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Dear Diary,

Firstly, my apologies in advance. I am not what you would call a daily diary person. Weekly, or moody, would describe me better. But the way things are appealing to me at work, you might just see a better side of the procrastinator in me. First day at work, I walked in with my newly purchased official looking bag, dressed in formals, and with the confidence of Alice on entering Wonderland. Whoever said that attire helps build confidence, please note that it does not always work on Day One. All interns-to-be out there, I would suggest a quick walking pace, as it always helps to zoom past the inquisitive eyes which follow you as you enter. Then, of course came the customary wait period to meet The Boss, who then introduced me to the boss(es) in the department I would be interning with.

I am interning with the Food Desk, and no that is not a polite way to say I handle the snacks and food served at work. I am in the production team for the food shows the media house produces. It’s a polite way to say I am the quick errands girl with the production team. Here comes the first awkward thing I came across. I have no fixed seat. There are three computers/chairs for the Food team and definitely more than three people who would need the chair. Especially when there are interns to boot. So when your AP’s (Assistant Producer- Boss) come, you are faced with a dilemma whether you really want to give up your hard earned chair or not. Also in semi formal to informal work environments such as in media houses, there is a ‘Pull and Grab’ policy, or putting it in other words- finders keepers, losers uh…standers? That was my first taste at awkwardness, and on day 1 I think I stood pretty much the whole time, standing up each time any senior looking person approached. Funnily as it turns out few of those seniors were fellow interns. First day went, without much work, just looking around curious. I found out about all the coffee vending machines, food provisions and made a couple of friends.

Second day began on an awkward note. I turned up before any of my team people. 9-5 clearly isn’t a concept known in the media circle, where you have people sauntering in around 12, and trudging out straight 12 hours or more later. Good thing, I had a seat to myself for a long time. Awkward thing, I had no work. And however cool it is to sit at home jobless, to sit at work jobless isn’t half as cool. Also time, which generally whizzes past my jobless sitting around, decided to slow down. Not many people get happy when they see their boss. But that day I was. So much so, that I had a spring in my steps as I went to collect the print outs from the machine. I saw a bit of editing being done, stared lovingly at the Mac at work, had some cups of coffee, enjoyed the free evening snacks and headed back home, feeling oh-so-independent to be travelling to and fro work in the Metro.

The first week went by pretty much in the same fashion, with little work here and there, friendly banter with fellow interns, day dreaming about working (officially, as an employee) in the organisation, among other such things. As life loves playing ironic with me, the journey to the office which should have taken 1 hour to and fro, takes me 2 hours, thanks to the metro (which was made to make travelling easier, and faster). By the end of the week, even after doing the little jobs here and there, I actually felt tired. Either my stamina has gone for a toss, or a working person’s life is really that tiring. Both have me concerned. Looking at how things work in a media house, I am half fascinated and excited about taking up the path, and I am also half scared about how hectic life gets each passing year. It’s so much easier to ask for money from your parents, than to make that money. Everything is always easier said than done. Just like me saying that I don’t want to grow up, and want to go back to the crazy, carefree days of school, isn’t going to stop anything.  I never knew I would say this, but I guess how much ever school kids deny this fact, the fact remains – school life is the best! College life comes a close second, and work, comes a distant third. “18 till I die” suddenly makes a lot of sense.

Yours,

Whiny Intern

P.S.: Is that how you sign off in a diary entry?

]]> http://www.letsintern.com/content/my-first-internship/feed/ 2 http://www.letsintern.com/content/reasons-not-to-stay-at-home-this-summer/ http://www.letsintern.com/content/reasons-not-to-stay-at-home-this-summer/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 10:04:49 +0000 Aashima http://www.letsintern.com/content/?p=165 You graduate from a good university and feel your future is set as you confidently walk into the intensive interview process. Armed with jaw-dropping marks, amazing cover letter and glowing recommendations, you think nothing can stop you from getting the job of your choice, right?

Well. I hate to burst your bubble, but you need to look at your resume again, carefully. Does it mention the word INTERNSHIP anywhere? If it doesn’t, then you have some serious catching up to do, because the presence or absence of this single word on it might just determine your ticket to the job in your dream company.

Given below are a few reasons why you must intern these coming vacations –

• Determine your career interest – Every one of us has an image of what we want our ideal job to be, what we want to do, AND what we cant do. So, by interning at a place that matches your work interest, you can figure out if the industry, profession and career are best suited for you to pursue.

• Combine theory with realistic work experience – The theories learned in classrooms through professors and textbooks serve no purpose alone. Through internships, one not only gets a first- hand experience of these theories, but also learns their practical applications in the field one intends to follow.

• Professionalism - Internships help in developing professional work habits by exposing students to business cultures and work settings other than the student’s environment. This helps in fostering a work ethic.

• Understanding of corporate environment – You get to learn professional code of conduct, technical aptitude and political dynamics, and analyze business settings and work styles by undertaking an internship. All this shall help you to do your job effectively and efficiently in the future.

• Improve skills – Internships help you develop skills related to your course. Not only that, they train you in skills that hold value for life – be it oral and written communication with co-workers of all ages, or teamwork, leadership, planning, time management, presentations, project management, etc.

• Boost self confidence – We have already established that internship is a great learning experience. The entire journey of internship allows a student to identify his/her strengths and weaknesses, and use both of them to the best advantage of his/her job and company.

• Networking – When one interns in a specialized field, they tend to meet and learn from various experts associated with it. This helps in acquiring a good social network.

• Provide potential full time employment opportunity – Work experience is the most beneficial advantage that can be acquired by completing an internship. If the intern is successful in proving themselves worthy for the company, they may just end up getting a permanent position in the same company, after completing the internship program.

Due to the changing economy and dynamic business environment, employers look for people who are confident, and have the much valued knowledge and experience. All these can be acquired through internships. So, next time .. think twice before letting your vacation go waste. Go Intern! Let LetsIntern help you bag some of the best internships this summer!

Negotiate the complexities of your new office to turn from intern to employee

Apprentices are busy sprucing up their curriculum vitae to spend time lucratively this summer. Bear in mind, the prerequisites of getting an Internship may be based on your qualification but to survive one you have to do a lot more. “A good internship may translate into a full-time job,” says Sneha Jaisingh, marketing professional, who did internship with a publication house and went on to serve the same organisation for two years. If you mean to convert that two-month stint into something bigger, here’s a list of things to keep in mind.

Airs today, gone tomorrow

At this stage, you need the organization more than it needs you. So, take those steps into the new office with great humility. “You might be studying at a prestigious institution or may be a topper in your class, but while interning you are at the lowest rung of the hierarchy in the organization. The only way people will sit up and take notice of you at work is through your performance. So, keep your airs at home and do your job diligently,” says Pranay Swarup, Co-founder of letsintern.com -– which helps students across the country to find bag an internship or summer jobs of their choice.

Thin red line

The last thing you want to be in your new environment is a wallflower. However, going to the other extreme and being over-friendly is also not the solution. Colleagues and potential employers will not find out that you’re talented and intelligent if you’re painfully shy. So make eye contact, be cordial. Attend company events to get some face time with the company’s big guys. Higher-ups are often happy to hold forth with interns. But you also have to be careful about the tone you use to approach them. Remember you are there to learn and not to show off. So, mind your language and don’t make casual talk. Don’t intrude a conversation. Don’t start advising others or gossiping. And definitely don’t tag along with colleagues everywhere they go.

Don’t get into office politics

This is a big no-no. You are very likely to overhear colleagues gossiping about workmates. But fight all temptation to join in. If you don’t like somebody, keep it to yourself and vent at home. If your bosses are having an argument about a certain issue, let them rattle away and don’t give your two penny’s worth. Most offices tend to have cliques. But your job is to steer clear of taking sides.

Find a mentor

While you can’t take sides when there is a fight, finding yourself a mentor as far as work goes may take you a long way. Learn from the person whose work you admire and develop a relationship that can continue after your internship has ended. Professionals enjoy sharing their expertise and want to assist newbies. How do you spot one? It’s simple. A good mentor is someone who is willing to share their knowledge and expertise and wants to see his/her mentee succeed in the field.

It’s okay to be dumb

The internship is a learning curve. It helps you get an insight into a real job before you actually take up one. The level of responsibility is less, the aim is to absorb as much as you can in that stipulated time. If you do not know something, be honest about it. Be open to learning different things and don’t be stubborn about the work you are allotted.

Do the grunt-work

Don’t shirk minor jobs. Your bosses may send you down to photocopy papers or get coffee. Darshita Shah, who hads internship with a stock broker firm, a television channel and a PR agency says, “Every intern has to go through it. If you’re lucky to have a good boss, then you can avoid it but it is part and parcel of the internship. Keep in mind that an internship seldom pays. It is really a test of endurance.” However, if getting coffee and photocopying papers is all that you are left doing all day, go up to your employers and tell them very politely that you are keen to learn the ropes of the job. Do not make a clamour or crib openly about your grievances as it may backfire.

Ask for more work

Once you have completed the task at hand, go to your boss to ask for more work. If there is nothing to do, leave for the day. Do not hang around in the office and surf the Internet aimlessly. Restrict your use of Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry messenger at work. Avoid using the office phone for making private calls. It does not reflect well on your work profile. Stick to your timings. Let the concerned people know about your prior commitments. Once they have set your timings, follow it to the T. Be punctual and do not leave work at your own whim. Likewise, do not take long lunch and tea breaks. It will create an impression that you’re avoiding work.

Dress appropriately

“Even though you’re an intern for a short while, you are also a brand ambassador of the company for that time. So make that effort to groom yourself,” says Swarup. What you wear will depend on the work environment. If it is a corporate, invest money in formal wear but if it has a chilled-out atmosphere, stick to something more casual. At no cost should you go overboard and dress to the nines.

Fetching coffee, photocopying endless sheets, transcribing tapes, researching for seniors. it’s all a day’s work for an intern. Yes, it’s essentially slave labour, but there’s no denying that an internship is a great introduction to the big, bad world of work. If you land a good internship, your resume will be forever grateful. A far bigger hurdle, however, is to make an impression. Here’s a guide to doing it right.

Dress for the Internship

Be presentable on your first day of work to show that you are taking your internship seriously, but don’t overlook the comfort factor. Decide what you’re wearing on your first day beforehand so that you don’t end up in a state of panic in the morning. Get rid of any body piercings, cover up tattoos, and make sure your hair is not unruly. However, marketing intern Malavika Malaviya (19) learned that being overdressed can be no less disastrous. She turned up on her first day of Summer internship in a stiff, ultra-formal business suit and felt out of place and uncomfortable the whole day. Dress semi-formally on your first day and observe the way other people at office dress to give you pointers. It’s hard to go wrong with a pair of trousers and a shirt or a salwar kurta (for girls) to start with.

Sir, Ma’am, Umm…

Disha Brara (19) on the first day of her market research internship On her first day of work, market research intern Disha Brara (19) found out that her boss was only a few years older than her. She didn’t want to offend her boss by either calling her ma’am or using her first name. After a couple of days at work, she was able to gauge the climate of the workplace and settled for addressing her boss by her first name. If you have similar worries, use neutral strategies such as eye-contact and knocking on the door to avoid addressing people directly initially.

• BE OPEN-MINDED : Don’t be too picky about the work you want to do, experiment

• TIME MANAGEMENT : You have finite time, so make sure you use each day productively

• DON’T BE A PEST : Take initiative and ask for work, but don’t pester colleagues

• ASK QUESTIONS : You are not expected to know all the answers, don’t hesitate in seeking help

• JACK OF ALL TRADES : Try your hand at everything to know what you enjoy the most

• HIERARCHY AND ENVIRONMENT : Gauge the workplace to know whom you can approach

So, It’s 9 to 5?

Ideally, you should ask about working hours at your interview. Reconfirm your hours, and whether you need to come in on Saturdays, on your first day with your internship supervisor or team leader. Normally, timings for interns are flexible and depend on the volume of work. Once you figure out your timings, you probably won’t have to ask before your leave. Let your boss or a colleague know by SMS or email in any case to cover your bases.

Importance of Being Earnest

Structured internship programs in India are rare and what you learn from yours will depend on your own initiative. Use your first week to introduce yourself to the entire team and understand exactly what each member does. This is a good way to identify what you’re interested in and who to ask for guidance. HR intern Nayantara Kansal (20) was assigned a list of projects to work on through her six-week summer or mba internship. Most interns aren’t that lucky: since nobody has time to spoon-feed interns, learn to ask for work instead of waiting for it to be assigned.

On the flip side, don’t nag. Your colleagues won’t appreciate being constantly pestered by an intern, especially if they are busy themselves. If you are getting in the way instead of helping, ask for permission to leave early. But the rule of thumb should be more work, less play.

The Perils of Politicking

Interns should stay far away from the egos at play at the workplace. Bitching about co-workers or seniors could land you in trouble and jeopardize the rest of your internship. Try to be equally courteous with everyone at office and avoid getting pulled into politics – politicking can drain your time and energy, and prevent you from maximizing your learning.

Taking a Break

Interns aren’t superhuman, much to the disappointment of employers. It’s okay to take a day or two off work if you’re unwell or if something unavoidable comes up. But make sure your work is handed in on time and that you do not leave anyone in a lurch. Working from home is not an alien concept, so use it to manage any pending work. Communication is the key – email or SMS your boss and colleagues if you can’t come in to work and, where possible, ask for leave well in advance.

Eating, Drinking and Making Merry

The golden rule to follow is never gatecrash small office celebrations like birthday parties. Chances are that a good soul from your team will offer you cake, but don’t invite yourself. However, so long as you pay your own way, it’s perfectly fine to offer to order food and to join the colleague next door at lunch. Rest assured your boss and colleagues will definitely include you in more professional events that encompass the workplace.

The Point of it All

Most corporate workplaces have an intern evaluation system, where you are judged on several criteria, including communication skills, participation, and how you dress. Your performance during an internship not only has a direct bearing on the kind of letter of recommendation you’ll get as a farewell gift, but also your future prospects at the firm. Incidentally, the right time to ask your boss for a letter of recommendation is a week before your internship is due to end. A tip: consider the letter a bonus, not the be-all. Your focus during your stint should be on learning as much as possible instead of the possible pay-offs.

She would be interning with the university for two months. “I have been waiting for this opportunity to learn and work under international academicians,” says Anand.

Seventy six others have found internship opportunity with around 11 international universities including – Western Michigan University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Alberta – Canada, ENSIAME – LAMVAV-CGAO, France, University of Putra Malaysia and EPFL, Switzerland among others.

The offers range from $2,500 to $3,500 per month.

This is significant as in June 2008 IIT-B had done away with foreign internships for its BTech and dual-degree programme students. As part of the course curriculum, the premier institute had decided to make domestic internship mandatory.

While the BTech is a four-year course, the dual-degree programme lasts five years. An eight-week internship for BTech and dual-degree students is mandatory at the end of the third- and fourth year respectively.

“We have decided to allow students to intern internationally as it is highly preferred among students, since it provides them some cross-cultural exposure in addition to the technical work that they do during internship,” said Ravi Sinha, placement in-charge, IIT-B in an emailed response.

Major companies including Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital, Procter & Gamble, ITC, Eaton, Croda, Bank of America, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Daimler, Qualcomm, Microsoft , IBM, Sony Japan, Finisar and Honda have also recruited students for summer internship at a stipend ranging between $5,000-$7,000 for two months.

“Companies have always favoured internship as they consider it a prelude to pre-placement offer in case the student meets their requirement. It’s a good method for them to get best of candidates,” said an HR expert.

IIT-B says companies this year have been forthcoming in accepting students as interns. By this month end, the institute will place around 340 out of 550 engineering graduates with various companies and universities.

This year the institute has made the process more systematic. “So instead of 100 students writing to a single company, we as placement cell, decided to reach out to companies and help students find internship opportunity,” he added.

So far around 80 companies have taken students from the institute with 15 more companies to confirm participation in the internship process.

Summer internships at the IIT Bombay campus are optional and students usually reach out to the companies of their choice on their own. But this year, IIT Bombay’s placement cell has intervened to make the process more systematic.

“The placement process now resembles a mini-version of the institute’s final placement process. This has improved the companies’ confidence in taking interns,” added Sinha.

Summer internship at other IITs happens through their respective departments. The IITs Business Standard spoke to did not have data readily available to share.

LetsIntern aims at providing a single platform for interaction between 10 million graduates across India and thousands of organisation spread across the length and breadth of this country. It offers internships across sector and disciplines, so whether you are law, architecture, engineering or arts student, it caters to all of you. Similarly it caters across firms.

The idea originated over a conversation we had, one lazy Tuesday afternoon, over the lack of practical skills that fresh graduates possess and internship scenario in India. Both of us have extensive experience dealing with international internships. Having worked closely with many colleges and companies, and having gone through many HR reports confirmed our belief in the subject. With 90% of the graduate population entering the workforce, rather than opting for a master’s degree, we felt there had to be a better method than the famous Indian “Jugaad” for students to connect with organization and plug this gap.

This conversation spurred the two of us to start this new venture. We knew Internships were the prime answer to the problem, and within an hour of our chat, we booked the domain name “www.letsintern.com” and started work on making it a success. It was launched on March 17th, Internships are beneficial to companies as they bring in an enthusiastic, young, work-force which is cost-effective and project based and at the same time builds a better talent pool to recruit from tomorrow. It’s a win-win for all.

LetsIntern is a first service provider in the internships arena that that consults, designs and delivers. The aim is to create engaging platforms for organizations and students to interact and build mutually enduring value. They offer the entire 360 degree service of identifying the needs of the organization, defining a meaningful job description, pre-selecting the right candidates, setting the right expectations, monitoring progress through mid-reviews, conducting post-evaluation and generating case studies for each intern. With multiples clients across sectors, letsintern.com is already generating revenues within two months and is reaching out to more and more students.

About Entrepreneurs behind Letsintern

Mayank Batheja (23) and Rishabh Gupta (24) are alumni of Delhi University. Ex-Vice-President, Talent Management, AIESEC India, Mayank was also a member of AIESEC’s Global People Strategy team which overlooks a member network of more than 50,000 associates. He then went on to work at Mirabilis Advisory, an economic development consultancy firm before branching off on his own, leveraging his 5+ years of dealing with Internships and young students.

A marketing topper from TAPMI, Rishabh was also a recipient of the Ratan Tata Scholarship. He began his career with Reliance Big Entertainment, and proceeded to the role of Business Development at INX Network. His last stint was with Network 18, as a product Manager for their youth centric portal In.com, from where he proceeded to begin this innovative new venture. He is responsible for the marketing, networking and online part of the business, as Mayank takes care of the Humran Resource aspect of the business.

Mistake No.1: Naming your CV “resume.doc” is a clear turn off as it shows the candidate is not serious about his/her application or does not understand he difference between his desktop and mine. Own your CV, don’t get lost in the crowd, make it easily searchable for your recruiter – neatly name it “First Name.Last Name.pdf”. Also, avoid suffixes like “final”, “latest”, “ver2″ etc.

Mistake No.2: There are things your recruiters wants to know upfront and things he doesn’t. Your CV should cater to this. Your Religion, Father’s name and caste are not required. Your Academics, Extra-Curricular’s (Relevant), Achievements are of key interest. Please note: Drawing competition in Class VIII needs no mention on your CV. Keep it succinct, to the point and no more than 1 page. Respect your time and others.

Mistake No.3: Contact information is critical and needs clear mention. If we like your CV, we would like to get in touch with you. So your email address (the one you check everyday) and phone no. (personal cellphone please, not land-line) are as important on your CV as your name and age. This is as much personal information as you need to give, the rest is not required. Focus rest of the white space on points mentioned above. Lots of CV’s miss out on this or have residential address but no email address.

Mistake No. 4: How difficult is to run a spell check ?? 2 out of 10 CV’s seem to have a grammatical error or a spelling mistake. This is the document which is going to sell you, if you are not serious about this, there is little you will be serious about in life. Your chances of being taken seriously, are seriously minuscule.

Mistake No. 5: I write this last, because this is the most important. The objective statement – “I would like to contribute to the best of my ability and leverage my knowledge etc etc….” – sounds cliche and is full of jargons. Want to make an impact – 15 words is the limit. A thought simply put. “I want to make money while doing what I enjoy” is a great objective statement and is what most people want to say, so why not write it. This is bound to catch anyone’s attention because it is honest, simple and straightforward. Be simple, be true and do not complicate this line to sound more “Corporate”.

At the end its a reflection of your academics, experience, achievements and attitude. Make sure its reflects your best self across these parameters.