Ascend
ASCEND – THE SUMMER INTERNSHIP JOURNEY
A Curtain Raiser to Summer Internship Program 2026
ASCEND 2026 was organised by SIBM Noida as a preparatory and experiential learning session for M.B.A. students before the commencement of their Summer Internships. The session aimed to equip students with the right mindset, professional conduct, strategic thinking ability, and AI-powered execution skills required to excel during internships and convert them into Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs). The Director, SIBM Noida delivered the inaugural address and felicitated the speakers. The sessions were delivered by esteemed industry experts, Mr. Amit Avasthi and Mr. Ritesh Chaddha, who shared practical insights drawn from their corporate experiences.
Key Highlights of the Session
Understanding Internships Beyond Academics
- Internships are extended interview processes
- Evaluation begins from Day 1
- Professional behaviour, communication style, and learning agility are continuously assessed
- Team collaboration and reliability are critical
- Ability to accept and implement feedback determines long-term success
Students were advised to treat internships as long-term career opportunities rather than short-term academic requirements.
Unspoken Truths About Internships
- Small behaviours matter – punctuality, discipline, and responsiveness create strong impressions
- Managers evaluate whether interns make their job easier
- Trust and dependability are key evaluation criteria
- Being proactive differentiates high-performing interns
LEAD Learning Framework
- Learn – Continuously acquire knowledge
- Execute – Perform tasks efficiently and accurately
- Adapt – Improve based on feedback
- Deliver – Produce measurable and valuable outcomes
Feedback as Career Currency
- Seek feedback regularly
- Avoid defensive reactions
- Analyse feedback objectively
- Use feedback for structured improvement
Professional Communication & Conduct
- Maintain clarity and conciseness in communication
- Prepare structured bullet points before meetings
- Follow ethical workplace behaviour
- Avoid overuse of personal devices during work hours
- Dress and behave professionally
Building Industry Relevance
- Understand company culture and market expectations
- Apply classroom concepts practically
- Leverage AI tools for research and strategic analysis
- Build a strong LinkedIn presence
- Develop meaningful professional networks
Experiential Exposure & Reflection
- Concrete experience
- Observation
- Participation
- Reflection through weekly learning notes
Critical Success Factors for PPO
- Demonstrate continuous learning
- Show measurable improvement
- Be reliable and solution-oriented
- Deliver quality work on time
- Align contributions with organisational goals
AI-Powered Internship Execution Workshop (Mr. Amit Avasthi)
A major component of ASCEND 2026 was the AI-Powered Internship Execution session conducted by Mr. Amit Avasthi, focusing on leveraging Artificial Intelligence tools for research, skill development, project execution, and presentation preparation.
Advanced Prompt Engineering Insights
- Provide clear context (company, role, objective)
- Use structured instructions with numbered deliverables
- Specify desired format (table, executive summary, bullet points)
- Ask AI to cite sources for strategic research
- Use role-based prompts
- Iteratively refine prompts for higher accuracy
- Use stress-testing prompts to identify weaknesses
- Avoid vague prompts; request analysis, comparison, and recommendations
Effective & Responsible AI Tool Usage
- Use AI as an accelerator, not a substitute for thinking
- Always verify facts using primary sources
- Do not upload confidential company data to public AI platforms
- Rewrite AI outputs in your own voice
- Use AI for brainstorming, structuring, and refining work
- Maintain executive-level formatting and clarity
- Check company AI policies before internship commencement
The VERIFY Framework
- Validate – Cross-check facts
- Edit – Remove generic AI phrasing
- Relevance – Keep only meaningful insights
- Insights – Add original analysis
- Format – Maintain professional presentation
- Your Voice – Ensure authenticity
ASCEND 2026 successfully integrated traditional internship preparedness with modern AI-driven execution strategies. The combined insights enabled students to understand internships as strategic career opportunities rather than academic formalities. Workshop Coordinator Dr. Ritesh Dwivedi also briefed students about the salient features of Summer Internship Programs at SIBM Noida and shared SIP Guidelines with them.
Participants
Students of M.B.A. 2025–27
Organising Team
- Emcee: Gauri Bhati and Ishita Srivastava
- Student Coordinator: Pranav Kumar
- Workshop Co-Ordinator: Dr. Ritesh Dwivedi, SIBM Noida
Photo Gallery
Professional Competency Development: AI, Behavioral Intelligence and Interview Handling - A pre-placement workshop for M.B.A. (2024-26)
Objective of the Event:
The primary objective of the pre-placement workshop, Ascend 2025, was to prepare M.B.A. students (Batch 2024–26) for future career opportunities through the development of professional competencies. The event focused on major areas: AI-oriented career planning and behavioral interview techniques. The workshop aimed to bridge the gap between academic learning and the dynamic expectations of the corporate world.
Session 1: Strategic Career Design in the Age of AI
Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Resource Person: Mr. Amit Avasthi, Founder & CEO, CoSolve Solutions
Key Focus Areas:
- Decoding the Future: Understanding emerging roles and skills in the AI era.
- Choosing the Right Incubator: Using data-driven approaches to identify high-growth sectors and organizations.
- Architecting Your Growth: Emphasizing agile career management and proactive planning.
Activity: Students participated in structured group exercises using laptops to analyze data trends, explore AI-aligned career paths, and map personal growth strategies. Groups were pre-assigned and students collaborated on developing their own career roadmaps based on real-time insights and frameworks shared during the session.
Session 2: Behavioral Interview Mastery
Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Resource Person: Ms. Aditi Jain, Product Marketing Specialist, Google
Key Focus Areas:
- Understanding behavioral questions and their purpose in interviews.
- Using structured response models like STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) and CAR (Context, Action, Result).
- Practicing commonly asked behavioral questions.
- Connecting personality traits with workplace competencies.
Activity: The session included real-time practice exercises, where students framed responses to behavioral questions using the STAR/CAR models. Ms. Jain also facilitated peer feedback discussions.
Outcomes & Impact:
- Increased student awareness about AI’s impact on careers and strategic planning.
- Improved behavioral interview response capability.
- Greater confidence in resume presentation, technical discussions, and group dynamics.
- Reinforced alignment with placement preparation goals.
