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Here's what an Internship at Deloitte Consulting looks like: IIM K Intern...

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2.

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Did you undergo any preparation for your role prior to the internship?

Not really, we were imparted specific training in the first week itself. We had a one day
onboarding session for all the interns across all of Deloittes functions, and the rest of
the week was spent in an intensive induction program which gave us a thorough
overview of the core consulting skills for Deloitte S&O Consulting. We ended the week
by solving a case challenge, where we were guided by a team of managers, who were
always available to answer our questions, no matter how trivial. The entire internship
program was highly structured, with intermittent sessions to help us navigate through
the internship, and of course, we could just walk up to anyone on the floor to get our
doubts cleared.
3.
Describe the project assigned to you in brief. What were the biggest
challenges you faced for accomplishing your goals?
My project involved identifying a care pathway for lung cancer patients. This meant
pinpointing barriers to care that patients face during diagnosis or therapy, and then
prioritizing them as intervention opportunities for our client. The biggest challenge I
faced was collating all the information we had from primary and secondary research
and storyboarding the insights in a manner that we could present to the client.
4.
You have prior work experience in the Intellectual Property domain.
How different was the experience working as an MBA intern in a top
consulting firm?
My previous experience in Intellectual Property Research equipped me with strong
secondary research skills that were most definitely useful during my internship. My
projects were more technical in my previous job, but equally interesting. What is
different about Deloitte is the culture. It is truly flat, and as interns, we were encouraged
to go up to people and talk to them, no matter what their designation. There were
numerous parties, lunches and dinners arranged for us, just so that we could bond with
the senior leadership in a better way. It was amazing how the leadership took the time
to interact with us and saw to it that we were having a great time.
5.
Having completed M.Tech in Pharmaceutical Sciences, would you say
that your knowledge about the Pharma sector helped you in your project?
Yes, my background certainly gave me an added advantage. It helped me grasp client
requirements quickly and there were instances where my technical background helped
move the project faster. But I must say that having a related background is not a
pre-requisite; Deloitte is one place where you are free to express your desire to work in a
different domain, and if youre good enough, you will get that opportunity.
6.
Deloitte is an organization that has interns from some of the best
B-schools of the country. How would you describe your interactions with
the other interns?
I made some great friends during the internship, not only from the Consulting function,
but from the other functions as well. I think each of us had a lot to learn from the others
and we had all formed a pretty close-knit group.
7.
You were placed in the Hyderabad office of Deloitte. Being a
Mumbaikar, how would you describe your short stay in a new city?
I am not really a stranger to Hyderabad, I have been there a couple of times before.
However, a lot has changed since the last time I went there. It is definitely becoming
more cosmopolitan, thanks to the MNCs that have set shop in Hi Tech city. Compared
to Mumbai, it is a lot quieter and has fewer crowds. Transport is not an issue at all. The
food is simply mouth-watering, theres something for everyone. I, for one, certainly did
not miss Mumbai.
8.
What was the most interesting or unique aspect about your summer
internship?
The most interesting part of the internship was that I had the opportunity to have a face
to face meeting with the client at their Mumbai office. My team had enough confidence
to let me present a part of the deliverable to the client, which was a huge motivator for
me. Also, the people I worked with were extremely generous with their time, in terms of
ensuring that my learning objectives were met, checking on whether I could keep up
with the pace, asking for my opinions and most importantly giving feedback that I could
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improve upon.
9.
The PPI/PPO process is one of the most sought after aspects about the
summer internship. What was the process like for you and what challenges
did you face?
The entire internship in itself is the PPO process. You are continuously evaluated right
from the beginning to the end. If I had to describe the formal procedure, there are two
reviews, one mid-way into the internship and another at the end. The entire senior
leadership is present at both these reviews. The most challenging part of this process is
that you only have 3-4 minutes to describe what you have worked on and what you have
learnt, so you have to really rack your brains to figure out what you really want to say in
those few minutes.
10. Other than delivering an excellent performance in the project, in your
opinion, how important are other aspects such as networking while
interning in the consulting sector?
Networking is the single most important thing in the consulting sector. The high level of
autonomy given to consultants means that they need to pick and choose the projects
they really want to do, and this means knowing people who will be willing to work with
you on the project. The more people you know, the more opportunities you have in
terms of the projects you can work on, leading to better learning.
11. What is your most significant takeaway from your internship?
The most significant takeaway for me was the immense amount of knowledge I gained
about the Pharmaceutical sector in such a short span of time. I had the opportunity to
work, not just on my project but also other firm activities that were extremely effective
in improving my understanding of this vast domain.
12. How has your understanding of the consulting sector evolved during
the course of the internship?
I had an end-to-end view of how the consulting world operates in the two months of my
internship. I was given the opportunity to work on every different step of a project, right
from the proposal to the final client presentation. However, that is just a small drop in
the ocean, because the most important thing to learn in consulting is building a strong
relationship with the client, which takes quite some time to learn.
13. Having experienced the nuances of the consulting field for two months,
what kind of role do you envisage for yourself post MBA?
Given my background in the pharmaceutical sector and intellectual property research, I
think consulting is a natural progression for my career. It lets me do what I do best, and
have fun at the same time.
14. What advice would you like to give to the recently joined junior batch
about internship in the consulting sector?
I would just say, keep your eyes and ears open on the floor, get to know as many people
as possible, not just within your office location, but at other locations as well. Take full
ownership of your deliverable, aim to make it good enough that nothing needs to be
changed before it reaches the client. Dont hesitate to ask questions or give opinions, its
always appreciated.

Interview conducted by:

Ipsita Acharya- Media Cell, IIM Kozhikode

This article has been complied by the Media Cell of IIM Kozhikode as part of the
Internship Kronicles series. For further information please contact us at
media@iimk.ac.in
Read the entire series of IIM K Internship Kronicles here.
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