Students' Speak: The college keeps it an open option to intern at a place of our choice

By: Evlyn Fernandes

After the summer internship, the students have to present a report of their work along with a presentation which is being judged by the external examiner.

Kids nowadays have it very easy; our parents carve the path for us right from kindergarten to college until we have to face the villain i.e. work environment. When the freshers join their first internship/ work they are susceptible to nervousness and anxiety which has a negative effect on their performance. BBA is a course which is a kaleidoscope to the business environment. It gives the students an insight into the practical working environment. It also emphasises on the work ethics and principals which is an important aspect of the business world. The course comprises of a semester which is wholly dedicated to the Internship Programme wherein the students are given a period of 2 months to undertake the training in the various departments of their choice. It gives the students an excellent opportunity to apply their theoretical knowledge into the practical world by still having backing from the educational institution. The college keeps it an open option to intern at a place of our choice, thereby if anybody fails to find an Internship, the college provides so. After the summer internship, the students have to present a report of their work along with a presentation which is being judged by the external examiner.

I have so far interned at 2 places: the first one was in a hospitality industry where my role was of an assistant accountant. The duties which were assigned to me were checking the invoices, Bank Reconciliation statement, giving stipend, O.T.& O.D amount, passing purchase & journal bills and cash counting. I had to also do a follow up with the suppliers and creditors through telephonic communication as well as in person. The reporting time was at 8:30 and I could leave by 5:30. This was my first working experience and I was just a teen. I was neither aware of the work ethics nor I was trained to do so. In just two weeks I got the first taste of the corporate world, i.e. I was rebuked for not receiving the telephone and it was really bad, I couldn’t gather myself as I was being reprimanded for something which I was not even taught (at Workplace). I felt miserable and I thought of never coming back because of the embarrassment I had faced. But, I thought to myself, this is just a phase and this shall pass too and I told myself I’m in the learning process and it is natural.

Now I look back at it and I laud myself for mustering courage and taking it positively because the staff over there, remembers me for the sincerity and the enthusiasm by which I did my internship. The experience has just made me tough and overcome hurdles like these. The learning process was amazing because my senior head was really cooperative and would not mind even if I would ask to repeat a particular process. I also got a briefing about how the departments are interrelated to one and another and that’s when coordination and harmony pop in.

The second place where I interned was in the manufacturing industry, which had a ginormous compound stretching from the gate to the engineering department. The company has 1 foreign partner and 2 Indian partners and it deals with agro-chemicals. My role was of an HR Assistant in payroll. The duties and responsibilities which were allotted to me were as follows, updating the employees’ leave cards, entering data of provisional forms(compensation & benefits) O.T/ O.D entry, Attendance Checking, creating shift slots and placing employees in shifts and checking the payroll (addition or retirement).

This is the kind of job I was always interested in and I realised that it was something which fascinated me, I was aware of the work ethics from my previous experience. The only thing which changed my perspective towards HR is that earlier I assumed HR to be a narrow concept which comprised just of recruiting and selecting employees and handling their grievances. But joining this company changed my perception towards it. Also, I had a really supportive HR Head who not only bothered to monitor my work but made sure that I was assigned work as per my competencies. He also asked me to complete an assignment keeping in mind the creativity aspect which will make my work stand out. The H.R. Head and H.R. Manager were exceptionally cooperative and supportive and appreciated me for the efforts I was putting in. one thing which stood out about the company is that it emphasises a lot about the needs of employees and makes sure that they get the best of facilities. Also, an exit interview was conducted wherein I received positive feedback from the heads and good remarks on the certificate.

The internship journey has been very smooth, thanks to my previous blunders which turned out to be a great lesson and also not forgetting my college mentors and senior people I worked under during this whole process. The college has a placement cell where it contacts hotels, industries and alumni to place the students.

About the Author:

Evlyn Fernandes is currently pursuing BBA from Don Bosco College. Her hobbies include reading and writing poems and write-ups. She likes experimenting with food.