About the Author: Apoorv Shivhare, a student of Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, shares how he got an internship at Jabong and how it made him realise his true calling.

I had realised that interning provides you with a great hands-on experience and gives you a fair idea of corporates, so my tryst with internships did not stop even after interning with four companies in different domains.

My first internship was in Dilip Shivhare & Co., which is my father’s advocate and tax consulting firm. There, I learned to file ITRs online, register for VAT and sales tax, and the intricacies of income tax. Next, I interned at CA Rajesh Balchand & Associates in the field of data entry and accountancy where I mastered Tally. I then interned in Nearbuy in business development and market research profile. I had applied to be a cluster manager but was instead offered work in the aforementioned department after I filled their application form answering what made me awesome. They added me to a WhatsApp group where they posted daily tasks of the interns. My fourth internship was a virtual internship at Abhilash Consultancy Services (ACS) wherein I worked as an HR manager. The selection process involved two rounds. The first was to fill in a Google Form containing various questions related to human resources after which I was given presentations that involved details about subject matter experts (SMEs), their recruitment and remunerations, assigning works, etc. I studied the presentations comprehensively and answered the questions that were asked. This internship was particularly challenging since I had to handle a team of 15 SMEs. I was responsible for hiring them, assigning work to them, solving their queries, keeping track of their work, and conferencing with them every week.

Four internships were enough to gain experience of working in a corporate environment, but I was yet to figure out what I wanted to pursue as a career. So I turned to Internshala once again and applied for a full-time internship in the HR department of Jabong. When I reached their head office on the day of the interview, I was taken aback by the beautiful infrastructure. My interview was scheduled in the display room with three HR executives – Preeti, Tanushree, and Surabhi. The interview lasted for almost an hour. On meeting Preeti, who had shortlisted me for the internship, I became nervous and started rocking the chair – something I do when I get nervous. She seemed annoyed and asked me to stop that. This had shattered my confidence; however, I answered her questions briskly. She asked me questions around my resume, educational background, hobbies and interests, and family background. We talked about my work experiences and the challenges I had faced during my internship at ACS. Tanushree’s questions were regarding the enterprise – what Jabong did, its recent affairs, and who the CEO was, while Surabhi questioned me with reference to the job profile.

Finally, after some days, the wait got over, and I received a mail citing that I had been hired. Being an introvert, it took me some time to get along with my colleagues. Once that happened, I started enjoying all aspects of the internship and didn’t want it to get over. My job included preparing a digital platform where we could track records of employee details by scanning their resumes, offer letters, and PFs, handling employee grievances at ground levels, preparing quizzes for ‘Thank God, It’s Monday’, and other stuff that an HR handles. Apart from these, I also organised various celebratory events viz. Jabong Day, success party of the End of Reason sale, and Lohri celebrations; however, my favorite task was redeeming my employee discount coupon for 35%. I had become a part of the Jabong family. The lunch break used to be my favorite time because not only I munched delicacies but also got a chance to communicate with other employees, learn and share experiences, meet achievers, and get acquainted with my team better. We also used to go out for team parties to enjoy and bust work stress.

I faced many challenges during the internship but overcoming them helped me evolve and develop my skills. I got a good understanding of the recruitment process. From developing a sense of responsibility, taking initiatives, and working with accuracy to being upbeat and punctual, I learnt innumerable things on personal and professional fronts. It made me realise that we should be inquisitive and should never stop questioning – the eagerness to learn always pays off. Most importantly, it taught me to keep a smile on my face regardless of my mood. This full-time winter internship didn’t just teach me the intricacies of the corporate world but also helped me find my true calling! Though it was an arduous task to wake up early in the morning on chilly winter days, travel in busy and crowded metros to reach the office, and then come back in the evening and study for the semester exams, the struggle was totally worth it. I had the time of my life at Jabong!

Courtesy: Sarvesh Agrawal is the founder and CEO of Internshala, an internships and trainings platform (internshala.com)