What I learned from my virtual internship with Samsung

'Despite being limited to my house, I was able to interact with a diverse set of people, to try and understand consumer behaviour.'

Rupal Chopra, an MBA, interned at Samsung India during the lockdown.

My decision to pursue an MBA was driven by my eagerness to learn.

I was sure that I wanted to work for an organisation that would provide me with a learning environment, give me opportunities to imbibe new skills and hone my existing ones through practical experience.

So, when Samsung came to recruit for their Summer Internship Program, IGNITE, from (Management Development Institute) MDI Gurgaon, I was extremely excited.

It seemed like the ideal company for my first ever work experience.

The selection process consisted of a GD (group discussion), followed by three rounds of interviews.

As soon as I left the interview room, I got the happy news.

I was among the 36 GenZers selected from across India to work for the company for a period of two months.

What I did not know, however, was that my first stint in corporate life will not involve going to an office, but working virtually from home.

After completing my virtual internship with Samsung, I can safely say that the experience taught us to deliver our best even when working from home.

The HR team ensured that we had a smooth experience throughout and were always there to listen to our queries.

Apart from HR, team members and leaders at Samsung were also helpful, supportive, and even willing to go out of their way to help an intern.

My mentors, veterans in their field heard out my ideas and guided me in the right direction. They encouraged me to talk to multiple stakeholders to gain new perspectives as a marketeer.

As part of my internship project, which was around expanding the presence of Samsung's eStore, I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge about the various facets of digital marketing and interact with a variety of industry professionals.

I also had access to the various heads of the e-commerce department and was able to draw important learnings from their experience.

Despite being limited to my house, I was able to interact with a diverse set of people, to try and understand consumer behaviour and gain useful insights for my project.

At the core of it, I recognised, was technology and how it can be utilised in different ways to achieve optimum results.

In these two months, I have derived many new learnings which are extremely relevant in this increasingly digital world and which will help me grow as a professional.

It is technology which has made work-from-home a reality, and a success.

Initially, it was challenging, but with time, I have realised that if one works according to a schedule, takes regular breaks, and tries to maintain a healthy lifestyle, working from home can be very productive and rewarding.

I believe any experience is what you make out of it. I tried to make optimum use of this amazing opportunity of working with a global company like Samsung, to be a better marketeer, a better manager and a better professional.

Dear Readers, have you resumed work after the lockdown or are you still working from home?

How would you describe the experience of going back to work after spending two months at home?

What precautions did you take to ensure safety at work or while travelling?

How is your office dealing with the situation? What are the new rules and guidelines at work?

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