COVID was a bad phase for everyone. But I tried to convert this from worse to better by being productive. It presented difficulties, and applying for internships and jobs was very difficult. Due to company closures, hiring bans, and unstable economic conditions, there were few prospects and fierce competition in the employment market.
Many businesses were either laying off staff or stopped hiring altogether. With so few chances available, it was challenging to distinguish oneself. The importance of networking in job searching was also greatly affected. Social distancing tactics meant that employment fairs, in-person networking events, and even casual get-togethers were off-limits.
The transition to remote work and virtual interviews presented another challenge. Stress was increased by having to adjust to new technologies and remain professional during video conferences. With increased technical problems, an inadequate home office arrangement, and general pandemic worry were these difficulties.
Despite these challenges, I was determined to carry on by using online courses to consistently hone my skills, customizing my applications to fit the demands of particular employers, and sticking to my goals. I learned perseverance, adaptability, and the value of using digital technologies to further my work during this time.
I knew I would not have a better time to try and test out various fields for internships. I tried my best to learn as many skills as possible just to conclude or finalize one skill in which I would like to excel. From courses in tech to marketing, to finance I had learned all of them. Meanwhile, I joined various communities that share internship and job updates for students. I participated in hackathons, skill, and communication improvement sessions, and mentoring sessions just to make sure I stayed updated with the latest trends and continued networking with people.
I came across an internship platform called Internshala. Internshala is for college kids looking for jobs or internships. While the platform is easy to use, there are so many irrelevant, scam internships. During COVID, these things were on the rise and unfortunately, no one could stop that. LinkedIn is another platform that gained too much attention, maybe due to LinkedIn influencers or gurus who wrote content that was either too dramatic or manipulating.
Another Ponzi internship on the rise was campus ambassador internships, just to promote the brand or college and in return you get certificates. The biggest reason for this rise was students thought it was okay to work for free all the time and just get a LOR or certificate. A stipend was not necessary for them.
Unfortunately, my first internship/work was as a campus ambassador for IIM Bangalore. It was my experience from here that helped me face the stiff challenges in the real world. I continued to do volunteer and campus ambassador roles for at least 4 more organizations until one day I realized I was wasting my time.
My first real internship was with an HR consultancy. I worked there as a market research analyst, my role was to make PPTs, and reports, and do market and competitive research. Since it was my first internship I took up an unpaid internship. In fact, I am okay with and recommend people to take 2-3 max unpaid internships just to gain experience. Post that it is a big no. After this, I joined an ed-tech startup as a market research intern, followed by an agro startup as an HR, a health care startup as a website developer, and another ed-tech as a community manager. Meanwhile, I was also volunteering as a mentor and judge for hackathons in India and the US. I was also involved in volunteering for NGOs, the first one was with the Ratna Nidhi Foundation as a mentor for 5 less privileged adults. Then I helped a class 10 student in her exam prep with the World Youth Council.
I had experience working with brands like Ketto, Unschool, Smartbridge, and IndiaHR to name a few.
The experience of working with multiple startups in different sectors actually helped me choose a career path. Later in 2021, I joined Leverage edu as a community manager intern and within six months grabbed a full-time opportunity with them.
Sector-Specific Experiences
Healthcare
Experience: Closely worked with other start-ups in the health space including telemedicine, and health monitoring applications.
Lessons Learned: Security and privacy of customers/ users are crucial aspects that should not be compromised to achieve a higher level of efficiency. Firstly, it is essential to focus on the protection of the patient’s rights and maintaining the reliability and accuracy of the health-related data.
Common Mistakes: Misconception of the stringent rules governing health care services, disregard for the value of user data.
Edtech
Experience: Worked with startups focusing on JEE, NEET, and CAT, and helping students study abroad.
Lessons Learned: A focus on the audience, on how users will interact with your application is important. Proper content should make use of interactivity and should be able to adapt to the various educational demands of a particular learning session.
Common Mistakes: Omitting the need to have content always updated and ignoring feedback made by educators and students.
Agro
Experience: Working with startups focused on developing smart solutions for agriculture, Sellers and Buyers platforms for agricultural produce, and supply chain management.
Lessons Learned: There is an inequality level of a general acceptance of new technology and the end-user’s ability to understand tech and the local climate.
Common Mistakes: Lack of effective market research on the wider needs of the farmers as well as their resistance to embracing new methods of farming.
Experience: Working with startups focused on developing smart solutions for agriculture, Sellers and Buyers platforms for agricultural produce, and supply chain management.
Lessons Learned: There is an inequality level of a general acceptance of new technology and the end-user’s ability to understand tech and the local climate.
Common Mistakes: Lack of effective market research on the wider needs of the farmers as well as their resistance to embracing new methods of farming.
Fintech
Lessons Learned: Trust and security remain two of the more significant considerations in using any system. The awareness of the proper usage of a particular financial product may lead to increased usage.
Common Mistakes: This entails overlooking the regulation of operation and the necessity of having tighter security measures in place.
Lessons Learned: Trust and security remain two of the more significant considerations in using any system. The awareness of the proper usage of a particular financial product may lead to increased usage.
Common Mistakes: This entails overlooking the regulation of operation and the necessity of having tighter security measures in place.
Donation Platforms
Experience: Aided in developing various means including crowdfunding sites, peer-to-peer fundraising, and charity donation management.
Lessons Learned: The following are some of the reasons that show that transparency and simple interface benefit the donors: Fundraising and storytelling go a long way in raising cash, and indeed, cash is a substantial means of funding.
Common Mistakes: Failure to establish clarity on how the funds are going to be used and not being able to produce an appealing emotional appeal to would-be givers.
General Lessons Learned
Adaptability: The different sectors differ in some ways and thus require certain factors to operate effectively. One of the skills is flexibility enabling the person to learn new things as the pace of change increases steadily.
User-Centric Approach: As a rule, identification, and analysis of the needs and problems of an end-user should remain the starting and guiding point.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Experience: Aided in developing various means including crowdfunding sites, peer-to-peer fundraising, and charity donation management.
Lessons Learned: The following are some of the reasons that show that transparency and simple interface benefit the donors: Fundraising and storytelling go a long way in raising cash, and indeed, cash is a substantial means of funding.
Common Mistakes: Failure to establish clarity on how the funds are going to be used and not being able to produce an appealing emotional appeal to would-be givers.
General Lessons Learned
Adaptability: The different sectors differ in some ways and thus require certain factors to operate effectively. One of the skills is flexibility enabling the person to learn new things as the pace of change increases steadily.
User-Centric Approach: As a rule, identification, and analysis of the needs and problems of an end-user should remain the starting and guiding point.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Neglecting Market Research: It is worth pointing out that the basic prerequisite for any startup company is a detailed understanding of the market, competition, and users.
Scaling Too Quickly: Ensure, the product market is properly aligned before going for operations scalability.
Ignoring Feedback: It is wise to continuously seek and incorporate feedback from the users to avoid creating and building features that are not useful to the users or society.
Poor Financial Management: The general management of finances, such as creating a clear financial roadmap and ensuring that costs stay within the company budget, is important in supporting the continued functioning of the business.
