Geeta Bhradwaj, PGDM, Class of 2015 of Jaipuria Institute of Management is supremely elated these days. Of course she has her reasons! Having been picked by one of the Japanese multinational engineering and electronics conglomerates for her summer internship programme, Geeta has more reasons than one to be this exhilarated. She is looking forward to her first stipend from her internship assignment as a trainee with Hitachi. Her excitement is understandable – she prepared very hard for the interview process and gave her all during each stage: “I was sure my first question would be about sales and I was prepared. I think my focus and passion convinced the interviewer of my skills and abilities.”

Originally, Geeta spent time in Delhi where she completed her BBA. She always aspired to pursue a career in management and joined the MBA course soon after her graduation. Geeta feels that Jaipuria has trained and equipped her with the skills that helped her bag the internship. Now, she wants to make the best of this opportunity: “I eventually want to build my career in the retail sector. This internship is offering me the chance to learn the skills that are required in that field. My job here is to connect with the walk-in customer in the Hitachi retail outlet, educate them about our products and eventually convert that into a sale. Hitachi is just the place for me to learn all I need”.

Geeta is a person who carefully plans her priorities and values all the help and education she can get. She is following the college mentoring initiative as directed, and firmly believes in its benefits: “Associate Professor, Dr. Susobhan Goswami is my mentor and he has helped me make important decisions. He is a master of marketing and business strategy and we meet once a week. During these meetings, I have learned more about myself, and I have also received tips to deal with my weaknesses. Recently, I also sought his help to choose my course electives. He has helped me work on my presentation skills and my subject knowledge. In the future, I want his opinion and guidance for final placement and career plans. He has been a true mentor to me.”

The hands-on experience of SIP enables students to learn the skills that can help them fit into the working world without hiccups. Geeta wishes to add on some key skills that include networking, since she believes it will add to her art of selling. The other things on the top of her mind are: subject knowledge in her area of interest, customer mapping, organizational work culture, and concepts of marketing, which she has studied but will now get a chance to practice. Geeta is not leaving any stone unturned to enhance her knowledge base during her SIP, and she is convinced that she can and will definitely leverage this opportunity.