Basic Information

  • Name Maalavika Chitoor
  • Curriculum: Btech
  • Year of Study: 4th
  • Company/University of Internship: Hindustan Unilever Limited
  • Role during Internship: Technical
  • Year of Internship (eg. '24 Summers, '23 Winters): ‘24 Summers
  • Mode of Internship (Online/Offline/Hybrid): Offline
  • Duration of Internship: 2 months

Getting into the Internship:

What specific domain or field did you target to get an internship in?

I like both the electrical core and management roles. So, I was planning to try for both electrical core companies and the consult, FMCG companies.

What resources did you utilize to prepare for the tests/interviews?

I did a Management and Business study course from Learner’s space in Summer 2023 and realised that this is something I am interested in. I prepared with case studies from CIC and Victor Cheng youtube channels and increased my awareness on supply chain, marketing etc a few weeks before the interview. This helped me a lot in streamlining my thought process for the interview. Apart from this, I also revised some of the EE concepts in general. Preparing a good resume and being thorough with your resume points also helped me.

Can you elaborate on your interview and the type of questions which were asked?

The interview for the technical role was a 30 minute online one and had questions on the projects on my resume, concepts of EE, some questions on people management and a technical case-study of some sorts. There was no HR round; The interviewer asked basic HR questions towards the end of the interview.

Were there any significant roadblocks or challenges that you encountered during the internship application and selection process? If so, how did you navigate or overcome them?

Since the technical role was introduced for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect and had not prepared very well with EE concepts but I managed to answer those questions to my best abilities.

How did you handle any rejections that you faced (If any) during the internship application process?

I was selected for the P&G group discussion, which was more like an interview but didn’t manage to clear it. I was not too disappointed with it because it was my first shortlist of the season. After this, I got shortlisted for the HUL interview.

During the internship:

What was your specific profile or project topic during the internship?

I was posted at a factory in Kolkata and my project was to cut down on utility and electricity costs. This was a mix of both electrical engineering as well as people management kind of role because I had to interact with lots of people to learn about the working of the factory and identify scope for improvement.

How would you describe your overall experience as an intern?

A lot of learning about corporate life, the industry and how an MNC works. Since I was working at a factory, the experience was entirely new and different. It was a 6 day working week and lots of hands-on work with the machines. Some weeks were hectic and some were chill. I was given a lot of freedom to experiment with the existing system to bring about changes. I loved it because my suggestions were going to be implemented in the factory and it gave a sense of fulfilment that I was making an impact.

Could you provide insights into the organizational culture of the company/university and what your peers were like?

HUL is a wonderful place to work in. Most of the people are excited to help and are open to suggestions to optimise the system. Most of my job involved questioning the current process to find scope for improvement and it was responded to in a positive way.

Were there any networking opportunities or professional connections that you established during the internship?

Yup! I made a lot of friends and connections during the internship. Everyone is excited to connect and it is a welcoming environment for anyone new as well. I was at the Mumbai Head office for a day and the rest of my internship was in Kolkata so I was able to meet a very wide range of people with exciting stories and experiences.

After the Internship:

Based on your experience, would you recommend this internship to others interested in the same field? If so, what aspects make it worth recommending? If not, what factors influenced your perspective?

Yes I will recommend this to those who are interested in core engineering and management. There will be plenty of opportunities to apply your knowledge directly in the industry and see immediate changes. I also learnt about a lot of relevant practical issues faced. I am not a typical technical core enthusiast so I was not too interested in going deep into the research end of any specific EE field. So, this was a perfect opportunity for me