Abhay Kumar Sinduriya is from Sahibganj, Jharkhand. He has completed his intermediate examinations from St. Xavier’s School, Sahibganj. Thereafter, he completed his graduation in B.Com with Accountancy Honours from Ranchi University, Jharkhand. Currently, he is pursuing B.Ed from R.T.C College, Ranchi. Alongside his education, he has the curiosity to explore different and diverse opportunities in his life. Recently, he chose to work as Telesales Intern in Planet Spark Pvt Ltd. 

How did you get this internship? Can you tell me about the selection process?

Before getting this internship, I did some research about different companies via the LinkedIn app. There I had mentioned a few things which I wanted from an internship. Then I polished my skills in order to make myself qualified for the type of internship that I wanted. I also reviewed the roles and responsibilities of several organizations before I applied to Planet Spark. After finding out that Planet Spark is hiring interns, I think my skills and capabilities meet the requirements. They have intern positions that are suitable for my studies. Then I applied for the position that I wanted to work for.

After 2 days of my application, I received a call for the first round of interviews. After that, I was called in for the final round of interviews through HR. I cleared that very final round of interviews after which I onboarded in the company.

What is your title and responsibility in that internship?

I was onboarded in the company as a “telesales intern”.

My responsibilities in that internship were:

• Generating revenue by structured counselling sessions to prospects and converting them to paid enrolment. 
• Advising students/parents for their learning needs through effective online demos.
• Diligently communicating and priming the lead through channels like email, Whatsapp, SMS, calls, etc. 
• Taking prospects from the initial contact phase to the qualifying phase over the phone and presenting product solutions virtually.
• Creating regular follow-ups with new and existing customers.
• Being well versed in objection handling and managing different situations during the call. 
• Exercising willingness to be measured by weekly and monthly metrics. 
• Achieving the weekly targets in a high-pressure performance-driven competitive environment.

What were the challenges that you faced getting this internship?

Actually, there were not many challenges that I had faced while getting an internship. But, there are some challenges that I had faced during this internship such as:

• Lack of professional-level training.
• Problems caused due to the network infrastructure being poor.
• Issues caused due to unreliable devices and software.
• Many teachers lack access to the tech they want.  

I had to find the person who could say yes to the company policies. This often required a lot of red tapes and sleuthing too.             
 
What kind of skills/characteristics were needed for this role?

The internship required me to be patient, persuasive, and persistent. It also needed exceptional communication and phone skills, typing experience, and the ability to thrive in an office environment. The main aim of telesales is to build repeat business through excellent customer relations and thus it required all the skills that came in handy during the same.

How was your overall experience during the internship?

My overall experience during the internship was good. I got to learn numerous skills in the field that I worked in. Alongside, I also gained so many soft skills. I got many ideas to grow which will be helpful in my future too.

Your stipend/ salary range during the internship? What kind of benefits do you get?

My stipend was 10k fixed + 10k variable as an incentive. During this internship, I got a great number of rewards and opportunities to earn more and more by fulfilling the daily or weekly targets that were given to me.

What do you think is a decent stipend during the internship which would interest students? Can you give a range?

According to me, a decent stipend ranges between 2,500 and 20,000. It will encourage the students to work and learn.

Do you think an internship is important for students why?

Yes, in my opinion, an internship is pretty much helpful and important for students because of a great number of reasons such as:

• Internships are a great way to apply the knowledge from university to real-world experience.
• Learning is one thing, but taking those skills into the workforce and applying them is a great way to explore different career paths and specializations that suit individual interests.
• Having an internship gives us experience in the career field that we want to pursue.    
• Not only does give individuals an edge over other candidates when applying for jobs, but it also prepares them for what to expect in their field and increases confidence in their work. 
• Having an internship benefits us in the working environment, and it also builds our professional network.
• There is a 1 in 16 chance of securing a job by connecting with people, so networking is critical.
• Internships also provide a great environment to meet professionals in the career field we want to pursue, as well as other interns who have similar interests.
• Internships can provide students with the soft skills needed in the workplace and leadership positions.
• In a LinkedIn Skills Report (2018), 57% of people rated soft skills as being more important than technical skills.
• Skills, such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork can all be learned through an internship and utilized beyond that experience.

What suggestions can you give to fresh grads/students who want to apply for internships?

My suggestion to students who want to apply for an internship is that they should take into consideration the following points:

• Search online job boards for internships for college students. 
• Search internship-specific job boards. 
• Use Google to find their college internship. 
• Social media can be a good source for student internships. 
• Ask their family and friends about internships for college students.