1. As a HR professional and head of the internship division at Airtel, what are 3 things you look for in a potential intern?

Some of the things we look for are:

• Confidence 

• Creativeness

• Teamwork

• Great inter-personal and communication skills. 

2. Let's say you could give an intern 3 pieces of advice before the application process or an interview what would they be? 

• Do some back ground research on the company: the intern needs to be aware of the company’s vision, mission and values before they go for the interview.

• Interns need to be comfortable with the respective department they hope to be attached to. They need to be aware of the daily activities they might be expected to do. 

• Lastly, interns should be aware of what they hope to have learned or achieved by the end of their internship. 

3. As a HR professional what does an internship mean to you? And how do internships benefit the employer and intern?

Internship is extremely important at Airtel. Our application process is comprehensive, as we aim to get the best talent. We benefit from internships because we always like to hear from our youth. We urge our interns to be creative, analyze our current process and suggest any new ideas that will make them better, and in most cases we retain the top talents that perform the best. 

The interns will benefit by gaining hands on work experience and developing their skills. They have to work with colleagues from different walks of life, and this will help them build upon their teamwork, communication, interpersonal, creative and time management skills. 

4. What's ONE piece of advice you wish someone had shared with you before starting you career which you can offer now to a fresh grad, student or young professional?

One piece of advice I can offer to a fresh graduate or young professional is to find something that truly inspires them, and join a company that has the same passion as yourself. 

5. Internships are a great way to gain hands on work experience and develop skills, however an internship lasts for a specific duration. When an internship comes to an end what do you think an intern should take away from their internship and what should they do next?

An intern should always take away the connections and networks they have built while working. They should stay in touch with their colleagues and request to be alerted when vacancies open up in the department. 

Interns should always leave their updated CV with HR before they leave in order for it to be added to their recruitment database system.