To Good Food, Good Internship And A Good Life - Fieldwork Experience At Nestle - TISS, Mumbai

By Aspirants Relations and Branding Committee

Webinars & Workshops

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” – Steve Jobs

When I was entering the campus of the Western region headquarters of the largest Food and Beverages company in the world for my fieldwork internship, I was still in search of some answers that would help me validate my decision to take up Human Resource Management as a career path for the rest of my life.

I was only a week into the course at TISS, Mumbai and my knowledge about the domain was nascent. I was apprehensive of the value that I could add to Nestlé and where I would fit in such a behemoth. Most importantly, this would be my first stint as an HR professional in some capacity and it would tell me what to expect for a career.

On my very first day, I was briefed about the projects that they had lined up for me. I was to automate significant parts of their performance management system. I would have to deal with a lot of data and make sense out of them and make it presentable before the management. I had to put a system in place that would make lives easier for them even after I leave the company at the end of my fieldwork stint in three months. The job at hand was daunting and I had little idea about it.

It was then that a process of learning began for me, something which no textbook had taught me in the past. It was a phase of exploration and trying out new things, failing at them, picking myself up and trying again till I found success became the overarching theme of my daily life. I had entered an infinite loop of learning and each day I went back home with some value added to my pool of knowledge.

I learnt to face challenges and even when I was at sea with them, I could anchor my ship till I found the shore. It wasn’t just performance management systems or automation that I was learning, it was about doing the job at hand in the best way I could. That is something that will stay with me for life.

It was an immersive experience working with Nestlé. The stint has broadened my horizons on many concepts and has given me a comprehensive idea about HR in action in organisations. My lessons in class became more relevant to me as they were constantly supplemented by what I saw in the organisation.

Three more such experiences await me in the coming semesters and I am certain that by the end of it, I will have gained an edge in this domain that would be unparalleled and unique in many ways.

Finally, when my fieldwork internship came to an end, I had one less mystery fluttering around in my head – whether I would love doing what I had signed up for.

It is the kind of assurance that makes the arc of my life worth every decision I had taken in the past that put me in TISS today.

About the Author:

Satyaki Dutta is pursuing his Masters in Human Resource Management and Labor Relations at TISS, Mumbai. Earlier, he used to code for a living for companies like Infosys Ltd. and Labvantage Solutions. When the going gets tough, he picks up a book or tunes into Netflix.