Like many students, I always wanted to gain corporate exposure through a reputed multinational organisation, but I also knew that opportunities like this require much more than just academic results.

Thousands of students applied for the program, but only 8 candidates were finally selected. Being one of them was truly a surreal feeling for me. The recruitment process consisted of CV screening, an online test, FGD, and a final interview. However, I believe the real preparation started long before the recruitment process itself.

Building myself beyond academics

Throughout my undergraduate life, I always tried to stay involved in activities beyond the classroom. I participated in case competitions, volunteering programs, event management activities, content writing, and different extracurricular engagements. These experiences gradually helped me improve my communication skills, leadership abilities, teamwork, networking, and confidence.

Looking back now, I realise that every activity and every experience contributed to shaping my personality and preparing me for opportunities like this. I learned that growth does not only happen inside classrooms; sometimes the biggest lessons come from experiences outside academics.

One thing I understood very early was that a strong CV is not built overnight. Every experience, no matter how small, adds value to your journey. Instead of limiting myself only to academics, I continuously tried to explore different fields and challenge myself. I believe one of the strongest parts of my CV was the diversity of experiences I gathered throughout university life.

Professional experiences that shaped my journey

A special mention goes to Next Ventures, which gave me my first real professional breakthrough. I worked there part-time, and that experience taught me professionalism, workplace communication, responsibility, and adaptability.

It gave me practical exposure to how professional environments actually operate. More importantly, it boosted my confidence significantly and helped me believe in my own capabilities. I genuinely believe this experience added significant value to my CV and helped me stand out during the recruitment process.

I would also like to thank The Business Standard, where I worked as a Campus Ambassador. Through this role, I regularly wrote campus updates and articles, which helped me improve my writing, networking, and communication skills. It also gave me the opportunity to connect with different people and remain actively engaged with various activities happening around campus.

I am genuinely grateful to The Business Standard for giving me the opportunity to write and express myself through different campus-related content and articles. This experience played a huge role in improving my confidence, creativity, and professional growth.

Together, these experiences made my CV much stronger because they reflected consistency, creativity, adaptability, and involvement outside academics.

The Recruitment Process

The online test mainly evaluated analytical ability and problem-solving skills. The FGD tested communication, teamwork, and confidence, while the final interview focused on personality, experiences, and career aspirations.

Thankfully, all the experiences I gathered throughout university life helped me remain confident during every stage of the recruitment process. I realised that the confidence I gained from extracurricular activities, writing, networking, and part-time work played a major role in helping me perform well throughout the process.

This journey taught me that companies are not only looking for students with good academic records. They are searching for individuals who can communicate effectively, work in teams, take initiative, and adapt to challenges. I also realised that extracurricular activities truly matter. Every case, competition, article, volunteer activity, event management experience, and professional exposure contributed to building my confidence and strengthening my profile.

Most importantly, I learned that growth happens outside the comfort zone.

My Advice to undergraduates

One thing I would genuinely suggest to every undergraduate student is this: Do something beyond academics. Participate in event management, extracurricular activities, volunteering programmes, case competitions, content writing, and networking opportunities. These activities help students develop communication skills, leadership abilities, teamwork, confidence, and professionalism qualities that companies highly value today.

I would also strongly encourage students to search for part-time opportunities during university life because real workplace experience teaches things that classrooms often cannot. Even small experiences can make a huge difference in both confidence and CV building.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Raiyaan Ehab Shams and Shah Md Zunayed for their guidance, motivation, and continuous support throughout my journey. Their advice and encouragement helped me grow both personally and professionally.

I am also deeply grateful to Md Miraj Hossain, who mentored me during my time at AKIJ Resource. I sincerely appreciate bhaiya for teaching me the basics of ERP, procurement, and sales, which helped me gain practical business knowledge and broaden my understanding of corporate operations.

I would also like to specially thank Tahsin Tayeb Kabir for supporting and guiding me during my time at Next Ventures. Bhaiya taught me the ABC of corporate client handling, professionalism, and workplace communication. The lessons and practical exposure I received from him played a significant role in improving my confidence and understanding of corporate culture.

A special thanks to the GYC Group as well. Being surrounded by supportive and growth-oriented people played a huge role in improving my confidence, communication skills, and overall mindset.

I would also like to thank my parents, loved ones, and friends who supported me mentally throughout my journey. There were moments when I faced rejections from different multinational companies’ flagship internship programs, and honestly, those moments were not easy. But their constant support, encouragement, and belief in me helped me stay motivated and continue moving forward despite the setbacks.

Finally, Alhamdulillah to the Almighty Allah for every opportunity, every lesson, every rejection, and every achievement. Looking back now, I realise that every challenge was preparing me for something better.

Final thoughts

Cracking the “Synergy” internship program at Berger Paints Bangladesh Limited was not just about securing an internship opportunity. It was the result of years of learning, participating, improving, failing, growing, and stepping outside my comfort zone.

I am grateful for every experience that shaped my journey from extracurricular activities and content writing to part-time work, mentorship, and personal struggles. Every step contributed to the person I am becoming today.

For every student chasing competitive opportunities, my advice is simple: trust your journey, keep learning, keep participating, and never stop believing in yourself. Sometimes the experiences outside the classroom become the strongest part of your story.

Akash is a final-semester Computer Science and Engineering student at BRAC University. He is a Synergy Intern at Berger Paints Bangladesh and a part-time content writer at The Business Standard. He is a former NextGen Intern at AKIJ Resource. His interests include football, cricket, travelling, marketing, business strategy, and writing.