My internship at Amway helped improve my presentation and analytical skills | Malini’s story
What is the selection process for an internship at Amway?
The selection process for an Internship at Amway India was fairly simple and comprised of a personal interview with a 2 member panel. Although it seems simple, it was quite the contrary! A personal interview is, in fact, harder to crack as the interviewer just has your CV to go by. There aren’t any test scores or other scores that gives them an understanding of your aptitude. In hindsight, confidence is what helped me get through the interview.
What did I learn during my internship?
During my internship at Amway India, I had the role of Market Research and Sales. Since I was required to give a lot of presentations, I worked on my presentation skills along with my analytical skills.
I did not have to move to a new city for my internship at Amway India which was quite a blessing as it lessened my cost of traveling. I had worked in Deloitte, Gurgaon for 2 months before my MBA. So, I was well-versed with the city. Nonetheless, I found new friends in my fellow interns and this made the whole experience of staying in the old city of Gurgaon quite exciting. There were interns from different B-schools, and we connected with each other quite well, over the pressure of deadlines and outings.
After my final presentation, the Senior Vice President applauded my findings and the work done in the two months. He then invited me to the launch of a new sales plan which the company was planning to roll out in September. This sales plan launch was for the top leaders/Amway Direct Sellers, and the top management team from Amway was also present to conduct the session including the CEO. The launch was held in Hotel Pullman followed by lunch. It was a good opportunity to network with leaders and at the same time, gain an understanding of the company's strategy and future plan of action.
During the 2 months at Amway India, I got to delve deep into the direct selling industry which was completely alien to me before. The work culture is good and the senior leaders are very accepting and approachable. Given a chance, I would love to work with Amway India. The culture here is conducive to growth and that's exactly what one needs immediately post MBA.
What did I learn from my mentor during the course of my internship?
If the word ‘hardworking’ had a face, it would be my mentor’s. Such was his passion for work, always looking to go the extra mile. He has been in the organization for more than 15 years. He works over the weekend as well, when the work demands sometimes. But he also told me that he does it voluntarily too on other occasions. He always pointed out that hard work is very important in the initial stages of one’s career. Eventually, he said, you will not feel that your work is stressful and that you’re working under pressure. Instead, you’ll enjoy doing it. To “Love what you do” and “nothing that's worth something comes easily” are his mantras for success.
Describe some interesting incidents that happened during your internship at Amway India?
Since I was in the Sales department, I had to travel to different locations and interact with the Amway Direct Sellers. I visited six locations and spoke with over 50 Amway Direct Sellers. The mix of people and their experiences that they shared with me made the whole process very enriching for me.
The most exciting part of the visits was when I got to meet Dr. Harbhajan Braich, who is the first and only Crown Leader of Amway India. He was one of the first people to start Amway business when Amway started in India. People call it an honor to have met him, and I was fortunate enough to have gotten the opportunity to have interacted with him during my two-month internship at Amway. He shared his Amway journey and how his life took a complete turn post Amway. He also stressed upon the importance of having a Plan B for today's youth due to the unstable job scenarios and high unemployment rates.
Another interesting incident happened during my final presentation to the panel. My project involved devising social media strategies for the company. I, thus, had to do a lot of research on Instagram. I introduced my mentor to Instagram during these two months.
When the final presentation was over, the VP was stressing on the importance of social media in today's times, and how the company is taking steps in that direction. It was then that I jokingly said, “I think the first step should be for my mentor to make an Instagram account". I also said that I'll ensure that this is done before I leave". The whole panel burst into laughter, stating that everyone had made numerous attempts but failed. And now it was my sole responsibility to make sure that my mentor has an active Instagram account!