Story: how i got Software Engineer Job at Internshala
26th Oct 2015, It was a big day for me. My first day at the office and like everyone I was nervous. I was so tensed that I stood at the door for some time but when I entered the room I was amazed. The environment was so cool. Graffiti on the walls, picture collages, bean bags, guitars and more importantly no cubicles. Everyone here was treated in the same manner.
University time – Easy Peasy:
It’s A Dream Of Everyone To Have A Settled Life. Work, Travel, Holiday, Family Time And Some Bank Balance. An Equilibrium Should Always Be Maintained Among These Things Otherwise Life Gets Rough. And The Process To Attain This Equilibrium Starts From Your University Time.
University is that stage in a students life from where he can mould his career. Just coming from school, you are unaware of the market, industries and technologies evolving.
During school time, you use the products and while in a university, you make the product.
That’s a drastic jump!
“User of a product becomes the creator of the products”
In University, during the first few months, you will start to know about your interests. Once you figure out that, then the journey becomes easy. One should always remember that “It’s the goal that drives a person, the journey can be easy or tough”. My interests rose in the Computer Science field and I started moving in that direction. My ultimate goal was clear, that to make a career in this field and to achieve that I set multiple small goals. I still remember my goals. The first one was solving 50 programming questions in 3 months. Once I achieved that, I raised the limit and the second goal was to solve 100 programming questions in 3 months and participating in 2 coding challenges. And later the goals kept on rising. My suggestion is to keep a realistic goal that requires an extra effort from you and more importantly, be honest towards it. Achieving these goals will keep driving you.
Apart from that, I always tried to make applications. I made around 5-7 applications and when I reached out to customers for feedback, I got negative feedbacks. This way you also get to know about your scope of improvement. Feedbacks are always important and taking it in constructive way is much more important.
When you are done with the University time then you want to seek out a career in that field. It is very easy if you have utilized your University time to the fullest. And CV plays a vital role in it. Your journey of last 3-4 years will be summarized in just two pages so make sure you put no extra content and don’t forget to add your works. Your projects, online challenges are the only way to justify your knowledge. Your CV should speak your story.
Market, Interview and Jobs – The struggle begins :
People often complain about the market, job deficiency, recession etc. but it is not like that. The world always accepts the person who is efficient. Knowledge is the thing that can’t be bought. It can be gained with time. The next most important thing is selection. Always go for the companies that are looking for candidates matching your skills. MBA graduate will definitely get rejected for a software developer’s role.
If you are sure about the selection of the Industry then you just need to prepare for the interview. Interviews are always simple if you know about the company and you are good at your field. Having a good University time will get you through the Technical process. And for any other rounds, you don’t need to possess any extra quality. Honesty is the best friend. And if you are in debate or discussion in the interviewer then keep the conversation light and healthy. Interviews are always about your knowledge, behavior and understanding.
In Interviews, there is always a possibility of rejection. Out of 9, I could pass only through 3 interviews. But don’t forget to take feedback. You should always try to know where you lacked and there is no shame in doing that.
Many people ask me how to crack the interview. The most important thing is your intent. If your intent is of problem-solving then you, even in the moment of Interview, can also find answers. Once you are through the interview then you are in a new phase of life. “Welcome to the professional world”.
After joining the office, I realized that in Computer science field things change rapidly. Keep yourself always updated with the changes coming in your field. Learning and implementing new things always keep you in limelight. It keeps your moral high. I would suggest people read at least one blog article daily. Always try to be an asset. No one wants to have an unwanted liability in the team.
A small note:
You have to put a fight to have a settled happy life. And you need to choose your time wisely. Either you can put a fight during University time and have an easy life later or you can have easy cozy life in university and fight in the professional world. Time is yours so is the choice.
Also see: Job Search advice from Jonas Altman,managing partner at Social Fabric
