The memories of my summer internship at ICICI Bank are vivid in my mind, even though it has been more than a month now since its completion.

As the banking paradigm goes, “expect the unexpected” was my mantra while preparing for the SIP process of ICICI Bank. Since banking represents a very dynamic and fast moving environment, it was imperative for me to be thorough with all the latest developments in the industry. I was also guided by my seniors who had interned at ICICI Bank, and they provided very pointed and clear guidelines to fructify my efforts. I went through a few banking related case studies, to familiarise myself with the decision making environment in a banking context.

All these efforts culminated in a smooth sailing through the selection process. The email conveying my selection shall forever remain etched as a special memory.

ICICI Bank was one of the first movers, foreseeing the topsy-turvy world which the COVID-19 monster was about to bring with it. It was among the first ones to take the bold call of moving the internship program to the online mode, christening it as “Internship From Home” (IFH).

We were treated to a terrific onboarding experience, with the campus team going all out to normalise the ‘new normal’ for us. The interaction sessions with the top minds at ICICI Bank were extremely enriching, in line with the motivating tagline “Leaders Start Here”. Regular knowledge sessions with ICICI veterans were designed to be highly interactive and informative. To keep the competitive spirit alive, all interns were required to participate in flash quizzes held every Friday, which were an instant hit with everyone.

Talking about my project, it was a true testament of the saying “Crisis is the cornerstone of creativity”. A major part of my project included fieldwork component, which was rendered infeasible considering the lockdown restrictions. The project team immediately recalibrated the project requirements and substituted this component with other resources which otherwise would not have been tapped in the traditional format.

The overall experience of working with the project team exposed me to the intricacies of working in a banking set-up. A meticulous approach with an eye for even the tiniest of details, coupled with a creative outlook are absolutely essential to thrive in such a work environment. The background research for the project was quite rigourous and covered multiple domains viz. finance, marketing research etc. Thereafter, the project had clear week-wise timelines and challenging targets were set for each of these. A weekly work log was maintained which came in handy while readying the final deliverables.
The final week brought with it the excitement for the final project presentation which was juxtaposed with the uncertainties of “Have I done enough?’. But as I started my tracing my journey of the previous few weeks, I realised that the learnings out of the project were not just academic in nature, but encompassed a wider portfolio of skills which were hitherto unrealised.

The 8 weeks of association with the ICICI Bank family was commemorated through a fun Wrap Party. It was a fun-filled get together with everyone chipping in with jokes, songs, memes etc.
As we were exiting the virtual meeting for one last time, all the cherished memories came rushing back in. Despite the limitations of virtual engagement, all of us had went beyond just networking and become rather close friends. We may have not been able to physically meet each other, but we had played our part in a major transformational journey. We were proud to have been the co-architects of the new normal!

As a concluding remark, I would like to advise the upcoming batches to not be intimidated of the new normal. Rather, focus more on being resilient and adaptive and challenge yourself to work in contrarian conditions. It always helps to set out clear identifiable goals for which a lot of emphasis needs to be given on planning. While researching your options, adopt a balanced approach to avoid being influenced by coloured opinions.
Finally, try to enjoy the full range of this experience for it comes only once in a lifetime and pushes you towards your destiny in ways you would never have imagined.

Good Luck!

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HARSHIT GARG

SUMMER SAGA 2020 | My Internship Experience @ ICICI BANK