Internship at Hindustan Times – Bending it like Beckham
About the Author: Vivek Pandey, a student of Oriental Institute Of Science and Technology, Bhopal, talks about an internship that brought him closer to his favorite things – writing and football.
Yes, I did choose to pursue engineering, but I could never get over my interest in journalism and writing. I admire sharing information, exploring various topics, hearing various views and opinions, examining different perspectives, and contributing in discussions about different fields. One day, I came across a wonderful opportunity to follow two of my passions – football and writing. Credits to my friend, Sakshi Kasture! She told me about a work from home internship on Internshala offered by Hindustan Times wherein one had to write articles on football. HT had posted two internships – one for writing articles related to football in Hindi and another in English; I applied to the latter. A few days later, I received a mail citing that I was shortlisted and was required to write on www.90min.in using two of the templates available there. www.90min.in, a fan-created soccer content portal for South Asia, is a joint venture of HT Media and Minute Media. The website provided four templates, viz. article, list, lineup, and slideshow in order to enhance the reading and writing experience. I wrote the articles but was rejected.
I was disappointed but willing to improve, so I called the business manager of the organisation to seek guidance and suggestions. He told me that my knowledge of the game was exemplary but I needed to work on my writing skills. He also suggested me to apply for the Hindi one. I clicked on the post and faced the three questions again –
1. Why should you be hired?
I mentioned my educational qualification. I wrote about my admiration for content, how I loved the exchange of information, and my enthusiasm to draft conclusive verdicts on various topics. I added that I had been an active participant in Hindi story and essay writing competitions and wrote articles, poems, and satires for my school magazine. I added that HT was a pioneer in spreading information to make an impact on the nation and it would be a great experience to intern with them.
2. Are you a football fan?
I replied with an electrified ‘yes’ followed by a description of the beautiful game that football is. I wrote how it has found a place in our hearts ever since its inception and how it brings out the passion in people. I also mentioned some countries like Brazil and Germany, clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United, and players like Ronaldo and Messi, who have elevated the standard of football with their game.
3. Can you write in Hindi fluently?
I replied in affirmative mentioning my write-ups published in the school magazine.
As the next step in the process, I was asked to write articles in Hindi language using Google Input Tool. I used article and slideshow as templates. For the former, I expressed my views on ‘Narendra Modi’s visit to Germany‘ wherein he asked Germany to support Indian football and for the latter, I wrote about how history was favoring Juventus to win Champions League 2016-17.
My efforts and optimism finally led to my selection. I started my 18-week internship in June; this is my 11th week at HT, and I’ve already published 100+ articles. My job involves publishing a minimum of 7 articles a week. If interns fail to do so, they are given a yellow card and in case that happens thrice, they are fired. I write articles on the hot topics of football – the big matches, transfer of players between clubs, what different players are up to, etc. The aim is to deliver quality content with accuracy. We have mentors who allot topics to write on and guide us. There is a freedom to pick topics that can produce an exceptional content. The work environment is professional and chilled out filled with highly ambitious people. With established mentors and editors reviewing our work, we are given meaningful feedbacks which help us improve.
During this internship, I have learnt to write engaging content which is full of facts and statistics. I have developed a skill to write an authentic article with great quality and add emotion to it. The way I cover an article and extract news as soon as an incident happens gives a sense of journalism to my work. For instance, we recently covered the world record transfer of Neymar; www.90min.in was the fastest website to do so after BBC. It was 10.30 in the night when the editor texted the interns to inform of the transfer of Neymar from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Within 30 minutes of the announcement, we published 5 articles citing the complete news, his jersey number, and position on the field with PSG. The internship has opened doors for me, and I hope to make a career in journalism. I’d like to thank Internshala for the opportunities they provide students with.
Passionate about writing but stuck in another course? Apply to these cool content writing internships and quench your thirst for writing.
Editor’s note – If you also have an interesting story to share, you can now participate in Your Internship Story Contest 2017 and win cash prizes and goodies worth INR 1 Lac!
