The D-Day arrived two days later. The first round was the Resume Screening which I cleared successfully. Next up was The Interview which was nerve wracking but I managed to keep my calm as I had worked hard for this day. The interview went well and I was asked questions about my background, past experiences, hobbies etc. This was followed by some technical questions about Above The Line (ATL) and Below The Line (BTL) activities. Stepping out, I was confident that I would make it.
Finally, the results were declared and I got the internship. On my first day, I met my mentor and the HR manager. My project was on the topic – ‘Assess and Evaluate the success of Zandu Pure Honey (ZPH) in the Mumbai market and recommend the ‘Way Forward Action’ based on analysis of the competitors. I had to give recommendations on how ZPH could be promoted on the basis of the market and an analysis of its competition. I was quite excited as this project required a lot of travelling across the length and breadth of Mumbai, meeting retailers and wholesalers to find out how ZPH was faring against brands like Dabur, Patanjali, and Phondaghat.
On a typical day of my internship, I used to reach the designated area to be covered on that day by 10 a.m. I was accompanied by an Emami salesman who closed orders with retailers. We would visit the store and while the salesman took the order, I would start talking to the retailer about the honey sales at his shop. I had also prepared a survey sheet that was to be filled by him. This way, we would cover around 40 shops in a particular area. Walking 4-5kms every day in the scorching Mumbai heat was tough. But the learning was immense and made it worth the effort! I gained a lot of knowledge about the honey market in Mumbai. Over time, I learned a lot about the nitty-gritty of handling the retailers and got an insight about how distribution and pricing work for an FMCG company.
All in all, it was a holistic learning experience with Emami Ltd. It has reassured me that FMCG is the industry I want to build my career in.
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About the Author:
The author’s name is Rohan Bharaj, a 24-year-old resident of Navi Mumbai, pursuing MBA from SIBM Bengaluru. Young, Dynamic, Focused and Ambitious – these are the adjectives that define him. Rohan has completed his graduation, specializing in Accountancy & Finance, from H.R College Mumbai in 2013. He also completed his post-graduation in M.Com (Accountancy) in 2015 from the same college.
He has a short message for all the MBA aspirants: Dream big, Work Smart, Persist and Make a Difference.
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