Choosing the problem statement proved to be much more difficult than we thought it would. All of them looked equally enticing and different at the same time. But to our demise, none of them was targeted to core finance as we were expecting from a bank. I picked up one that was slightly associated to finance. Groups were formed, discussions made and mentors allotted.
Highly apprehensive of the problem statement given, we started analysing the problem statement. Realization struck us, that this project wasn’t related to finance or marketing or HR. It was related to strategy. The project was associated to the SME segment of the business which was a very new domain to each one of us. We started off with secondary research, which did not lead us to any strategy or conclusion. Luckily, our mentors and guides were extremely helpful and patient with us and gave us a head-start.
And that’s how we landed on streets to take up interviews of the SMEs. The scorching heat of Mumbai streets, the unforgettable train journeys, the unwelcome looks passed on by the SME owners and the constant rejections to spare even a minute for the survey became part of our daily routine. Once, it so happened that we were escorted out of the industrial estate premises by a guard for wanting to interact with one SME and trust me, I can now count that incident as one of the most embarrassing ones! But this did not stop us one bit and we reached an astonishing count of reaching out 100 SMEs. The insights from each one of them and the connections we made through this, is definitely something to hold on to.
The last two weeks were dedicated completely to come up with some strategies associated with the problem statement. Each insight valued. We looked at the project from the eyes of the SME. What we learnt throughout the project was the fact that, we must never discard even a single data point- irrespective of how crazy and unimaginable it was. Our mentors and guides pushed us to think out of the box! I can clearly say from the interactions of the seniors of the bank that, the management always likes fresh and new perspectives- yes, we have to resort to a strategy that is viable for the bank to apply, but as an intern, the management always expects different strategies. Holding on to these insights and strategies, our team won the best presentation award- and that my friends, was a moment to cherish. Definitely the project wasn’t associated to finance, it was much more beyond that.
But it made me answer some questions like: how the business operates at various domains, how a bank chooses a particular segment to target to, the right mix of strategies and the when, why and how a project might or might not be successful. It was more than what I bargained for. The cherry on the top would be the fact that I could build up my network through interactions in the bank including the division heads and DBS India CEO. Students from various colleges share their experience and it’s always fun to know what’s cooking in other campuses. Our initial perspective of group internship took another turn and ended up being an enriching experience. And I came to a realization that my HR was actually true. I would hold on to the learning, connections and the experience at DBS.
These two months of the internship is literally like a playground in the corporate world. The ball would be in our hands, it’s ultimately our responsibility on scoring and winning the game. Make as many connections as you can, build your network, learn from your mistakes, collect every insight, record it, re-read and brainstorm to make the best of the two months!
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