As a BBA student at SP Jain School of Global Management, I have always believed that some of the most valuable learning happens when we are able to connect what we study in class with real-world business situations. My internship at Zolon Tech in Hyderabad gave me an opportunity to do exactly that.
I worked as a Research Analyst Intern with the Human Resources department, where I was primarily involved in research and candidate sourcing for recruitment processes. What made this experience particularly interesting was that Zolon Tech provides outsourced recruitment support to companies based in the United States. This meant that although I was working from India, the recruitment requirements I worked on were for US-based clients and their employment needs.
My role mainly involved supporting the recruitment team through research, candidate sourcing, data collection and organisation.
A typical task would begin with understanding a job description and identifying what the client was looking for in a candidate. I would analyse requirements such as educational qualifications, years of experience, technical and professional skills, industry background, job title, previous companies and geographical location.
I then researched potential candidates who matched these requirements. One of the key tools I used during this process was Apollo.io, an AI-enabled professional database and recruitment-support platform. I used it to search for professional profiles and apply different filters to narrow down candidates based on specific requirements.
Another important part of my work was maintaining the information I collected in a structured manner. I worked with Excel spreadsheets to organise candidate information, check for duplicates and ensure that the information being provided to the recruitment team was accurate and relevant.
My responsibilities included:
Although my internship was under the HR department, I found that the role was highly research oriented. It required me to think analytically and understand the reasoning behind why a particular candidate might or might not be suitable for a specific position.
One of the most interesting aspects of my internship was the candidate-research process itself. Initially, it may seem that recruitment is simply about finding someone who has the required qualifications. However, I learned that there are many more factors involved.
For example, if a client is looking for someone with a particular technical skill and several years of experience in a specific industry, simply finding a candidate with that skill is not enough. I had to look at the candidate's overall professional background, previous roles, companies, experience level and location to determine whether the profile actually aligned with the requirement.
This made candidate sourcing feel much more like a research and problem-solving activity.
I also realised how important attention to detail is. Small differences in job titles, experience, skills or locations can significantly affect whether a candidate is relevant. Maintaining accurate databases and avoiding duplicate or irrelevant profiles was therefore an important part of my work.
This experience taught me that recruitment is not just about finding more candidates — it is about finding more relevant candidates.
Working with recruitment requirements for US-based companies gave me exposure to a different employment market. I learned that recruitment requirements can vary significantly depending on the organisation, role, industry and location. The expectations of US-based clients required me to pay attention to specific professional experiences, job titles, skills and geographical requirements.
I also gained a better understanding of how recruitment can operate across borders. The client company, recruitment organisation and candidate may all be located in different places, while technology enables the recruitment process to happen efficiently.
This helped me understand the importance of clear communication and accurate interpretation of client requirements. One of my biggest learnings was that international recruitment requires a broader perspective. It is not enough to understand the candidate; you also need to understand the client's expectations and the employment market in which the position exists.
Technology was one of the most interesting parts of my internship.
Using platforms such as Apollo.io showed me how technology can significantly improve the efficiency of candidate research. Instead of manually searching through large numbers of professional profiles without any structure, I could use specific filters to narrow down the search according to the client's requirements.
This made the process more systematic.
However, I also learned that technology does not completely replace human judgement.
A database or AI-supported tool can help identify potential candidates, but it is still necessary for a researcher or recruiter to evaluate whether those candidates actually fit the requirement.
This changed the way I approached recruitment research. I began to see AI as a tool that supports decision-making rather than a replacement for decision-making.
The experience also made me more aware of the growing role of AI and digital platforms in HR. Recruitment is becoming increasingly data-driven, and professionals need to know how to use technology while still applying critical thinking and judgement.
The internship helped me develop several skills that I believe will be useful throughout my BBA and future career.
Most importantly, the internship helped me understand that business functions are increasingly interconnected. HR today is not limited to managing employees; it also involves research, technology, data, communication and decision-making.
My biggest advice to other BBA students would be to not look at an internship only as something to add to your CV.
Try to find an internship where you can actually learn something and take responsibility for real tasks.
You do not necessarily need to start with a huge project or a major company. Even seemingly small responsibilities can teach you a lot if you understand why you are doing them.
I would also recommend being curious. During an internship, don't just complete the task you are given. Try to understand the process behind it.
For me, researching candidates initially seemed like a straightforward task. But once I understood the reasoning behind the searches, the client requirements, the role of technology and the importance of accuracy, I realised how much business knowledge could be gained from it.
Finally, I would encourage BBA students to take advantage of opportunities that provide international exposure and practical experience. Working on US-based recruitment requirements while being based in India gave me a perspective that I would not have gained from classroom learning alone.
Overall, my internship at Zolon Tech has been a valuable learning experience because it allowed me to combine business research, HR, data management, technology and international business in one role.
It also helped me understand how concepts that we learn as BBA students are applied in actual organisations.
Most importantly, the experience has made me more comfortable with research, working with professional data, understanding business requirements and using technology to improve the way work is done.
I believe these are skills that will continue to be useful as I progress through my BBA and eventually build my career in the business world.
Nitya Gutta is our Bachelor of Business Administration student from the 2024 intake.
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