My internship at ITC Limited was not limited to just the final review! -By Gulfam Virdi from IIM Lucknow
ITC maintained their word about the commencement of the internship and started well before other companies, on April 3. The original 1.5 days of physical orientation workshop was converted into a 3-day virtual induction. Even before the induction, the HR team engaged us in different games over the Facebook page so that we got to know each other better as there were over 100 interns in the KITES Program.
If you are wondering how to be a part of this program, then here is the selection process of pursuing an internship at ITC:
- CV-based shortlisting
- Group discussion
- Interview
The first screening was based on CV and the shortlisted candidates were then grouped for a GD which was based on the problem-solution concept. The finalised candidates went through1-2 interview rounds before the offers were rolled out.
A detailed and stepwise induction process
Several interactions with top HR executives were conducted at first to clear all our queries and worries about how a virtual internship might work. These interactions were followed by talks with different managers from Sustainability, Marketing, and Sales teams of different brands under the ITC umbrella. It's pretty easy to get lost in the vastness of the ITC empire, therefore, such interactions helped us to get a clear idea.
One interesting practice was to call upon the previous interns who had been offered full-time employment to share their experiences at the end of each day. This company-level induction was followed by Division specific induction. I worked with the Foods and Beverages Division (FBD) and the induction was based around introducing the hierarchy within the division, different clusters, and their importance (mine was dairy and beverages) and were provided with a SPOC for each team, in case we run into any issues.
Besides all the work during, the HR team made sure to add an element of fun in the entire internship tenure. For instance, they conducted an activity asking us all to answer our favourite things in life while also mentioning 2 other interns who had similar interests. The team also conducted a meme-contest at the plight of virtual internships. Also, all the interns were introduced on social pages based on our interests.
How a masterly project helped me hone my skills
My project was to design a Go-to-Market strategy for the development and launch of a new product under the cluster. The role had a mix of market research and brand positioning strategy. I was required to interact with health professionals and a specific set of consumers and accordingly provide my recommendations for the Product Development, Packaging, and Communication teams while also commenting on the price point.
These few weeks gave me the chance to be the company's representative while engaging with external agencies to get the job done. The role of social skills, especially as an intern residing miles away from the project location, cannot be undermined. I had the chance to brush up on my presentation and data analysis skills in order to make sense of the massive load of information from different parties. But the most important skill will have to be the simple tactics in getting myself heard while not being physically present on site.
Constructive, timely and meaningful feedback
My mentor and I shared a relationship based on constructive feedback. We discussed regularly about my progress and how it relates to the overall objective of the project. The most important takeaway will have to be that they considered me as a full-time employee from Day 1 and had similar expectations from my work. My mentor got me in touch with the senior management of the division regularly in order to get their feedback and I kept on working forward with their insights. In my entire internship journey at ITC, I will never forget about,
- My first interaction with my mentor, which was surprisingly interesting as they had changed my original project brief drastically. I was fascinated by the fact that he was able to convey all the deliverables of my project in one conversation.
- My consumer interactions, which were an eye-opener. I had to talk with a specific set of individuals whose lifestyle was dramatically opposite to my own and my state of residence, Punjab. It was interesting to talk to some people who were missing out on the simplest of the meals due to health conditions.
Apart from this, an incident that shall always remain close to my heart is when a few days before my final review, I had a talk with my mentor and we both mentioned our willingness to work on the product even after the reviews, at the same time.
So, now I am actually still working with the organisation, even though my final reviews are done. They are happy to have me in the team and work on the product beyond the original deliverables as long as I might want.