Summer Internship with Tata Power Limited — Ankush Garg from IIM Rohtak

August 8, 2012May 5, 2018 Jaai Vipra

Wildcard Entry for: – 7th August 2012

Name of the intern: – Ankush

Institute: – IIM Rohtak

Organization interned with: – Tata Power Limited

What happens when the company you end up doing your summer internship in is not even in your secondary shortlist of potential employers? Not to mention, the moment you enter the office, you are welcomed by a huge culture shock by finding yourself as the youngest employee. My summer internship experience is not only a cocktail of such amusing situations but also provided me huge insights about corporate life, performance and delivery.

Summer internships are an ideal way to learn about an industry apart from building a relationship with a prospective employer as well as giving you a chance to simply hone your skills. These two months of corporate exposure give a great practical impetus to your one year of theoretical learning. So I decided to make the most of my summer internship which was in the country’s largest power utility company and on the wonderful Saturday morning of April 2nd, 2011, I landed in Mumbai with several emotions.

It was partly attributed to the World Cup Final match which was to happen that day in the very same city. Although the role I held this summer was pretty much in sync with what I looked for, the company was not in demand in the books of top students. When people hear of a marketing internship, they generally connote it with FMCG and sales. No doubt, I was flooded with all kinds of questions as what a marketing guy had to do with a power utility company, which seldom requires marketing. But this made me more firm as it was a challenge in itself which I took head-on. Before embarking on this journey, I had the good fortune of having an interaction with a senior from our mentor’s institute who introduced me to the concept of “Mentor” and “Buddy”. I also learnt the importance of mailing the record of the work done every day to the mentor.

Predictably, one does commit some rookie mistakes in the process, or that’s what I will say to justify the ones I made. My team had only six members. My project was led by a General Manager who was a young lady. There was an old manager who had completed thirty years in the company just a week back. He was the first one to greet me. Fortunately, he was assigned as my “Buddy” and introduced me to the whole team. Initiating a conversation about the latest happenings in the company is a great way to break the ice. We hit it off instantly. I spent most of the hours of my first day in his cubicle learning about my company’s approach to the entire project and getting information about the company moral and ethical policies. Tip: Your “buddy” is more important than your ‘mentor” for the completion of your project.

My internship was about a brand equity study which I had to perform for the company amongst its competitors. I was intrigued by the idea of putting my Kotler’s cases (Tip: Make the book your Bible) on yield curves to work. Not that I’m a marketing junkie — in fact, I’m quite the opposite. My buddy explained that my role was to add value in any way that I saw fit and that he expected me to create my own niche with the project. He was always willing to help me with every doubt no matter how trivial it was. Everyone in the office was approachable and willing to render help. In sharp contrast, when at the day’s end I went enthusiastically to my mentor at her cubicle, I found her engrossed in a meeting: which was to be the story for the next whole week too. Tip: Do not get disappointed, it’s the same story everywhere. Just push yourself enough so that you get noticed.

The next day I was told by my mentor that based upon my report, my company would take some branding initiatives which involved huge finances. So I was on a fire-ball from the start. Another tip: Do not get scared or carried away by this. Both the extremes will result in doom. The entire duration of my internship involved me in roaming around the whole city and taking responses for my survey. It was difficult to say the least, but I managed to crack it somehow. In between I sneaked out time to attend the ever prestigious AIPGM meet too. Tip: Don’t lose out on networking . It’s the best opportunity to interact with the outside world which will help you as your career progresses. Do not forget to have a feedback form duly signed by your mentor, apart from the training certificate. Dash for it from the last week itself.

I would suggest to everyone that instead of throwing your hands up in despair and lamenting the fact that you are not interested in the organisation you are selected for, listen to the company’s pitch about the role and analyse whether it fits your skill-set or not. The two months I spent with the company were as fulfilling as anything I’d done professionally in quite a while. I can proudly say that the learning involved was huge. Every day brought with it an opportunity to learn something new. The opportunity to work closely with various functional groups inside the office had left me with a very good sense of the moving parts inside the organization. As a result of my internship, I learned more about myself as a person and a potential Fortune 500 executive than I had ever thought possible.