Summer Internship at Google – Anushka Chanana from TA Pai Management Institute
Anushka Chanana recollects her exhilarating experience of interning at Google India this summer. Anushka is an MBA student at TA Pai Management Institute. Read on to discover her exciting days of learning at Google in her own words.
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”- Benjamin Franklin
An internship is a practical exposure to what we learn in our classes all through our studies. It, thus, is an important part of our learning process. And if this exposure is in the form of a company like GOOGLE, then it becomes an experience to share.
It was the beginning of December last year when I got to know that I was shortlisted from Google for an interview for the position of a summer intern. I was happy as well as nervous. I had been shortlisted by many companies before for interviews, but somehow wasn’t able to give in my best. This had made me feel a bit nervous about how I would perform in this interview. But, I didn’t lose hope and started preparing for the telephonic interview. Luckily, I cleared the first round and then was the “Hangout Round” of the interview. This interview went for about an hour and ended on a very happy note. I felt positive of my selection about the interview. Two days later, the results were announced and I found my name in three selected candidates out of the twenty people.
My internship had to start on 7th April 2014. The last few days of March went in dreaming of the days that were about to come. Also, I was excited as two of us (my college friend and I) had to join the Gurgaon office and I would be able to stay close to my family for the next two months. I reached Delhi a day before our joining date and checked into the accommodation provided by Google. It was a well-known hotel with all the basic amenities provided. This made me even more excited about the next day when I would be actually joining THE GOOGLE’s office.
Finally, the day came. We were asked to report at 8 am. I reached office well before time. Upon arrival to the office, I was received by the HR. He told me about the schedule for the day. The induction was to start at 9 am. All of us (the interns) had an hour at hand, so he took all of us for breakfast. Then, we were escorted to the meeting room where the orientation process was to take place. The orientation process (called the Noogler orientation) for all the interns at all locations (Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Bangalore) happened at the same time through video conferencing from Hyderabad. This process went on for two days where all the interns were explained about the different processes within the organization. Also, many fun activities (like finding objects in the office having names starting from A-Z and taking photographs of those objects) took place so that the interns open up with each other. We also received our Noogler swags. Everything happened in the same way as shown in the movie “The Internship”.
Once the orientation was over, we were introduced to our mentors who took over from there. All the interns were assigned to different teams. My co-intern and I were assigned to the same team, that is, India Small and Medium Business Sales Team. Our mentor assigned us to the intern lead who showed us the office and what to find where. The whole office had many breakout zones (different from canteen) which had beverages and food ranging from dry-fruits to chips to fresh fruits. All these breakout zones were based on some beautiful themes. In one of the breakout zones, there was a TT table and a billiards table, which was available for the whole day (unlike other organizations, where employees are allowed to play only after the working hours). Also, to de-stress ourselves and relax, massage chairs were kept in various breakout zones. I had always heard of the casual work environment of Google, and here I was witnessing everything from my eyes. There is no doubt in Google winning the award for “Best Places to Work for”.
After a brief round of introduction with the team, I was asked to shadow each unit to understand how the sales calls take place in the team. Also, I was told to understand the basic work done within each unit and how one unit differs from the other. This took two days to complete. After two days, both of us (my co-intern and me) were given a combined assignment to understand the “Advertising Landscape of India”. We were given one day to present our findings to the mentors and the lead. After presenting the assignment to the mentors, we were then asked to improvise and present the assignment to the whole team. The presentation was well received by the whole team. This assignment helped me gain a lot of knowledge on the advertising industry of India.
Once this assignment was completed, I was given an option of choosing between two projects. I took up the project on “Understanding the agency landscape of India and help Google evolve its ecosystem”. It was a challenging project as I had no prior knowledge of this particular player in the advertising industry. Once the project was assigned, I set the key objectives of the project with my lead.
This project gave me a good opportunity to understand the advertising agency business in India completely. The research was challenging as there was no set structure to start with the project. I had to chart out a plan myself of how I should go about completing the project. Hence, it gave me a chance to explore things independently and gain more and more knowledge. The project went on for about 7-8 weeks in the 10 week internship period. During this time period, I got a chance to interact with many employees within my team and outside the team. Proper and timely feedback was given on whether the approach adopted was correct or whether there was a deviation from the objectives set by the mentors. During the last week of the internship, I had to present my project and conclusions to the mentors as well as the team.
Google, as an organization, cultivates a culture of innovation. This was completely evident from the style in which I was working. Moreover, I started with a weekly “Agency Newsletter” within the team which was again well received by everyone. Also, I got a chance to volunteer for a social cause during its flagship event “GoogleServe”. I went to an orphanage called “SOS Children’s Villages” in Faridabad to advice students on interpersonal and interview skills studying in various classes ranging from Class 9th to 12th
At last, on 13th June, this 10-week journey came to an end. This journey of working with Google was like a “dream come true” for me. There was a proper balance between work and fun like I went out for an onsite party with the team to Neemrana Fort, which helped me to connect with my teammates. There were several other occasions where the fun element was added to the work. Overall, it was a wonderful experience of working with Google. If given a chance, I would love to be a permanent member of the Google family.
Inspired by Anushka’s journey? Apply to these cool MBA internships and take the next step towards your destination.
