Do's & Dont's In Summers

Dear Friends,

DO's
Before Summers:
Do a quick scan/revision of the relevant courses studied at NITIE which can help you during summers. It would be more apt if project title has already been shared with you. Otherwise also, you can brush through some important subjects like Material Management, Logistic Management, Statistics & Quality Management to name a few. The point is that you must know the common concepts & theory.
Good command of Excel, PowerPoint & flawless Spoken English (used for day-to-day chit chatting) is always an add on.
Impression Management:
Its tough but that's how the world is. One need to show what he/she has contributed or is contributing (value creation/addition as they call it). So, first of all understand company's SOPs & Ways of Working & adapt as fast as possible. This will ensure you are following the right procedure to get things done in a hierarchical structure. All organization claim to have an open environment, flat structure, informal way of working etc. but these are not verbally true. You still need to be cautious and make your opinion about the real picture.
Performance:
No substitute for that. You must perform well (according to the expectations of the stakeholders) in given time & resources. Coz in the end, its only the Result that matters.

• Make sure you are clear with the Scope/Deliverable of your Project Work
• Most of the times, companies are looking for a fresh/innovative perspective from an intern to look at the present business practices. Whether possible or not, it should be registered somewhere that you have tried to do something new (whatsoever be the result).
  
• Interact more with colleagues, even if its not required for the project. This will help in understanding the business & people of the organization.
• Ask Qs: Don't keep your doubts to yourself. Identify some helping/capable people who can address your queries.
• Keep checking your path: Frequent discussions with project team/guide/mentor will ensure there is no communication (expectation) gap in your project work. Keep your mentor/guide/coach in close loop about the proceedings of your work.
• Alum Scan: Get information about NITIE alums working in organization, you can interact more frankly with them (generally). They can simplify things for you by giving important inputs about people, place & also your project work. 
• Try and associate yourself with the company. This loyalty would definitely reflect in your attitude towards the project work.
  

DON'Ts

• Get caught Googling/Surfing non-relevant stuff on internet.
• Pose you are completely ignorant of an important concept (subject/theory). It should be reflected through your gestures that you have a faint idea, but its not 100% clear. Show your pious intent to learn this thing to its depth, and get back with full information at the earliest.
• Crib about company's work culture. After all, they have put in some amount of trust in you by selecting you as an intern.
• Produce any fake/excessive bills. Travel, accommodation should not be viewed as a luxury the company is offering you, rather a business requirement; and hence same concepts of optimization & cost saving should hold good. However, nobody Qs this thing, but then its the ideal behavior one can showcase.

All the Best.
Disclaimer: There can be more opinions & perspectives on such issues. Some of these are even derived out of the incidences that I had faced during my internship. There are two approaches: 1. Setting exceptionally high standards & try and move closer to them; 2. Set realistic targets and achieve them 100%. As per your convenience, you can choose either of these. But "be sure" about what you want to derive out of this 2 month association with the organization.

Warm Regards
--
Manu Shekhar
Post Graduate Student (Industrial Engineering)
NITIE, Mumbai
+ 91-9833835041