at Vivanta by Taj for my TAS induction programme. I had come a long way from that embarrassing day and it all started with the frenzy summer placement process at IIMB.
Fresh in college, it is common for someone to be muddled with multiple career options especially because IIMs do not offer any specialization. I had a dilemma between consulting and general management. But, that’s when interacting with seniors, faculty, friends and peers with relevant work experience was very helpful. The pre-placement talks (PPTs) apart from offering delicious delicacies also offer a good glimpse about the company, their people, culture and commitment. It was in these PPTs that I realised I was not interested in consulting. I could be wrong, but I found the consultants a pompous, disparate and fawning lot. One partner from a reputed consulting firm went to the extent of flaunting the interiors of his posh home which had featured in a lifestyle magazine. Having seen it all, I liked TAS PPT the best. For a century year old group with over a 100 companies spanning the length and breadth of the world, they were so down to earth and genuine. With no frills whatsoever they meant business and I liked it. I would always advice one to go for a firm where they will feel at home. More than the perks, benefits or jazzy tours, liking the firm you work for matters more in life. Summer internship is one precious opportunity to waste merely for material ends.
The placement frenzy
Following the PPT season, were weeks of rigorous preparation for the internship process. The starting point here was the resume, so I made sure my resume suited the company and profile I applied for. GD’s and HR questions are a crucial part for general management (genman) roles. So firstly, I took help of seniors to monitor our GDs.
You could keep the following points in mind for your GDs.
- * Do not start unless you are absolutely sure. Bad start might ruin your chances.
- * Be very structured in articulating your thoughts - give examples and complete your argument
- * It helps to note down your points and others' (for the summary)
- * Whenever you make a point try to relate it to or contrast what was spoken earlier
- * Remember, it's not a debate, it is a discussion so don't shout or hog
- * Content and delivery are more important than facetime. In a 15 minute GD, 5 entries with 30 seconds each or something proportional is good enough
- * Keep track of time and make sure your group does not deviate from the topic - will fetch you brownie points
- * Give chance to the silent participants. But don't put them in a fix when they really don't want to speak
- * Finally, make sure your group arrives at a conclusion or solution to the problem at hand
Secondly, I prepared answers for the behavioural questions. It is at this moment when you introspect about your life. Instead of practicing hard to put on a good mask to the HR, it is best if you realise your flaws and start changing. This will also help clearing the psychometric tests later in the selection process.
The D-day - InterviewIt took you arduous toil to reach here,
A moment of callousness will cost you dear,
Panic not for the prying questions asked,
When you are true, you can’t be unmasked.
While preparing for the interview, keep the following in mind:
- * Know about the history, performance, future strategy & leadership of the company you are applying for
- * For business groups, identify 2-3 companies and profiles that you would want to work in
- * Prepare accounts of your relevant work experience
- * Brush up your academic concepts and prepare examples for each of those
- * Have an open mind and do not panic
Of all you think that matters in an interview, it is the company fit that they are looking for the most. So, when you have chosen the company by your heart, it is very easy to defend it. Most often genman (general management) firms come on day 1 and all well-paying consulting and banking firms come on day 0. So making a decision to sit for genman would mean you are ready to give up on consulting firms. It is a conscious risk that you have to take, but if not for that, you would never get what you wanted. My interview went reasonably well, however my panellists had a poker face all throughout. By the end of the interview when I knew I got it and my friends did too, my joy had no bounds. After we were placed, we helped our friends who were still in the process. On day 2, I realised that whoever was yet to be placed, was still there not because of any dearth of talent but only because they could not handle the behavioural aspects of the interview. That is why I insist the importance of preparing for behavioural questions. Yet another thing that was apparent by the end of the internship process was the culture of the firms, conspicuous by their conduct. While every other major firm resorted to backchannel means to poach candidates by calling them against the placement norms, Tata never did anything like that. It was the most transparent and genuine process ever, which respected the preference of the candidates. I once again felt happy about my choice.
After crossing the first ocean of getting a summer placement, this was the time to prove myself in the corporate world. My internship went impressively well and I ended up with a PPO.
To know the whole story of my internship with Tata Motors in Bhutan, please read: Summers in Bhutan, TAS - "Keeping it"