The first year of MBA life begins with a bang: understanding the culture of B-school via cultural events, networking with peers either in classes or committees & clubs, getting tuned into the regular lectures, and professors of the college. The first few months are amazing as you get adapted to the new life, reliving your college days again. But
every bean has its black; thus, the stressful days begin when it is the time for getting placed for Summer Internships and the companies start coming on the campus in search of the most eligible candidate.
Being an engineer in Electronics & Communications and having work experience in the Information Technology industry, I was clueless about the roles and profiles that were offered by the companies in MBA. Also, since specialization is selected in the second year, most of us were not sure whether we would end up taking Marketing, Finance, Operations, or HR.
So, how should we make the correct choice concerning the company and its profile?
- Figure out within a few months about your interest in specialization, thereby helping you to segregate the companies based on it. In the circumstances, one is not able to decide; one should select the companies while registering based on their interest in the profiles, that is the kind of role they would like to try hands-on.
- Identify the critical factor for your decision making, out of the Company/ Brand, Profile/ Role, Stipend. During your Summer placements, it is advisable to look for the profile as a priority rather than the brand, stipend, location or any other factors, because the kind of role you would perform in 2 months period will help you later in entering into the same. In case one is not satisfied with the type of work they did in summers, they can look for other suitable roles during their final placements.
- Work hard during the two months of the summer internship to learn as many skills as you can, to get an overview of the entire industry, the firm, the brand value of the organization, its culture and employees. Utilize every day as an opportunity to grow and develop yourself as much as one can.
- Network with maximum employees during your short tenure with the firm, because maintaining a professional relationship with the employees in corporate life helps you throughout your career. As it's said, 'The world is round and small,' you are bound to meet again. Hence, one of them could be a blessing in getting a referral or help in your career.
- Your diligence, enthusiasm and, interest in the firm, positive attitude towards the job, and cordial relationship with employees can leave a good impression on the management, and it increases your chance of getting a PPO (Pre-placement offer) from the company.
Despite being from the IT sector, I got selected in a Real Estate firm in Mumbai as a Marketing & Sales Associate in A&O Realty (Ashapura and Options Realty). I had initially registered myself and had been selected for the live project of about two months, where I was required to report only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Based on the requirement and outcome of my daily tasks, the management gave an offer letter for the Summer Internship with a suitable profile and decent stipend.
Thus, consider your Internship as an essential opportunity for your overall personal development during MBA.