In terms of preparation for Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, a quick understanding about the life insurance industry, their market shares and competitors and brushing up on the basics of marketing was more than satisfactory. I had two rounds of interviews where my understanding of insurance and other basics were tested. Being a fresher, my basic knowledge in marketing and also my previous projects were assessed.
After graduating as a computer engineer, I worked as a technology analyst at one of the largest banks in the world. It was during this 2-year stint that I found my interest in the banking and financial world. When I started my MBA, it was very clear to me that finance would be one of my focus areas and I’d like to pursue a career in banking. When I learned that RBS was going to recruit summer interns from my campus, I was very excited and slightly nervous at the same time. The bank offered an 8-week internship in Portfolio Management. I recognized that the role would be perfect for me to learn the credit business of the bank and add to the basic banking concepts I had picked up during my previous job. I applied for the position without any hesitation.
The year 2020 has been about facing new and life-changing events and while our daily vocabulary has changed significantly to include 'unprecedented', 'quarantine', 'lockdown', and 'work'-from-home', the batch of 2021 MBA graduates heard and experienced a rather new noun, a virtual internship.
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”
I discovered my passion for the FMCG industry when I realized that a consumer goods company does not sell a body soap or a toothpaste or a pack of potato chips, but they sell a dream story; a story so well designed where the consumer is the protagonist who has an end goal to pursue (a goal to look fresher, or maybe feel better or to quench some hunger). This well-crafted story addresses all the pain points that the protagonist would encounter in their life and then finally introduces the product, which acts as a bridge between the protagonist’s problems and their end goal to create a solution ultimately. Being a graphic designer, I was intrigued by this kind of storytelling where each and every part is carefully designed just like in a well-crafted graphic design, and I decided to pursue a career at a consumer goods company where I would get a chance to pursue my profession and personal hobby at the same time.
Preparation Strategy Before telling about my preparation strategy, I want to talk about Intuit’s recruitment process. So, basically, after their on-campus pre-placement talk (PPT), the first round involved solving a short HR case study. Well, the case itself was not more than 1 and a half pages long and students were asked to work on the case; answer the relevant questions as asked in the case, document the same in a proper way, and submit. Students who cleared this case study round would then proceed for the final interview round.
The significant battle in the MBA venture starts with the Summer Internships. You are hardly into college for a couple of months, still adjusting to the new environment, when it dawns upon you that you must start preparing for your Summers at the earliest. Everyone is looking forward to Summer Internships and wants to give their best shot to grab the finest opportunities. Right from building and polishing your CV to having practice GDs with your friends, everyone is bustling with excitement, hoping to get placed in their dream company. The campus is inundated with loads of discussions happening among students. Summer Internships are crucial in a student’s MBA journey as it is an opportunity for the students to have hands-on experience in a company.
Background I am a currently a 2nd year student of MBA Infrastructure Development and Management (IDM), a niche course offered by one of the top ranked institute of India, Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Research Development (SCMHRD). This program is a blend of technical and commercial knowledge, which has both the core management technique and infrastructure conceptualization and knowledge. Before joining SCMHRD I was working at a my family business in real estate sector. But I always dreamt of pursuing an MBA from a top notch institute, I wasn’t able to clear the round in the first attempt, I tried second time and this time I got admission at SCMHRD. I did my summer internship with RITES ltd. Rites is promoted by ministry of railways and for me it was a honour to work with RITES.
