Do you know what trainees at Google, Microsoft and Uber will be?

Each company has its own culture, traditions, policies and remuneration mechanisms for its trainees. Therefore, during the internship, each person will also have very different feelings.

Below are the share from trainees who have worked in Googe, Intel, Uber, Microsoft and some other leading technology companies. For privacy reasons, the identity of the interviewees in this article has been changed.

1. Uber

Location: Interns in strategy.

Graduated from: Computer software, Private University.

Interview process:

John accesses Uber's recruitment website and submits an online application to the strategic internship when he sees information about the program.

After going through the record, he went through a phone interview with two managers for several hours with the challenge of describing how to lead a Team in a hypothetical situation.

Before applying to Uber, John used to participate in many other trainee programs and also tried to run his first startup."I think Uber is mainly looking for dynamic people, willing to work hard and independent in every aspect of life , " John said. People who "will own" and not those who only go to the company, time attendance, work and then, go home.

The practice:

John says that at Uber, from CEO to staff - all are aware of the strong cultural values ​​of the company.

"I've always seen TK - Travis Kalanick, our CEO - walk through the staff office and be at every meeting. He wants to connect with more people even though the company is very wide."

John shares, he and his colleagues are always encouraged to come up with new ideas, challenge themselves about things that can become reality and the best idea will win, regardless of whether it comes from an internship. born or a person with a high position in the company.

John admits that there are quite a number of good tech companies to work with but he really likes to challenge himself at Uber because he is trusted to take on projects . As a strategic array intern, John often associates with other colleagues currently working at Uber offices around the world through conference calls (most recently called Conference calls) and most recently to Brazil to join the company's series of events in the Olympic Games. In addition, John is also involved in the study of supply chain management strategies.

Working hours: John says Uber trainees are encouraged to work 40 to 50 hours per week. As for John, he always tries to be at the office for about 40 hours and is willing to stay later if the task is not completed.

Full internship program: Uber provides breakfast, lunch and dinner for trainees. Depending on the working group, students are also supported a salary to rent and travel costs (travel by Uber car) if they need to move.

Although Uber is constantly expanding its operations around the world, Uber retains the same nuance as a startup, because when the company reaches the globe, there will be many new challenges to be overcome in each country. and a new culture.

2. Microsoft

Role: Practice product management

Graduated: Computer Science, Ivy League (Ivy League).

Application process

Adam is a second-year Ivy League student and an excellent intern in software engineering at a major Silicon Valley startup the previous year. From the accumulated experiences and the help of a friend who worked at Microsoft, he was invited to interview at the technology company and underwent a rigorous review process with two consecutive rounds. At the same time, two consecutive days had to fly from Boston to Seattle to attend the interview.

Share with Business Insider, Adam said, "The main way to help you participate in this type of trainee program is by personal relationship. Otherwise, your profile will be crushed. because many other CVs and opportunities to be noticed are very low. "

Adam shared, although there are many writing skills, the employer does not seek people with a lot of knowledge for product management positions. They want a person with leadership skills and a deeper understanding of technology.

The practice

Adam's role is to manage the product, which means creating a link between the business and the software segment. In this role, although technical knowledge is not really necessary, sometimes it is quite useful.

After a process of work and contact with the product, Adam has identified a few "user discomforts", then, deciding what type of product or alternative can help solve problems. It's the simplest and most economical.

In comparison to startup who worked last summer, Adam admitted that Microsoft made him feel more like a member of an organization.

"Most people have their own offices, do not need to travel much or move from room to room, and have plenty of quiet and focused time . " However, Microsoft also has plenty of open space and nice facilities compared to other startups.

Working hours: Adam emphasized that Microsoft in Seattle - far from Silicon Valley - when the company promotes balance both at work and in life. "If you stay at the office at 5 o'clock, people will ask questions like" what are you doing, go home ".

As for Adam, he maintains a strict schedule from 9am to 5pm and avoids taking home.

Overall program: The internship program at Microsoft is quite well organized so students do not have much free time. Most will live together at the group's "public house" in the University of Washington dormitory, participate in a variety of corporate events, including walking to Mount Rainier or collecting garbage in areas of state.

Microsoft also offers trainees a sum of money to travel and use Uber rental cars or services.

Adam appreciated the training process and the feedback he received. Each intern will have a support advisor outside of the main managers. In addition, Microsoft often organizes events with speakers or talks with the company's executive board to allow trainees to attend.

Adam said "professionals are everywhere. Most of them are the world's leading developers, designers, people are right next to you and your task is to try to comprehend everything. That knowledge, while interpreting them ".

"In big companies, organization is really good, which is something I always tell my friends who are studying in the first year at universities. I think they should attend internship programs. born in big companies first because they will help you build discipline and a clear career development path in terms of mentoring, education, training and things like that. You are almost always busy with product construction. "

3. Khan Academy (Khan Academy)

Role: Interns in software engineering.

Graduated: Computer Science, Ivy League (Ivy League)

The practice

First, Sam met with the Khan Institute recruiter at the Ivy League and expressed his interest in the application of technology in education.

To filter applications, Khan Academy organized a challenging "hurdle race" for potential software engineering interns before entering the interview round, namely Each person will have a private space and in a few days to create a project of their own.

Sam applied online and was asked to build a website to improve one of the Academy's courses. After passing this round, he must go through at least 3 more interviews with lots of challenges in terms of knowledge and skills given by the recruiter before becoming an official trainee.

"They want to know how you write code, how you do the algorithms . how you express what you're thinking , " Sam said.

Sam shared that the interviews related to his project took place for a long time because they wanted to ensure that candidates were recruited and committed.

The practice

As a software engineer, Sam has completed a lot of assigned projects. Even when Khan Academy grew up, he said that the company felt like a startup with designed offices with open spaces, pingpong table play areas or snack bars.

"Khan Academy is a company that always develops their mission as a non-profit organization . " Sam said. "People are very passionate about this mission. Every day, they are thinking about how to improve education."

Working hours: Sam emphasizes that the mission-oriented attitude at Khan Academy has seeped into the organization's culture. Despite being a not-for-profit startup, people here share the same spirit of "playing hard, working hard" like other big startups in Silicon Valley. Most people work from 9am to 5pm but Adam says that those who work in the office more than 10 hours a day or work on weekends will be rewarded.

"Did you know that if you work at Khan Academy it will become your life."

Overall program: Khan Academy will pay for travel expenses and rent for trainees.

As still a startup, compared to other large technology companies, Khan Academy has not yet built a perfect trainee program. Supporting counselors for each person is a big requirement.

In fact, Sam also has an advisor but this person is only 23 years old and has just graduated from school for over a year, so he has not really supported well for his subordinates.

4. Intuit

Role: Interns in software engineers

Graduated from: Computer software, Private University.

The practice

Max applied to Intuit after talking to an employer at the school's job fair. He had to go through two professional interviews, a few phone interviews before becoming a real trainee.

Max stressed that an excellent academic outcome is important. However, if the GPA score reaches a certain level (acceptable), the employer will consider your other activities.

The practice

As a software engineering intern, Max says that the biggest challenge that needs to be adjusted is to learn how to work in a group of "subset of subsets" of many other groups. in company.

First, you will feel overwhelmed but you must grasp what is happening in those larger groups. You have to work for something in relation to many other complicated things.

According to Max's experience, becoming a trainee at Intuit requires him to find fondness and build a practical knowledge base.There are many things out of school that you need to learn to be able to work with those projects.

Intuit has a unified corporate culture but it can vary greatly depending on the building, office and team.

The working environment is always friendly, especially CEO Brad Smith is always ready to go down to the dining room and relax with staff. At the same time, for the interns like Max, there is no discrimination.

Working hours: Very flexible.

Program overview : Intuit pays a rental fee for Max and three other trainees have to take a 30-minute taxi from the company's San Jose residential area to the office in Mountain View.

Interns are more or less treated like full-time employees, both have internal advisors and everyone is willing to help new employees. Intuit also strives to help trainees learn more about what they are doing and meeting people through circles, including workshops and listening to presentations.

5. Google

Role: Interns in software engineering.

Graduated from: Computer Science, Private University.

Application process

In his second year of college, Aaron began writing code primarily in specialized languages ​​like Haskell and Clojure. Because of this, he managed to get through two Google interview calls, and successfully conquered the Google Docs test.

The practice

When he came to the office in the morning, he often had breakfast with some other trainees before officially working. When the whole team enters the office, each member will be given a minute to stand up and update the situation on the progress of the work. For the rest of the time, each person will write code, ask questions and interact with other engineers in the group.

Since working at Google, Aaron has found that he has improved how to read code written by other engineers and understand the larger designs, and visualize when they will be written. He emphasized that this skill is very important to the current job because writing code in a pre-established framework - everything is regulated - is completely different from writing code at school - where Students can build something from empty hands.

Working hours: Aaron usually comes to the company about 9am and stays in the office until near dinner time. After that, he will go eat with his colleagues at one of Google's cafés or with friends in the city.

Program overview: Regular learning is a common concern at Google. In addition, the two most essential aspects of success in the internship process at this company are to "ask for help and cooperate with colleagues to get the best performance".

In the first phase of the internship program, Google provides a lot of tools to help engineers "collaborate better, read and understand code more easily" so in the end, they can complete the task. service.

On every Monday, Aaron was able to meet a lot of longtime engineers at Google and had the opportunity to talk and ask them questions about everything.

In addition to resources and mentoring, Google's New York offices also have a lot of scooter vehicles on each floor. So, you can see many groups walking together on these cars through the big hall. This is a very effective way to move in such a large building.

6. Intel

Role: Interns in software and system engineering.

Graduated: Engineering, Ivy League engineering.

Application process

After learning about the internship program through a classmate, Kevin immediately applied and received a phone interview request. In a conversation with two managers, he introduced himself as well as his own interest in the technology of producing wearable devices.

"I think I personally have expressed my concern and curiosity about how this whole system works."

The practice

In his first year of college, Kevin had a solid knowledge base in machine and software manufacturing, so becoming an excellent intern at Intel was not difficult.

In the process, Kevin was also collaborating with an experienced designer to consider the technological aspects of the product as well as its practical designs and functions."I'm really excited right from the start , " Kevin said. He had the opportunity to participate in the product demo that previously contributed to the development.

Working hours: Usually, Kevin will work about 40 hours / week, from 8 am to about 5 pm, with about 30 minutes of rest for lunch and billiards. He only works overtime when he wants to finish the project at the company without having to take it home to continue.

Overall program: Although there are many other trainees outside Kevin working in an office but the company culture is still maintained.

Most managers and staff are very friendly and open as if they are willing to rush to play billiards with trainees."[Not all trainees] are good at everything, we are always encouraged to show what we know or what we find."

If Kevin did not know the programming language, he would take the time after work to learn it on his own but also ask for help from managers, trainees and other colleagues who are always ready to help when you need.

"It's strange that they are just ready to help us while still being able to focus on their projects."

7. Dell

Location: Interns in software engineering.

Graduated from: Computer software, Private University.

Application process

Spencer met in charge of Dell's recruitment department in a school job fair. The employer was very pleased with his profile, so he made an appointment with him the next day. During the interview, Spencer was asked about the extracurricular activities he attended and he took this opportunity to express his concern for virtual reality technology.

"He looked at me as if to say" we don't have any virtual reality related activities ", but [I think] he could mention a kind of passion that I have and he thinks it's a very valuable thing, " Spencer said.

Two weeks later, Spencer received an interview with four other candidates and finally, he was chosen.

The practice

Although Dell is a big tech company, the location of Spencer is re-practiced in Dell's offices in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and, of course, it can't be compared to other great offices you've ever heard of. in Silicon Valley.

The first days at Dell with Spencer were like many new students going for another internship. He also has to do daily tasks and regularly update information on the system so that managers can follow up.

Spencer said that working with people sitting far apart is the biggest challenge. At the office, he could not sit next to any colleague. Moreover, since his team is scattered in offices in New Hampshire, Texas and California, most of them exchange jobs through Microsoft Link or HipChat.

Working hours: The working environment is quite flexible. Formal trainees and employees are the same, may come early or late at will as long as the job is done.

Program overview: Spencer says he appreciates the way managers at Dell treat trainees.

"I feel they treat you not only as an official Dell employee but also as a future engineer."

He also has regular meetings with both personal adviser and manager. They can ask questions about the internship process and give him useful advice.

Outside of work, most of the staff here are willing to answer questions that trainees cannot answer, however, Spencer says that all newcomers must be skillful when asking for help.

Dell is also very attentive in organizing events for trainees and as a result, he has the opportunity to get to know 17 other trainees and establish strong relationships to support each other at work. .