Kuljeet Singh is the Corporate Relations Executive (CRE) for Enactus at Glasgow Caledonian University. Unusually, he decided to do a summer internship after his first year at University. We asked him about his experience, why he chose Enterprise and what he has learnt.
What have you been doing this summer?
My summer with Enterprise Rent-A-Car has been incredible, one of the best summers I’ve had yet! I have always been the kind of person who wants to do productive things with my time to better myself for the future and a summer internship with Enterprise seemed a great idea. Although I was only in my first year at university my application was still accepted and I wasn’t treated any different to any other applicant. I knew Enterprise from their involvement with Enactus, and how much time they dedicate in supporting the society’s student members in their development. While I didn’t exactly know what to expect from my summer internship, I certainly didn’t expect the extreme learning curve and personal development journey that Enterprise took me on.
“Not only have I had fun during my summer internship but built up so many of my skills making me a better student and CRE for this year ahead.”
What did you learn?
Firstly, my communication skills have improved so much, especially how to adapt my communication style to different personalities. Furthermore, my sales background was pushed to its max and I worked hard to finish as the top performer of the branch. This has seen me join Elite Club, which is a reward for finishing as one of the top ten performers among all employees for the whole of Scotland and Northern Ireland. This shows how much of an impact you can make in such a short space of time.
I was also given a lot of ownership during my summer internship, which provided me with a real insight into how you manage a business. The sales skills I developed meant that I was also made the sales and corporate captain for my branch. Even better, I was encouraged to transfer my knowledge to others and teach people my way of doing things. This included one-to-one sessions with my colleagues and leading our regular morning meetings which made me feel valued and important in the workplace.
“It is a good feeling to know you are helping to impact your place of work and not many internships, let alone summer ones give you that opportunity.”
I was surprised at how broad the Enterprise summer internships are: as well as improving skills like management and communication, I also got to work on finance, marketing and business development and growth. You certainly gain entrepreneurial skills and build capacities needed to run your own business which is something I would like to do some day.
What is the biggest thing you will take away?
Overall, the most valuable lesson I learnt from my summer internship is how important work ethic really is – I never knew I could work so hard until this internship pushed me past what I thought was hard work!
The highlights of my time with Enterprise have been incredible: how much I’ve learnt and grown as a person, the fantastic people I met and how great it felt to be rewarded for all the hard work I put into my summer internship. This included the trophy I was awarded at the Summer Intern Awards for having the best outside sales which meant I excelled in the corporate side of the business.
What next?
I realise now how much the skills and experience I gained during my first year with Enactus helped me through the interview process and during my internship with Enterprise. This has given me renewed enthusiasm for Enactus – I can’t wait to take this incredible experience back to my Enactus team and push myself to be the best possible CRE I can be, to help my team excel further and have a positive impact on our projects.
I also hope that as many of my fellow students as possible get to know the incredible internship and graduate opportunities that Enterprise offers – and not just because of the support they give Enactus, but also because of the way the treat interns and graduates, and the amazing training they provide.
