Hello Everyone,
I’m Madhav Gupta, a fourth-year Electrical Engineering Dual Degree student (CSP) at IITB. I am pursuing a minor in CMinds as well. During my 2nd and 3rd years, I was part of IITB Racing Driverless. I enjoy playing badminton and Table Tennis. This summer, I had the chance to intern with Hilti Technology Solutions India (HTSI) as a software development intern. Join me as I share my experiences and insights from navigating the internship.
From FSAI to Tech Prep: My Pre-Internship Juggle
Before diving into the internship season, we were gearing up to compete in FSAI 2023 as a part of the IITB Racing Team at the Silverstone Circuit in the U.K. With the resume deadline looming, I was caught between prepping for this high-octane competition and verifying pointers for my resume. Time was tight, and DSA preparation took a backseat. Once we returned to India and the internship frenzy kicked off, I shifted gears to focus on DSA, targeting software and analytics roles for my next move.
The Internship Hunt:
Being a dual degree student had its own set of challenges. With many companies not open to us and my lack of enthusiasm for electrical core, things were already a bit tricky. I was hoping for some good news in the first week, but my DSA practice was lacking, and the competition was fierce. Microsoft had a Data Science role, but, as expected, it wasn’t available for dual-degree students.
On the bright side, ITC was open to dual-degree students. I applied, and got shortlisted for the Group Discussion, but didn’t make it to the final interviews. Tough luck! 😔 Despite my AI/ML projects and keen interest in the field, the few companies in that area weren’t open to us dual-degree folks.
With a hectic semester of three labs and constant tests, the internship season was starting to feel pretty grim. After 20 days into the season, I was feeling pretty down. Wells Fargo’s analytics role was my last hope for a dual degree slot, but when the shortlist didn’t come through, I was crushed.
Before Hilti came along, I had also been shortlisted by Texas and Eversana Consulting. Unfortunately, my interviews didn’t go well because I wasn’t prepared for core and consulting roles. I then applied to Hilti, and their test, which I took at 1 AM (yeah, late night crunch time!), felt like a beast—two hours long with aptitude questions, 1-2 coding problems, and computer science fundamental MCQS. I’d never heard of Hilti before, so I did some quick research and reached out to seniors for advice, brushing up on DSA and OOPS.
The interview was scheduled for 2 PM the next day, just as I had a lab mid-semester exam at 2:30 PM. The first round covered my resume, probability, some basic OOPS concepts, puzzles and a DSA problem. I had to explain my approach with some help from the interviewer and didn’t finish the coding part, but they seemed satisfied with my thought process. The final HR round was a mere formality.
When the results came in and I saw I had secured the internship, I was over the moon! It felt like all the stress and hard work had finally paid off. Summer sorted CraxxMachaxx ! 😂😎
The Intern itself!
After googling, I found out that Hilti is all about smart tools, cutting-edge technologies, and software solutions in the construction world. 🎯 I was set for a two-month offline internship in Pune, and before it officially kicked off, all the interns were given a two-day stay in a hotel. Those days were a blast—full of fun and bonding with fellow interns. 🏨🎉
On the first day, we got to attend some amazing leader connect sessions with Hilti’s global leaders. Interacting with them and listening to their journeys gave us invaluable learnings. It was eye-opening to see how individual work can impact the entire business. I was alongside interns from IIT-B, IIT-BHU, VNIT, COEP, and VJTI, and we all jumped into exciting projects. I was tasked with developing export features for the Channel Calculator app and creating automation scripts for Hilti’s major software platform. 🚀
This was my first experience with full-stack development, so I spent the first few weeks learning JavaScript, Angular, and C#. I even built an employee management system as a hands-on exercise before jumping into an actual project.💻📚 Fortunately, the workload was pretty chill, and the work-life balance was spot on. We had team parties after each release, and I organized a foosball tournament for the Hilti Pune team as well. ⚽🏆 We also had weekly football games at a nearby turf, which was a great way to unwind after work.
The company culture at Hilti was fantastic—everyone, from buddies to delivery managers, was super approachable. This supportive environment really helps people stay long-term, as I noticed with many employees. 🤝 I had the chance to chat with experienced stakeholders and recent hires, getting a behind-the-scenes look at how software teams operate and what career paths might look like. 🚀
Hilti also set up masterclasses with developers, product owners, QA specialists, and delivery managers, offering insights into their roles and the overall workings of the company. My mentors were incredibly helpful, giving me plenty of time to get up to speed with development and automation testing. 👨💻👩💻
Living in Pune was an adventure on its own—figuring out PG accommodation, food, and travel in a new city was a learning in itself. The pleasant weather made exploring easy, and we visited amazing spots like Sinhagad Fort, Devkund Waterfalls, and even went camping. 🏕️🌄 Overall, these two months were packed with learning, fun, and great experiences. I had a blast and made some fantastic memories with my fellow interns and the Hilti team. 🌟🎉
The Final Word: Stay Calm
Wrapping up, I’m incredibly thankful to everyone who’s had my back during this internship prep journey and throughout the internship itself. Like many students, I faced a lot of confusion about what would be the best fit for me. Rejections are part of the process, but staying strong, calm, and giving it your all is key. Landing a great internship isn’t the finish line—there’s so much more to learn along the way.
Talk to seniors, clear up any doubts, and make the most of your resources. And remember, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, but there are plenty of options out there. Just focus on finding what suits you best, put in your best effort, and things will fall into place.
To truly maximize your internship experience, connect with as many people as possible across the company in diverse domains and build meaningful connections. Don’t just focus on your project; approach it with a broader business perspective. Rest assured, your project will get completed 😊. Reach out and ask for help whenever you need it. These two months are a golden opportunity to gain invaluable exposure to the corporate world and set yourself up for a successful career. 🚀
Wishing you the best for the internship season! If you have any questions or just want to chat, feel free to reach out.
Cheers!
