Intern Speak: Internships Offer Many Benefits

It is a dream of many graduates to get a job that matches their skillset and enables them to get relevant and enriching office experience. Internships play an important role in securing the right job for a fulfilling office work experience.

It is important to know what it takes to get the best out of your internship. What are the do’s and don'ts to keep in mind for a successful office experience? Read on to get an insight into the internship experience of two freshers.

Komal Kumari, BBA

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) was my choice of course for a successful career. During the final year of the course, I opted for an internship with a popular business consultancy firm. It was for a duration of six weeks.

I live in Indore. My office was almost two hours away from my residence. The office timing was from 09:00 am to 04:00 pm. I left for work at 7:00 am and would return around 06:00 pm. There were times when I reached late to work due to the unavailability of public buses. But my team understood and didn’t complain much.

On the first day at work, I was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. I was assigned to another manager who would deal with my day-to-day tasks and assignments. It was my duty to report to my manager by the end of every day and inform him about the tasks accomplished. My manager would also help and guide me if I had any questions.

The working environment only complimented my internship experience. It was a comfortable space with positive energy. There was a cafeteria on the ground floor of the building and that’s something I liked a lot.

There was another intern who came before me. He helped me understand the basics of working in a consultancy firm. We both were required to visit other departments to understand and learn from each other. We made notes, jotted down the tasks, and completed the small tasks that were assigned to us.

It was a fulfilling internship experience. I learnt a lot and I am sure it’ll help me do better in other endeavours of mine. As of now, I am pursuing an MBA and I am already in the 2nd year. I look forward to getting a job where I can utilise my internship experience and enjoy the work environment just as much.

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Arvind Pathak, Education (BRC)

I was always interested in education. I pursued internship experience with BRC (Block Resource Center) while I was pursuing postgraduation in the summer of 2018.

I am from Raichur, Karnataka. I am currently working in the Education department of the Government of Andhra Pradesh. I had been to BRC many times before as it was a mandatory component of the academic syllabus structure. I was aware of its function and importance.

I asked one of my professors to help me get an internship with BRC because I wanted to make a successful career in the field of education. I got the position and thus began my month long, no stipend, in office work internship.

I rented a PG accommodation near the office for INR 4,000 per month. I travelled to work on my bike. In my conversation with BRC officials, I had made it clear about the things I wanted to learn and they were supportive.

I visited many government and private schools during the period of my internship. This is exactly what I expected out of my internship experience. I attended meetings, seminars, and other events conducted by BRC for school teachers. The most important thing that I learnt during this internship is how policies were executed at the grassroot level.

It is clear that internship experiences are rewarding when it comes to hnads-on learning. Along with exposure, internships enable you to apply your theoretical knowledge in the real world, learn from others and become self-sufficient in your job.

They also make you a team player by providing opportunities to engage and collaborate with other people and teams. Most importantly, in-office internship experiences make you confident and prepare you for any challenge that may present itself when you finally land your dream job.

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