Besides the academic learning that happened in this internship, I also learnt some simpler, but equally useful lessons I need to remember. The first was that there will be times when the number of things that need to be done is way more than the time available to do them all. It would be impractical to try and do all of them together. Rather, a one-word mantra turned out to be more effective for me - Prioritise.
One aspect of my project was Engagements for a specific team that had certain constraints including being virtual, and the members’ extremely busy schedule. The challenge for me was to come up with ideas that not only cater to these constraints but also to ensure the ideas are different. Considering how proactive organisations have become in trying to optimise engagements, creative thinking for the ideas have become indispensable.
Another invaluable lesson that I’d heard about before, but only witnessed during my internship is that communication is crucial. Communication doesn't necessarily mean speaking eloquently in a language. It means that ideas are conveyed, received and interpreted in a manner that ensures all the stakeholders are on the same page. It also means having crystal clear understanding of who is responsible for what inputs and what outcomes.
Besides these, I will hold two pieces of advice that my mentor gave me, very close to my heart. Both of these pieces of advice pertain to my career in HR; the first was that always have the numbers at your fingertips. Your pitch, your recommendations should be backed by the same level of factual evidence were these recommendations being presented by your business leader. The second was that as an HR, you’ll deal with stress. However, never let the stress come through because employees form strong perceptions about the HR department based on a single interaction with you. So, always smile.
The internship created new friends for me, who not only included the employees from Genpact, but also interns from other institutes assigned projects in the same location. We even created a Whatsapp group for us. Its been around a month since internship ended, we’ve all gone back to resume our studies, and yet the Whatsapp group stayed.
Of course, there were times when I wasn't sure if I was headed in the right direction, but I believe that at some point, despite all the inputs given, we will wonder whether we’re headed in the right direction. That’s probably because there are some decisions we will have to make. It was in those moments that I realised that I can’t worry about the ‘what ifs’. I’d have to take a call. I can’t worry about making a mistake because otherwise, I’d never learned. These moments of apprehension were offset by other wonderful moments which included me getting appreciated for doing something right, the fun I had with my intern friends and employees, the masti I did with my cousin and relatives, the glorifying joy of taking my relatives out for and getting gifts for my family, meeting up old friends after ages, and of course, the joy of being (even if temporary) but a welcomed member of this organisation.
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