SBI internship experience: "Focus on the application of concepts in your first year of MBA" - Jitumoni Sharma from IMI Bhubaneswar

The interaction was good with the company management, team members, and colleagues. I found them very helpful, supportive, and kind-hearted. They gave me the liberty to explore more about my project and also allowed me to have interactions with different managers of SBI from multiple branches of Bhubaneswar for a deeper understanding of the project, along with its associated theoretical as well as practical concepts to ensure maximum learning from my side. The entire team is very active and supportive which makes me join them for a full-time role. Here is an entire account of my summer internship experience at SBI!

I prepared for the SBI summer internship in 3 phases. 

In phase 1, I started working on building my soft skills, interpersonal skills, and my analytical skills which are industry-relevant by doing certification courses from Coursera. 

In phase 2, I started applying the concepts, the skills I learned from those certification courses in my real life, like in MBA class projects, industry live projects, etc. with a view to getting an overview of where I stand with respect to others. After completion of each project, I collected feedback from my institute faculty as well as mentors from companies where I took live projects in order to make an assessment of improvement. 

Then in phase 3, I started preparing for making the perfect resumes, interviews, and GDs on my own with the help of my college placement cell. Simultaneously, I started learning the basics of every subject of my MBA.

The interview process of SBI

The interview process commenced in virtual mode on 8th April 2021 on account of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was taken by a panel of 4 interviewers from the Learning and Development Department of SBI Local Head Office, Bhubaneswar circle. There were a total of 31 candidates from different management institutes shortlisted for the process, which was conducted through Microsoft Teams. The process started at 12:30 pm. We had to join 15 minutes earlier to the meeting with our cameras on as instructed by an official from SBI.

After that, the panel started to give entries to candidates on an alphabetical basis of their names. Each candidate was interviewed for around 15-20 mins. I got my entry at nearby 4:40 pm and the interview took place for almost20 mins. Each and every interviewer from the panel asked me questions related to my resume, my educational journey, my state history, Indian Economy, the Role of Digital Banking Services in India, the Impact of Covid-19 in the Indian Economy, etc.

Skills required for an internship at SBI

As per my understanding, the reason behind my selection as an intern in the company was my command of English communication, my leadership skill, confidence level, domain knowledge, and politeness. There were around 12-13 questions that were asked to me but out of them I could only answer 7-8 correctly and for the rest questions, I politely replied that I do not know the answer. I was truthful to myself which I believe is what they were looking for. Based on my interview experience at SBI, I recommend these soft and hard skills to impress recruiters of SBI: 

• Leadership skill: This is very important as there are many instances where the recruiter will give a situation or a case and will ask the candidate to solve the same as a leader.
• Effective communication: You should have a good command of English communication.
• Analytical Skill 
• Ability to remain calm and composed
• Persuasive skill
• Being true to yourself

Taming the virtual mode and my dynamic project

The onboarding experience was overall good although it happened in the virtual mode. Initially, we were told that the onboarding will happen at the SBI Local Head Office, Bhubaneswar but later on it was shifted to virtual mode on account of the 2nd wave of Covid19. There was an official meeting conducted through Microsoft Teams where all the selected interns from institutes like IIM Sambalpur, XIMB Bhubaneswar, KIIT, IMI Bhubaneswar, etc. were present. The meeting was hosted by a Deputy Manager from the Learning and Development Department, SBI Local Head Office, Bhubaneswar circle. She asked each one of us about our expectations from the company, our educational background, etc. Then she explained briefly about our projects and how to proceed in virtual mode.

The project was related to market research and I had to work with the BPR-IT department of the SBI Local Head Office. My mentor was an AGM from the BPR-IT dept. There I need to collect information related to banking services in all the districts of Odisha state from both primary as well as secondary sources. The primary sources were in the form of structured telephonic interviews as well as questionnaires that were to be filled by employees of SBI from different branches of Odisha. My mentor provided me the point of contact for interviews. The secondary sources were the bank documents that the company provided me. Based on my interview as well as survey responses, I developed a research model related to my project title and ultimately convinced the management of the SBI to implement certain changes in their banking services across Bhubaneswar Circle in order to enhance Brand awareness, Business Opportunities, and Operational Efficiency.

Major takeaways and a free bit of advice!

I learned a plethora of things during the internship including: 

• Concepts of Retail Branch Banking in India 
• Products and Services that are offered by SBI in Odisha and India
• RBI guidelines, norms, and circulars related to banking services 
• Marketing Strategies of SBI in the state
• Types of Bank Branches operating in the state at present 
• Present Digital Banking Services Footprint in Odisha 
• Competitors of SBI in Odisha across rural, semi-urban and urban regions, etc.

So, as per my internship experience at SBI here are some words of wisdom for the upcoming aspirants: 

• Focus on the application part of the various concepts that you will learn in your first year MBA. It will help you in your internship in many direct as well as indirect ways. 
  
  
• Be positive and flexible. I don’t know what would be the internship scenario next year, whether you will be doing your internship in offline or online mode. But whatever mode you get to work, just try to utilize the positive aspects of it rather than thinking on the negative sides. 
  
  
• Be interactive. It is very important to remain interactive, be it with your team members, colleagues, or be it your supervisor. Feel free to express your views with them and try to learn from them. 
  
  
• Maintain a disciplined attitude throughout your internship.

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