5 tips to land that summer internship

Summer internship is a crucial part of MBA programme. It’s an ideal way to bridge the gap between industrial requirements and skills taught.

In these few months, MBA candidates are exposureed to what happens out there in the real world and later they incorporate the learning in the management degree.

No wonder, students of top Business Schools start preparing for the summer internship interviews at least a month before.

We decided to talk to Saurabh Gupta from IIM Ahmedabad, MBA batch 2015, to figure out how to land a successful summer internship.

Here are five crucial tips to land that summer internship:

 

1. Resume / Profile

The first and most important aspect to be shortlisted for summer placement interview is the resume or profile. Generally, company representatives take about 20 to 30 seconds to scan a resume. The best information should be highlighted in a concise manner at the top of the resume. Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) generally have a one-page format.

Also, candidates must create separate profiles / resumes for each company interview. For instance, if someone wants to apply for internship positions at more than one company or in various roles, the person should take out time to create profile-appropriate resumes.

 

2. Stream-wise preparation

For each MBA specialisation, candidates need to prepare accordingly. For instance, someone from MBA Marketing should be aware of all the details related to brands, market trends, campaigns, measuring matrixes (such as if a TV advertisement is good or bad) and so on. Same goes for all other streams. Candidates should have a thorough understanding of their domain and related markets. Such questions form a core part of the selection process.

 

3. Company-wise preparation

Each company has a unique profile. It is crucial to know the firm’s product offerings, current market position, campaigns and so on. Also, each company has their own way of selecting interns. Some firms conduct group discussions while others have written tests. Find out the details from the placement committee and your seniors.

 

4. GD rounds

Each firm has their own way selecting interns. Consulting firms generally adopt buddy system to evaluate a potential hire. Candidates discuss caselets with these buddies. Other firms conduct various kinds of GD such as Chairman’s GD or Director’s GD (where each GD candidate takes the chairman seat and directs the discussion). Other GDs look for leadership skills.

 

5. Interview Rounds

Questions in summer placements are generally limited to assessing leadership skills, team skills and solving cases (for consultancy and finance firms). The interviews also ask brand-specific questions. You must know all the brands associated to each firm and their market positioning. The idea is to assess the candidate’s managerial skills along with knowledge about current market trends.

 

6. Extracurricular activities

It is a good idea to list all extra-curricular activities you were involved in back in college (before you started the MBA degree). Participation in extra-curricular can reflect your leadership and team skills.