From Nepal to Vizag – How I’m writing my own success story
About the Author: Sima Yadav, who hails from Nepal, is pursuing MBA in Finance from Andhra University, Vizag. She talks about her internship experience in India and how it inspired her to make a career as an author.
Ever since I left Kathmandu and came to Vizag for pursuing an MBA, my life took a new turn. The city of destiny, Vizag, flooded cool waves over my stressful life, and I started enjoying the new culture and locations. However, as time passed, I was getting frustrated with just attending classes and living in the hostel. I wanted to gain some real-life work experience.
I decided to apply for part-time job opportunities to taste the waters and that’s how I came across Internshala. I liked the concept of work from home internships and started applying. I struggled for months but wasn’t able to convert any. Then, in the month of September 2016, I came across a post about creative writing internship at Linguistic Research Community at Vizag. I applied and, fortunately, my application was shortlisted owing to some similar projects that I had done in the past. I was asked to submit some of my previous work samples and was called for an interview the following day.
Before coming to India, I had worked for two months as a management researcher (subject matter expert) for a UK-based outsourcing company, ProED Research Private Limited. There I designed documents, wrote reports, supported in the research, and handled quality and content check – everything in the field of IT and business management. That experience had helped a lot in improving my writing skills. So, before going for this interview, I submitted a couple of reports that I had prepared on Social Media Crowdfunding and Business Development Plan for Women Footwear during those 2 months.
The interview was mainly focused on my written and verbal communication skills. I was asked about my academics, family background, and previous writing experience. I was also asked whether I could write good captions and creative thoughts on social media channels. My answers were to the point. When they asked me about my introduction, I didn’t recite my resume. Instead, I spoke about my family, the journey from Kathmandu to Vizag, and my educational journey. I also had to pick a topic out of the project bucket list and speak on it. I spoke on the topic “Importance of Business Communication” and included all the relevant points about its importance in getting hired, surviving in the company, dealing with clients, etc.
After few days, I received the email that I was hired for the internship and I was ecstatic! I was supposed to work on a book-writing project. I was given a framework (content, data to implement, the required number of pages, etc.) to start the book and also a timeline for completing every individual topic. I learned to use the APA Style of Referencing and MLA Style of Referencing. As the book was based on business communication, my work wasn’t just limited to writing and proofreading; I also attended a number of soft skills seminars to enhance my own subject knowledge and communication skills. With weeks of learning and practice, I was also honored with the membership of the linguistic society and bagged a new position as a soft skill trainer. Thus, I enjoyed my work as a trainer, presenter, and budding writer. I interacted with famous personalities from the field of literature who had many meaningful books and journals published under their name. Apart from these tasks, I also handled book editing and promotion related activities.
After four months of sleepless nights, typing, editing, and proofreading, I completed the project. The company liked the work and it was referred to the publication house. Finally, the book titled as “Business Writing for Corporate Communication” was published by Cyberwit.net and a local Publisher, Prudhvi Publication. It’s also available on Amazon! :)
The working environment and the influence of the fellow members of the community inspired me to build a career in writing and blogging. Now I know the incredible hard work that goes behind editing and publishing a book and even though the prospects in the publishing industry might seem tough, I’m sure that I’ll succeed!
Do you also dream about becoming an author? Apply to these content writing internships and start writing the first chapter of your success story.
