Internship Talk 2012

Srijan Maulick, Secretary for Placements IIT Guwahati

Cepstrum| Electronics ad Electrical Engineering Student Body, IIT Guwahati

Internships what they mean to you?

An opportunity to apply what youve learnt and to
realize the true value of what youve been taught.

Youll get to learn new things, be asked to apply

them and to prove your worth as a researcher/professional.
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INTERNSHIPS
Two Types- Industrial and Academic

Two Possible Take Aways- A job or a stepping

stone for an MBA or MS/+PhD

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REVISED INTERNSHIP

RULES

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Internship Rules
First Step: BE CLEAR.

If you are absolutely determined towards

doing research DO NOT sit for any company internships (but you could target those companies that have a research profile. Eg- IBM-IRL, Microsoft Research)
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INDUSTRIAL INTERNSHIPS
IDENTIFY- The kind of work that you would like
to do. Coding, Field Work, or even Management.

LEARN- About the opportunities that exist (Both

On Campus and Off Campus).

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To start with CV
Your most vital document. A reflection of your scholarly aptitude

All the information must be absolutely true.

NEVER EVER MENTION SOMETHING THAT
IS NOT CORRECT. THIS HAS SEVERE REPERCUSSIONS.

Keep updating your CVs over time.

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Academic Information
Make a table:
Institute, Course, Semester, CPI, Recent SPI (If

recent SPI is really good.)

Information about your Board Results (Schools,Boards, Percentages)

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Technical Skills
Programming Languages: C/C++, Java, PHP
etc.

Softwares/ Software Packages: (For EEE eg:

MATLAB, VHDL, Mentor Tools, Multisim, Simulink)

Operating Systems: Windows, GNU/Linux

(Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat)
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Projects
Do not mention trivial lab experiments.

Only mention lab experiments if they are actually

worth mentioning.

Mention projects you may have done (Mention

Project Status as: Completed)

For projects you are currently doing (Mention

Project Status as : Ongoing)

Mention your Project Guides: Dr. ABC, Dept of ..

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Scholastic Achievements
JEE (Rank Optional but do mention impressive
statistics like you were in the top 0.5% and that 0.4 million people wrote the exam)

AIEEE, BITS, STATE JEEs OLYMPIADS: Mention your rank/medals/others. SCHOOL LEVEL: Mention if you were the school
topper, or you won any academic competitions. (Do not elaborate on this a lot)
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Positions of Responsibility
Posts: Secretary or some other position in - XYZ
Club, Hostel Post

Positions in Techniche, Alcher, etc

Other positions Refrain from mentioning trivial details like being
a prefect in school etc. (Your Call)

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Extra Co-curriculars
Mention one or more of your passions Mention a few significant awards youve
received (Leave out trivial ones from back when you were really young)

Part of NSO or NSS (Optional)

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Preparation Check List : Step 1

CV custom made for the Industry:

2 Pages Max
Vital Information- Clearly Mentioned- Current
10th, 12th results.

CPI,

Past Experience: A GOOD OUTLINE- Organizations

Name, Project Title, Project Guide, PROJECT OUTCOME. Be precise and clear.
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Preparation Check List: Step 1

INDUSTRY READY SKILLS: Programming Languages, Software Packages, Operating systems, and other

technical skills.

Courses and Lab Projects: Brief Overview. DO NOT MENTION ALL OF THEM. Glowing LEDs in labs is not a project.
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Preparation Check List: Step 1

Academic Achievements: Ranks, Scholarships, Outstanding Performances

Non-Academic Achievements: Priority to those that reflect ability to work in a team and leadership.

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Preparation Check List : Step 2

Specific Preparations for a company

A number of companies have webpages for their programmes where they tell you a little about how you can prepare and more about the programme. READ ALL OF THIS. You usually get some tips for the HR Interviews. http://www.qualcomm.com/careers/students/intern http://www.itcportal.com/careers/kites.aspx

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Preparation Check List

Read up about Test Patterns and Previous Questions in Interviews and in the tests:

Tests are technical plus/or aptitude based.

http://sameerbsws.blogspot.in/2010/09/goldman-sachs2010-10th-september-visit.html http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/116941Schlumberger-Interview-Experience-All-About.aspx
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Preparation Check List

Ask your friends in other colleges that these
companies have recently visited.

Questions, GD Topics and Interview Questions

are often repeated

Be a little desperate :P

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Preparation Check List

Know your CV inside out
Know every detail about every project that you have mentioned. Questions in the technical interview may often be based on your projects. e.g. ITC

Brush up on your C/C++, Data Structures, Algorithms- a must for companies who come with coding profiles and basic departmental courses (For EEE e.g. Signals and Systems, POC, Microprocessors, AM/PM/FM)

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Preparation Check List

Remain updated with the current affairs.

India V/S SriLanka, Assam riots etc. generally

can be questions in interviews to test your awareness.

Remain confident during interviews. Draw

attention of interviewer towards your strong skills

Before: If you cant, who else can..!

After : If you can, who else cant..!
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Success in Acceptance of Internship Application in a (Foreign) University

The LAB/Professor whom you apply is in need of you. Sufficient Funding. CV and Resume.

Your background in that field.

Letters of Recommendation. Grades in subject related to your field. Level or sincerity, dedication and motivation. CPI. Extra co-curricular. Tryst thy Destiny!
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If Applying Off-campus
Cover Letter comes before CV to any mailbox. First impression is the last impression.

Generally in 3-4 paras.

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Para 1: Cover Letter

Introduction to who you are. What the mail is meant for?

Why are you writing to him/her?

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Body of Cover Letter

Why do you think you are suitable? Past Experiences, previous internships, your
take away.

Any contribution to technical society in terms of

Journals/ Conference Papers/ Posters or localised manual or thesis is an added advantage.
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A Concluding Para
Gist of the mail. Summary of you capabilities.

Emphasize what this internship means to you.

Make a prof. realise that you can add value to
work.

Conclude with : Looking forward to an early

response.

Website on googlesites/otherwise in signature++

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Be Prepared
Lots of documents and documentation required.

Birth certificates, passport size photos(4-6),

marksheets, transcripts, etc. are handy.

Mail through webmail account: go to the limits of

efficiency of 300-400 mails a day.

Within 15 days, you should have a funded intern. Prof. may ask for SKYPE interviews. Keep your FACEBOOK profile clean (no slangs).
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Passport
Get through it asap. According to norms it takes 3 months.

In general around 5 months.

Tatkal expensive, but you get in a week.

Necessary to apply for DAAD and MITACS.

All details should be correct. Handle with care and do not lose it.
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VISA, Currency Exchange, ++

Every country has its Embassy.

Need to apply. Process varies from country to

country.

Do not exchange currency on airports. Try

private exchanges, THOMAS and COOK etc.

Need to call home and grandma knows not

SKYPE: Try Action VOIP. INR 70 paise per min on any Indian landline or mobile from anywhere.
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Take away from Internship

Learning how to think analytically as an
engineer.

Coming up with practical efficient solutions

quickly.

Team work- Huge amount of exposure.

Again here too if the project youre working on is

very innovative, then this helps during Placements and for an MS.
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Take away from Internship

Learning- tons and tons of learning

You strengthen your credentials as a researcher

When you apply for an MS, universities
scrutinise your projects thoroughly.

And you may even end up authoring/coauthoring research papers :D

You also get a chance to improve your ability to

work in a team.
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