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Intern Perspectives: Choosing an internship with Veritas

KaranGupta
Level 1
Employee

The Veritas University summer interns sharing an afternoon at Great America in celebration of the ongoing program; one of many fun networking events planned by the Veritas University leadership team.The Veritas University summer interns sharing an afternoon at Great America in celebration of the ongoing program; one of many fun networking events planned by the Veritas University leadership team.In March 2018, I was pressed to choose an internship. Following conversations with those who had been a part of the Veritas University program, I was convinced to join with a focus on project management.

In the discussions, three details stood out: each past intern highlighted the importance of team diversity at Veritas, the exposure to senior management they’d experienced, and the independence they held in decision making during their internship.

Exposure to senior management

Over the last seven weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to sit next to the CEO and provide my perspective on the direction of the company. Following the meeting, Veritas’ Chief Product Officer sent a direct message on Slack responding to my queries and asking about my internship project.

I’ve gained insight to decision making at the topmost level, with many meetings closing with a recommendation and introduction to another leader. The learnings through these interactions have offered far more awareness of corporate life than the year of case studies encountered during business school. The management encourages and welcomes interns to engage and offer details on the Veritas University program.

One example that sticks out was the extension of a meeting by a VP so he could share of his experience as an intern and provide recommendations for my Veritas University project. I know he maintains a full schedule yet went out of his way to be supportive; this quality of humility is seen across Veritas leadership.

Diversity and intern support

Every company claims to be diverse, so I was skeptical I’d experience anything unusual at Veritas. However, when I was introduced to my team, I was pleased to be paired with a group hosting a broad range of academic backgrounds. The university relations team did a great job in composing a strong team – diverse across education, experience, gender, and individual strengths.

Apart from the immediate team, each intern has multiple mentors and an assigned collaborator who is well-pared to our work experience. I cannot emphasize enough the tremendous progress made in our project as a result of the expertise of each member of our team. As a business major, one skill that is most important to me is to drive consensus and motivate a diverse team; my time at Veritas has been a crash course in this effort, and I am receiving all the support necessary to succeed in my efforts.

The liberty to make decisions

Upon joining Veritas University, I was told two things by my mentor: Veritas wants you to enjoy your internship, and projects go live at the close of the internship session. I was excited to discover the CTO would be overseeing my project and assumed I would be required to follow detailed instructions throughout.

However, the next thing my mentor told me was something I will never forget: “Deliver the project the way you see fit.” He noted I should be creative and had his support. Everyone on my team is considered a project decision maker. My mentors and collaborators guarantee we are exhaustive in the creative process, but ultimately, we feel incredibly empowered.

I am pleased to have chosen Veritas for my internship. I’d joined business school unsure of the career path I wanted to take, and my experience at Veritas has demonstrated the value of a product management.

This is what #LifeAtVeritas has provided me – a direction.

#VtasNextGen

 

3 REPLIES 3

LeeWildes
Level 2
Employee

Karan I think everyone agrees that you have made the most of your time here at Veritas. Everything in this article is a true overview of the kind of hardwork and leadership you have displayed. Everytime I see Karan he is with a mentor or employee, making the most of his time here. We could all learn a lot from Karan on how to attack an internship. I am so impressed with him and he is someone we should all model.

LyndaLarsen
Level 3
Employee

Well written article, Karan! I appreciate the time you have invested in making the most out of your Internship at Veritas. You lead by example and I admire that about you. Thanks so much!

SaliniMishra
Level 3
Employee

Karan, you are literally the living example of the phrase "Lead by example". I have learnt so much from you and others. This post is definitely an ideal map on how to make the most out of your time in an internship.