A Programmer’s Guide For Technical Interviews

A Programmer's Guide For Technical Internship Interviews
A Programmer's Guide For Technical Internship Interviews

Introduction

An internship is a short-term work experience offered by companies and other organizations for students to get some entry-level exposure to a particular industry or field. It is as much of a learning experience as it is work. Ideally, interns spend their time working on relevant projects, learning about the field, making industry connections, and developing both hard and soft skills. Internships sometimes even lead to full-time job offers.

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There is always a significant amount of effort required in applying for internships and getting one that too in the aspired organization. Plenty of resources and sites talk about how to apply for internships and how to prepare for the same, but less one converse of the internship work and performance.

According to the data provided by Internshala, the stipend provided by companies to their respective interns is always in a specific range and it is the intern’s performance that benefits him/her the most in gaining the upper bound of the mentioned and it even proposes that 48% internships come with PPO that even justifies the importance for excelling in internships. 

Want to gather more tips and methods to ace technical interviews, watch this video below.

Tips to Excel in Technical Interviews?

Following the below mentioned tips during the internship will surely make you stand out among the rest and help gain self-confidence for future prospects: 

  1. Always Keep Yourself Busy and set your Goals: It is very important to be engrossed in self-exploratory tasks and be in the good books of the reporting manager. In case you find that your work is done, ask for new projects or look to read company literature. Goal setting is especially important for interns – to ensure that they gain the relevant skills employers are seeking when hiring future full-time employees.
  2. Focus on the Soft Skills: This is considered a very professional and good gesture while doing the prescribed work. It gives an impression to others that the candidate is acknowledging and showing respect to the honorary, thus possessing basic etiquettes. 
  3. Do thorough research about the company profile and where it excels: It is equally beneficial to know where you are working and what are its industry potential and standards. As in the case, there are chances of a full-time job opportunity, this desk work helps in discussions and letting novel people know about your work life. 
  4. Be Punctual and Disciplined: Always attend the meeting you are a part of on a scheduled date and time. Do not make yourself engaged in unnecessary delay apologies and stuff. Have a good formal wardrobe and be specific with the office hours. 

All these tips help in making an intern a well- deserving job candidate who knows about the work environment and how to present oneself among the designated people of the company. Never take the internship for granted considering it as just a matter of time that will give you a completion letter. To engage in it as you are an integral part of the organisation and the work you perform will impact the company profile.

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Benefits of Technical Interviews

The amount of effort an intern puts into the internship it always pays back equally. Often people feel, why invest so much in a mere internship if we are getting a completion certificate at the end. The objective should not be just earning a letter or certificate, the objective should be what impact our work makes on the organisation. There are certain plus points attached with the internship performance: 

  • Acknowledgement from subordinates: It is one of the most soothing things a positive work performance brings with it. Your work will be appreciated by higher authorities and will get the desired acknowledgement. It will also boost up your confidence and give you the desired motivation. 
  • Pre-Placement Offer (PPO): It is the aspect with respect to which most of the freshers or students engage in an internship program. A PPO will guarantee your full-time place in the same organisation which will relieve a candidate from other hassles of placements. 
  • Development of professional Resume: As the candidate completes an internship that provides him/her with an appreciation letter, it can certainly be attached or mentioned in the resume which will impact the forthcoming interviews the candidate will sit for leading to a positive forefront. 

The above mentioned positive points will surely motivate the upcoming and ongoing interns during their internships to focus on the things on the other side of the wall also. The work, preparation and values do not stop when one receives an offer letter for the internship, it should progress gradually towards making your mark in the field of interest and perform with the same zeal as one did while appearing for the same. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the intern background matter during work assignment?

The domain and skills a candidate acquires matter while assigning a project during the internships as it will allow a good performance on the project because of intern’s excellence in the field which will in turn benefit the company.

Does work performance matter in a small term internship also?

Yes, the work you do and whether you are capable of finishing the assigned task in the given time frame matters irrespective of the internship’s duration.

How to build a good rapport with my Reporting Manager?

1. Be attentive to what he/ she is asking you to do
2. Ask questions wherever required
3. Be in regular communication with your Reporting Manager
4. Provide daily status update to him/her about your work

How much time does it take to receive a PPO?

It depends from company to company, normally it takes around 2-3 months post internship completion in getting a pre-placement offer subject to the condition that you have excelled in the internship and have been acknowledged.

What to do if the requirements are not clear in one-time sitting?

If you have further questions or doubts in the assigned work ask it at that point only, rather than starting off with unclear requirements. It is alright if certain things are not crystal clear and will not post any negative mark on your side.

Conclusion

There are different types of internships prevailing all around the globe, they may be different in terms of domain knowledge, work environment, employee structure, stipend, what remains common is the judgement and feedback towards the intern’s performance. All organisation’s like a good intern rather than one who just sits and completes the tenure.

The demand for people willing to work and perform efficiently is high and grasping an opportunity that one is already a part of is the best way to proceed. An internship is the first door to the corporate world and working well and engaging with fellow employees always benefits as these are the things that will be remembered in the long run. Getting a PPO is not a cakewalk, it does require hard work and smart work and the moment it is received, it does solve many purposes.

 We have launched a new Preparation Guide for your next interview.

The experience an internship brings for the candidate is tremendous that will be fruitful in future job opportunities.

In case you want to read about a very prosperous internship experience of a student, you can visit Coding Ninjas – Internship Experience to witness his journey.

By Sonali Gupta