Microsoft — Research Intern
Q. In which company have you been placed? What’s your job profile?
>> I have been placed at MICROSOFT as a Research Intern at Microsoft Research Labs, India. My domain of research includes Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Q. Which clubs and societies were you a part of and how did they help you?
>> I was part of three clubs-EEESOC, ROBOLUTION and SDS. These clubs gave me a lot of opportunities to explore various fields and discover my field of interest. The seniors were very helpful and their guidance helped me a lot in various aspects.
Q. What are the skills that a student interested in software domain should focus on?
>> In the first year, I would suggest exploring and experimenting on different things and attending different workshops. Besides that, I would say that the most important thing is to learn and make projects because it gives you real world experience on anything you are learning. You may explore various fields like DSA, Web-Dev, ML/AI, Blockchain, etc and keep building projects simultaneously.
Q. When and how did you decide between core and software job? Also mention the ideal time to choose according to you?
>> During the covid period, I got a lot of time to explore various fields. I attended a lot of workshops and finally at the end of second year, I knew that I have to either go in the field of software development or ML/AI.
According to me, one should spend the first year of college attending various workshops and exploring various domain and then in the second year one should make a final decision so that there is ample time to work on your skills and projects.
Q. How much CGPA should one maintain in order to be allowed to sit in an interview for any core/ software company?
>> A CGPA of 8 and above can be considered a safe one. However there a very few companies that keep a CGPA barrier of 8.5.
Q. How can one use time effectively and manage their time between academics, extracurricular activities (along with projects, learning job-based skills) and social life?
>> If one is in a branch that he or she wants to pursue as a career, it’s well and good. But if you are not in CSE/IT, and want to go into the software domain then definitely you have to put in more effort and utilize your time more efficiently and effectively.
Q. How early should one start preparing for internships and which platform did you use to grab it? Where did you pursue your internship from and if not, then what was your alternative? Is it necessary to have internships for good placement?
>> I would say that you should be clear about the domain you want to get into by the end of second year. It will help you to start preparing for your internships at the right time. If you manage to grab an internship, it would definitely give you an edge over others. It will also help you easily fetch a PPO. Even if you don’t manage to get one, you should focus on your skills.
Q. How important is GIT and GITHUB for a student interested in software domain and up to what level should one explore it?
>> GIT is very essential for anyone who wants to get into software domain. Open Sourcing your work can be very helpful. People can review your work and you will get to know their views. These things will help you grow and improve your work. Open sourcing gives you an exposure to what other people are doing and you get to learn a lot.
Q. What other extra-curricular activities did you engage yourself during four years of BTECH?
>> Apart from technical stuff and studies, I loved to play Volleyball and Football. I got to make a lot of new friends and made many good memories during this period.
Q. How did you prepare for you placement and what was the toughest part of the interview?
>> I started preparing for AI/ ML from my first semester itself and involved myself in various projects related to this field. I found this domain very interesting from the very beginning and I knew I wanted to go into this field.
The toughest part for me was preparing DSA. Your DSA skills should be on point no matter what type of company you want to go into. While preparing for placements, you should always focus on building projects.
You should be well aware of the job profile you are applying for and properly research about it before interviewing for any company.
Q. How important role does Competitive Programming play as far cracking a placement is concerned and is it necessary to be good at the same?
>> If you dream to get into very good companies as a complete Software Developer, you are required to be good at CP but if you are applying for the role of a web developer, a decent hold on DSA and good projects would help you land the job. CP at times may restrict your overall preparation. So along with CP it is also important to indulge yourself in decent projects.
Q. How important is LINKEDIN and how to maintain an a good LINKEDIN profile?
>> From Offcampus Placement point of view, LINKEDIN plays a very important role. Through LINKEDIN you get to expand your network and referrals from people can highly increase your chances of grabbing opportunities. You should also keep uploading your projects on Linkedin. This will distinguish you from the crowd.
Most companies that visit the campus are for the field of software development, so if you are interested in the field of ML/AI you need to know people from this domain so that they help you with referrals.
Q. What are your future plans?
>> I plan to get into higher studies after one or two years of job experience.
Q. What would be your advice to your juniors in different years?
>> My advice would be to not just blindly follow what everyone is doing. If something does not interest you, then feel free to explore other fields. Unless and until you really enjoy doing something, don’t force yourself into it. Try exploring various things, attend workshops and then decide what suits you the best.