My first internship experience — Muskan Purohit at Girl Power Talk
How did it all start?
In November 2021, I was in my first semester of university and I was so ready to put myself out there for some real-life experiences. Hybrid classes were finally starting for the first-year students and I couldn’t wait to go and attend offline classes. Turns out I wasn’t allowed to go. So, a little context to the story here — I was born in February 2004 so I’m still 18 and I’m also one of the students who graduated high school online because of COVID-19. Till that time, only 18 years old and above people were eligible of taking the vaccine and only the vaccinated students were allowed to attend hybrid classes. And there was another way out which was to stay in the hostel of the university but I didn’t approve of this expensive idea so the only option I’d was to have a mental breakdown about it and continue studying online. This honestly made me angry but I decided to try my best to make the most of my university days anyways.
When I was going through the procedure of getting my admission, the plan was to get into this university, study here for a year(even though the undergraduate program was of 3 years, I had something else in my mind), and get some work experience in a field that I enjoyed. But I’m glad I didn’t wait for this to happen because my university is located in a small village, almost 25 kilometers away from the city but the city has all the scope of work experiences. So, even though things didn’t go as planned, it did turn out into something good. In anger and hate towards my small hometown, I downloaded Internshala, looking for internships to make something out of my skills. It didn’t take me much time to realize that this pool of internships and jobs was a big one, and extremely exploitative too. Plus, for writers, the opportunities were so underpaid that I doubted years of my work but I didn’t stop looking and convinced myself that I’ll take anything up even if this means me just settling for less because why would anyone want to hire a fresher and trust her with responsibilities.
Finding the path to my dreams
I applied to many companies and submitted assignments and work samples written according to their word formats but didn’t get any positive response until I got an invitation from Girl Power Talk to apply to their company. I immediately checked their website out and found it so fascinating that it felt unreal and lowkey, a scam. But there were proofs of their success and happy work culture all over the place and this wasn’t it because I found out that I could choose and apply from multiple designations to expand my knowledge. I applied as a content writer intern through their unique procedure of filling up the questionnaire so they can get to know you better and in the first week of December, I was invited for a zoom interview. I decided to appear for it extremely unprepared and sick because I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity so when this came to their notice, they allowed me to reschedule. In 10 days or so, the interview was rescheduled according to my convenience but again, I was pretty sure that I won’t make it because I couldn’t present my best to them. I was asked to do an assignment, I sent it through and deleted it from my laptop because why would anyone want to hire someone like me?
In the same month, my dad had a heart attack and everything was happening so fast in life when I received a mail telling me that I have been shortlisted for a round 2 interview. I couldn’t reply because I wasn’t in the right state of mind but then, the company’s CEO followed up on the same email thread because they were going to be part of it too but I wasn’t aware of that till the call started and it didn’t really look like a scam to me then. After giving it a thought, I confirmed my availability and my dad was back home from the hospital too. But there was too much chaos, too many people visiting us to make sure that we were doing okay even though it wasn’t really helpful. A few minutes before the interview, I was washing utensils and thinking of giving up but I just told myself that “Muskan, trust me, embarrassing yourself would be better than just letting the opportunity slip right out of your hands” so I just showed up for the interview.
I was shocked to see the people I only saw on the website but here they were. We had a conversation about work and the mental state that I was in and it just convinced me that I’m not gonna get it until they said “Congratulations and welcome to Girl Power Talk” and it was unbelievable. I felt like I was in a dream and will have to wake up any second now but fortunately, it was my reality and I was chosen as a young leader in this beautiful company that contributed to my growth for the next ten months. Girl Power Talk work towards driving impact, empowering young people, and committing to topics of importance like education, gender equality, and inclusion in the workplace. I started there as an intern but after the orientation period of 3 months, the tag of an “intern” was removed and within 4 months or so of my internship, my stipend was also raised without me having to ask for it or without any expectations of having something like this happen to me. It still feels like a dream come true because I got to work with so many people of different age groups and from across the world, allowing me to create a new perspective towards life, Everyone who is a part of the company is supportive, kind and hardworking which motivated me to do better as a person because it wasn’t just about work but reaching people through this company to make this world a better place. I got to enhance my skills by learning under other individuals who always treated me as an equal and I also figured out other skills that I liked to learn and fields I enjoyed working in because I was allowed to explore, learn and be the best version of myself.
Two sides of the coin — My reality
When I tell people that I learned a lot there, people just think that I was spoon-fed the information but it is not true. At Girl Power Talk, I had the opportunity to work on practical projects and I was trusted with the responsibilities that impacted the company directly even when I was just a fresher. It was their belief in me that led to this confidence and this motivated me to contribute my best towards the company’s growth. With the amazing aura, kind and smart, young individuals, and the goal to change the world for the better, I found my home there. I found friends in my colleagues, met new people through collaborations, learned how to make purpose meet profit, and most importantly, built this new version of Muskan that was ready to change the world one step at a time. Honestly, I can’t think of a single time I was neglected in this workplace, I was actually included in the tasks that made me challenge myself and improve. With each new day, a new task, talented people, fun meetings and workshops, exciting trips, and a surprise cake on my birthday — I got closer to this place, closer to myself and that’s exactly why I can go on and on about it without getting tired as this experience will always have a place in my heart.
In October 2022, my studies and my mental health took a toll on me and I wasn’t able to manage my time to work for the company which made me feel bad about myself. I communicated and continued but figured out that I had to prioritize my undergraduate program and start working towards my further studies too as I had other plans that need my undivided attention. It broke my heart to realize it because I never imagined finding a workplace that genuinely cared about my opinions but here I was, with the best first internship experience I could ever have and I am forever grateful for all the memories and value Girl Power Talk instilled in me. It was time to say goodbye so I did and from November 2022, I was officially unemployed again but I still have friends from there who support me as an individual and in my last meeting, I had the opportunity to send my best wishes to everyone, something that not everyone gets to do. And it ended, the most beautiful work chapter of my life — my journey with Girl Power Talk.
Stay tuned for My first business trip — a meetup at Sheroes Cafe, Agra
Following are some links that I’d like you to visit:
