Siemens

Basic Information

Name Monika Khond
Curriculum: Dual Degree- Electronic Systems(Specialization)
Year of Study: 4th
Company/University of Internship: Siemens Technology and Services, Bangalore
Year of Internship (eg. '23 Summers, '22 Winters):‘24 Summers
Mode of Internship (Online/Offline/Hybrid):Offline
Duration of Internship: 2 Months

Getting into the Internship:

What specific domain or field did you target to get an internship in?

I targeted internships in the EE domain (Analog/Digital) by starting cold emailing from March 2024. However, I was also quite interested in AI/ML, having worked on some course projects. So, I was flexible to both.

What resources did you utilize to prepare for the tests/interviews?

–The selection process included a cognitive test that was relatively easy, comprising mental ability and mathematical questions without any coding. I didn’t specifically prepare for this test. –Since the interview was going to be based on my resume, I went through each and every detail on it to ensure I could confidently discuss all my experiences and skills. (Apart from the profile, interviews generally ask questions based on your resume points to judge if you know what you have written. I went blank in my first interview due to this). So, I made sure to seek input from my teammates, seniors, and friends to refresh on the projects. Take inputs from as many people as you can I would suggest. –Apart from the technicalities, I prepared for HR questions and the introduction part (as the first 2-3 mins will decide the mindset of the interviewer based on your intro). Feel free to contact me in case you need to know more on this :)

Can you elaborate on your interview and the type of questions which were asked?

Screening – Basic questions were asked over a call by the HR like grades of class 10th and 12th, cpi, interests, availability. A kind of background check.
Interview - After 4 days the team lead and the manager took my interview. As I had applied and prepared for core domain only, I was expecting questions on the same. But to my surprise they started asking me questions about AI/ML (as I had mentioned 3-4 ML projects in my resume). Those questions included –basic understanding and the problem statement of the project –architecture of the AI models used –its implementation in the project –workflow –what was my role in the team –challenges i faced during the project –some basic questions on CAD design (i don’t remember) –strengths and weaknesses –how will you proceed if a completely new task is given to you –some HR questions

Were there any significant roadblocks or challenges that you encountered during the internship application and selection process? If so, how did you navigate or overcome them?

–First was during hunting for HRs via linkedin. Then getting constant rejections that too in middle of my endsem, having a constant peer pressure and the EDL lab in between that, lastly being restless for the interview result as it was already 15th of may. Most of my friends had already started their work at that time. –Be calm, don’t lose hope if you get rejections, keep applying continuously, most importantly - start early (if you are in DD and you are struggling with your cpi). –Be ready with Plan B – self projects, online univ interns, projects under prof’s guidance, etc.

How did you handle any rejections that you faced (If any) during the internship applicationprocess?

If you mail 500 people, only 20 will reply and from that only 5 would be positive replies (a general scenario). Various companies have various reasons of rejection – Some don’t want a dd guy, while some only want a dd person Some want a Mtech guy, while other wants MS guy Some likes to offer 6 months intern only, while some has 3 months Its little tough for for a DD student to get 2 months intern (my personal experiance) So, don’t panic, have faith in your capabilities and just keep applying, keep reaching out to people, seniors, profs, etc. Do this simultaneously, so that you wont end up losing time and opportunities.

During the internship:

What was your specific profile or project topic during the internship?

During my internship as an AI Engineer, I was responsible for fine-tuning large language models (LLMs) and conducting data analysis. The main objective was to research the best multimodal model and fine-tune it on the company’s data. This involved exploring various multimodal models, evaluating their performance, and adapting the chosen model to meet industrial requirements. I worked on the project that was going to be implemented after 4 years in the industry

How would you describe your overall experience as an intern?

I would rate Siemens 10/10, a German company known for its work-life balance, one of the only companies that provides food and travel for free for interns with a decent stipend. It has electronics, mechanical, mechatronics, IT, software, RnD, automation, every other department in a single building. It’s fun to explore them. Intern role was 8/10, not having a background in coding made it a bit challenging for me. The only thing I hated was the location, it is situated in the outskirts of the city, prone to power and water outages, so you will get bored most of the time. Motivation – peaceful weather of Bangalore :)

Could you provide insights into the organizational culture of the company/university and what your peers were like?

Helpful colleagues, no deadline pressure, cheerful environment. You will find peers from almost all of the IITs here. Nice culture, nice people. I had a great time at Siemens, Bangalore office.

Were there any networking opportunities or professional connections that you established during the internship?

No, not at all

After the Internship:

Yes, I would strongly recommend Siemens as well as the team I worked in. Interns are assigned a completely new project, so it was a good learning opportunity for me to research and implement everything from scratch (without having a fear of judgment). Work timings are flexible, you can come and go whenever you like, you can work offline/online as per your convenience, managers will just check the progress of your work timely, that’s it.