Virtual Summer At A Consulting Giant || My Experience With PwC

An organization is a reflection of its people and PwC SDC proves it. In these unfortunate times, PwC came through with their promise and completely transformed their internship into an online experience. The complete internship was rebranded and transformed into an externship. And I feel a great sense of gratitude to be able to share my journey with everyone.

The journey began with me joining SCMHRD, a premier B-School in the country and one of the best for Human Resources Management. I knew, with the kind of experience I bring to the table, I would be better suited for a consulting role and hence I started my preparation in that direction. I started with the basics to make sure my CV stands out when the time comes and hence did a thorough restructuring with the help of our seniors and our alumni who were working in the same industry. Once I had my CV perfected, I moved on to prepare for my interview and worked on my public speaking skills. At the same time, I made sure to be mindful of all that was happening in the world of business. All of this hard work paid off for me when I was selected by PwC SDC to work as a Management Consulting Intern during the campus placements.

The complete HR team at PwC SDC was very excited about us joining them in the summers but fate had other plans. The team waited for the situation to get a bit better before they could start the offline internship. But as the situation deteriorated, they were very quick to adapt to it and completely transform the internship into an externship. Since this was a new situation for everyone, all the externs had a lot of apprehensions, which the HR team at PwC SDC answered with utmost care and compassion.

The transition to the online mode of working was seamless due to the efforts of the PwC team and we had an extensive and enriching onboarding. The complete onboarding process was fun-filled and exciting consisting of a variety of ice-breakers accompanied by knowledge and insightful sessions from the leaders. I soon joined the People and Organization Competency as a Management Consulting extern where I got to work on a variety of things related to the current situation of COVID-19. I was very fortunate to have a very strong support system starting from my buddy to my mentor who made sure that I delivered my best at all times. The open door culture at PwC made it very easy to approach anyone whenever I needed any help or just wanted to pick somebody's brain. After this experience, I can proudly say that it has helped me push my limits and inculcated in me a habit to deliver quality all the time.

Apart from the project work, the HR team made sure we had a lot of fun as well. We had weekly Virtual Coffee sessions and weekly case competitions as well where I got a chance to collaborate with other brilliant minds from all over the country and get a taste of what an actual consulting project feels like. We even celebrated the Pride month with PwC and participated in various competitions just like any other PwC employee. The whole experience was an amazing roller coaster ride and it passed within a blink of an eye.

My first year at SCMHRD shaped me into a professional and made sure I was able to perform well at my externship with PwC. All the long nights of assignments and projects and all the work for committees/clubs gave me the much-needed insight into what running an organisation feels like. For all the students joining in this year, make sure to leave all your inhibitions behind and accept everything that comes your way with open arms. Have an open attitude and be ready to seek discomfort as this discomfort will bring out the best in you. And maybe next year you'll be writing this post with a feeling of pride and fulfilment in your heart.