Flashback to exactly a year ago. Day 1 was done and dusted, and I was in a state defined by zero shortlists and zero coding knowledge (or interest, for that matter.) I am Indrayani Tayde, by the way, now-fourthie in the Electrical Engineering department. In the next few paragraphs, I try to give a brutally honest account of my intern season. I intend this blog to be a comforting and uplifting read in the existing chaos of trying to secure an internship, so if you want specific tips or guidance – better ping me.
Getting back to our point, my absolute rejection of Python and C++ left relatively few (read two) choices for me – finance and consulting. I was quite a lot into applied probability and solving puzzles by then, which is what, I believe, led me to a finance role at IndusInd. (I’m downplaying the role of simple elimination here – I messed up three consulting interviews. And I didn’t sign up for trading because quick decision making isn’t exactly my strong area.)
Cut short a self-doubt filled month or two to the IndusInd IAF. The process was fairly straightforward, we had an open-internet test of an hour or half. The questions were based on FX derivatives but were fairly simple to solve given very basic working knowledge of these products and decent amounts of aptitude/puzzle practice. I didn’t know about swaps while attempting the test, and it’s designed such that you’ll most likely run out of time. So I ended up skipping most of the swap questions. The test scores were used to shortlist candidates for an interview which consisted of questions based on the resume along with bare minimum HR and a few finance concepts. Two days later, I learned of my selection through a friend’s congratulatory text. I couldn’t be more relieved, and headed straight home for Diwali 🙂
Fast forward to 8th May 2023, when all of us interns reached late on day 1 thanks to cab-booking issues in Mumbai during peak hours. Don’t expect day 1 at IndusInd to be anything like others, you’ll get straight to work on your desk. We were to watch a few training videos and then get down to MS-Excel, to try and calculate the prices for products dealt by the bank. Most of the internship consists of this structuring part, although we did have some paper trading as well as knowledge sessions with various teams in the bank. In the latter half, we worked on a risk estimation project.
The key focus of the internship is on learning rather than actual work, and the process here is completely learner-driven. You will be better off trying to build a good rapport with employees on the team and seeking help on your own, since no one will give deadlines or take updates. Your learning is entirely up to your efforts – and your efforts, in any internship at all, will depend on your interest. I cannot stress this enough. If you’re adjusting to living in a new city, or fighting the toe-crushing peak-hour local crowd, it better be for a day you look forward to at 8am and a day you’re satisfied with at 6pm. It better be for something you genuinely love to do. And I know, most of us don’t have it figured out by the intern season. I didn’t, either. No worries – eliminate the things you definitely don’t want to do, and give a shot to the rest. It is the ONLY way to know. Worst case, you’ll have one less field confusing you in placements.
And while we’re at it:
mimics mutual fund advertisement voice *
IAF choices are subject to desperation risks. Read provided job descriptions carefully before signing.
Also do talk to seniors who worked in the company previously – not just for tips to crack it but to know about the culture and the work you’ll be doing. Lastly, a cliché I can confirm to be very true – no matter how rough it gets, don’t give in to self-doubt – it’s the only thing that can stop you from getting what you want. Feel free to reach out for help 🙂 All the best, and happy intern-hunting!
