What an internship at RPG Enterprises is like -By Prachi Kothari from IIFT Delhi
My internship at RPG commenced right after the pandemic outbreak affected the country and businesses were uncertain about how to resume efficiently through the digital mode. But RPG handled the situation resiliently and thanks to the group’s prompt approach, we had a smooth summer internship experience.
I was introduced to RPG long before the placement process began through their ‘Happiness Carnival’ that was hosted to give us an opportunity to network and vent out the stress due to everyday curriculum. It left a mark on me as a company that lays equal emphasis on the happiness of the employees, growth, and profits.
A crisp selection process and seamless onboarding
The selection process involved CV-based shortlisting followed by a GD and 2 interviews. The GDs had a plethora of topics on current affairs, socio-economic impact of technology, and government policies. The interview was mostly based on my background, industry trends and case study.
A sigh of relief!
Even before we could hear about internships being cancelled or deferred due to COVID-19, we received a mail from RPG stating that our onboarding will be on the pre-decided dates, just virtually and assured us that the duration of the internship will remain the same. The HR team made sure to provide us with a seamless onboarding experience. The team arranged an interaction with the CXOs to get a better understanding of the Group’s current business practices and how the individual group companies have envisioned to carry out business in this situation. This helped us align our project’s goals with the company’s expectations.
Commendable work ethics and culture
We were provided with the project deliverables a week before the commencement of the internship to get an understanding of what we can expect in the coming two months. Given that RPG had a liberal work from home policy for its employees prior to the lockdown, it ensured a robust shift of business remotely and I was opportune as an intern to work on projects that made a real business impact. After the induction, I had a meeting with my guide and buddy who elaborated on the scope of the project and what was expected from me. I was advised to take full ownership of my project and told that everyone in the company is easily approachable and I should not consider myself less than any other company employee. I was amazed to see that CEAT follows and implements it CAIRO values religiously and was equally excited about it.
Roles and responsibilities of my internship at RPG
I was pumped after looking at the project charter as it was about Digital Marketing. Given the current situation, online marketing activities and remote working saw a real spike and I was extremely motivated to apply my knowledge and get hands-on experience. And to my surprise, I got to work on 4 projects instead of one! Initially, the task seemed to be overwhelming, but with constant guidance from my mentors, my guide Manik and my buddies Ronak and Mohit, I set out objectives and everyday tasks. The feedback received from my mentors was critical in enhancing my performance and helped me get a clear picture of how each project will support the overarching goal.
I was exposed to different fields of marketing – market research, promotions, customer remarketing, customer engagement, and sales growth through extensive project work. My work involved interacting frequently with stakeholders and sales team for feedback and to vet the solution prototypes for effectiveness in implementation. I understood and implemented the design thinking approach, engaged with agencies and vendors, and talked with few companies for collaborations. With no prior knowledge about the industry, I learnt a lot about the trends, the jargon used, and even built a campaign from scratch and implemented it for which I am extremely grateful to my buddy Ronak and the Digital team for their support in it.
We had weekly catch-up calls with the group interns and thanks to Vinayak and Dweety, with their creative games, which made sure that all interns got to know each other better and bond while working remotely. We also had weekly CEAT connect calls with Jainee and Shrutika where they took regular updates about our progress, any issues or problems that we faced, and additional help that could be provided to ensure timely completion of our projects and advised us as to how we should progress in the given timeline.
A didactic internship with valuable learnings
The two-month stint kept me on my toes and juggling between multiple projects and deadlines. My internship at RPG definitely provided me with a holistic learning experience. Being a fresher with no prior experience, I had apprehensions about missing out on the on-ground work but that waned out in the very first week itself. Despite working remotely, I had a great learning experience. I can never forget when I was selected to present my project to the Executive Committee, it was indeed a memorable moment. I ended my internship on a happy note and with a lot of confidence for what lies ahead!