Summer Internship at Trident Gurgaon – Neha Chauhan from IBS Hyderabad
Name of the intern: – Neha Chauhan 
Institute: – IBS Hyderabad
Organization interned with: – Trident Gurgaon
My Summer Internship Programme was one of the best experiences I had during the entire time span of MBA here at ICFAI Hyderabad. Trident Gurgaon offered me a platform to imbibe experiences worth cherishing all my life! The 3 months were really a roller coaster ride which I do not regret having taken. Overcoming the initial hiccups of wearing a saree daily, makeup, hair bun, 6 days working, new faces, first time work experience anxiety pangs to the occasional sneaking of chocolate cookies freshly baked from the hotel kitchen, gorging on the yummy bouffet at the employee cafeteria, the whose going out with who stories from none other than my supervisor who was not just a senior but also a great mentor who taught me a lot of interesting HR domain stuff, witnessing a couple of cat fights in the girls’ locker room, listening to some really dramatic employee issues being a part of the HR office, pleading my HR manager to let me catch a glimpse of Salman Khan who came to our hotel(!), the list in endless!
There were a few roadblocks here and there such as getting late for work 1 day, wearing a creased saree with hair looking all shabby and hearing my HR Supervisor shout at me for not taking my internship seriously. In another instance during my initial days I answered my HR manager’s phone while she wasn’t in her office and I said -what? (cordially of course) when I couldn’t hear clearly as to what the person was speaking on the phone. In return I got to the senior Assistant Manager of the hotel,who was the one on the phone, screaming at me saying -“These interns need to learn the basics of answering a phone call!” and he slammed the phone down on my face. That was when I realized what I was in for here, at a hospitality organization.
There were some heart touching moments such as wherein my HR supervisor couldn’t clear his promotion interview and he came and cried out to me at the office telling me about how he was struggling back at home, the gardener coming to me in my office asking me to stay back saying; “aap ek din yahaan par HR MADAM ban jaana, aap mat jao college waapis; tankha dena sabko.” Some proud moments when the HR manager trusted me with my choice and asked me to buy a couple of gifts for a few senior executives who were leaving the organization, allowing me to take a full fledged interview of a candidate on her behalf, making me sit at the General Manager’s Secretary Office as an interim secretary when there was a sudden vacancy there. Each time she gave me a responsibility such as these, it gave a sense of fulfillment at workplace. I sincerely cherish each moment I spent there, Trident Gurgaon became more like home for me to the extent that even on my last day as I was bidding adieu to everybody, my HR Manager said – “I wish you all the luck and if ever you do need a job, do not hesitate to come to me“. Even, the guards at the gate said – ”Aap padhai poori karke yahin naukri lelo“. The innocence with which these words were uttered still makes my eyes wet as they did the day I saw the hotel gate close as I left it behind for the last time.
Penning these thoughts down brings back a kaleidoscope of memories and I urge each one who takes up an internship to not view it as just another painful experience at work but to take this short experience as a great learning opportunity. It is only when you leave your shore, do you reach your destination. This is a part of your journey. LIVE IT!
If you wish to share your own internship story, send in your entry here: http://www.internshala.com/your-internship-story
