The Linnify intern program gives university students a chance to find out how their studies can be put to practical use in an industry setting. Working under the guidance of mentors, interns at Linnify became part of a team and were assigned parts of a project that fit within the 6 weeks of their internship.
Over 400 aspiring candidates took our interview, so we had the difficult task of picking out a select few for the summer 2019 program. The candidates were welcomed to the Linnify family, developed an innovative project working closely with their teams and also took part in fun events and activities.
During the first week, the interns participated in common pieces of training, being split into three teams: front-end development, back-end development, and mobile development. They were given issues, design mockups, resources, and had access to actual project management tools — just like in product development.
Although working in different teams based on their assigned technologies, all of the interns focused on the same project — developing and perfecting a single final product.
We left nothing to chance, so in order to reward our interns we developed our custom card game — that shares the name of the internship program: A Linnify Space Odyssey. Interns were rewarded cards as achievement tokens, cards that enabled them to build a deck they would use at the end of the internship to play one final match of the card game.
Better yet, we wanted the game to be enjoyed even after the internship, so we made sure the game could be played with the individual decks, at home, by each and every one of the interns.
In one of the last few weeks of the internship, we went out to Băișoara for a three-day team-building weekend. Split into three teams, we took part in activities and challenges that got us closer than ever, and took friendships past office hours.
We interviewed a few of this year’s interns to find out about their experience and what they learned during their time here.
Bogdan Dobai, Mobile Development Team
What’s your background?
I study Informatics at Babes-Bolyai University, in my final year.
Why did you choose Linnify for your internship?
I chose to do my summer internship at Linnify because of the options and openness regarding new technologies. I wanted to learn something that I think is ready for the future, and I found Linnify to be the right place for that.
What were some highlights from your internship?
I loved the interaction with the team and bonding activities, including those outside of the office, such as the team building. It helped us interns grow together with the teams, and enabled us to feel at home. I found the demos to be quite stressful at first, as it was a new experience for me to showcase my work and the team’s effort in front of others, and wondering what the mentors think about the demo kept me on my toes right until the demo ended.
Alexandra Moldovan, Front-end Development Team
What’s your background?
I finished a math-science profile highschool, and now I am a student at the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, studying Computer Science, in fourth year.
Why did you come to Linnify for your internship?
I usually go by trusting my instincts. By the time I got to the interview, I felt like I was at home already. I knew that the team was different, and that it’s not just about being serious and work-oriented, but also determined to help us understand and learn as much as possible. That impressed me, and made it clear to me why I belong here; even the slogan says it “simplifying life through innovation” — and I love that idea.
What was the most difficult part of your internship?
During the demos I was really nervous to speak about the app and our work. I felt that especially at the final demo. Sometimes I had moments when I would get stuck, but I would look around at the others in the team and I would be inspired about how determined everyone was. It’s not just about coming to work, coding and then heading home. It’s a place that makes you feel like there is more to it than just working. Everyone is attentive to their teammates and that means a lot.
Radu Molnar, Back-end Development Team
What’s your background?
I went to a math-informatics profile highschool. I now study Informatics at the Babes-Bolyai University, in third year.
Why did you choose to come to Linnify for your summer internship?
I loved the problem-solving approach for the interview test — I found it to be challenging but friendly. The mentors who took the interview were great, and really interested to see how we think and how we see things, rather than just asking a bunch of questions. I always set my expectations to be as low as possible, and I was surprised by the atmosphere I was welcomed to.
What did you like the most about working in the backend team?
I especially liked the communication and constant team effort. Even if we were backend and sometimes things were more complicated than it seemed at first, we helped each other overcome issues through communication and interaction. I didn’t just learn how to work in a team, but also how to understand other’s ideas since not everyone sees things the same way. I found it crucial to learn how to see things from someone else’s perspective, not just your own.
Lastly, what advice would you give to future interns who might be hesitant to apply to a future internship?
Just do it! Because we made the recruitment app. I’m kidding. You might be hesitant at first, and you might not expect things to go smoothly, but they will. I never expected to be at the office until 10pm working, and actually not wanting to leave — or just spending time at the office playing board games with my colleagues. All in all, it’s an experience that will surprise you and develop you in many more ways than just professionally.
This year’s internship was amazing, and so are all our interns. We’re happy to be able to work with and be inspired by youthful, innovative minds. We can’t wait to see what the future looks like — but we’re certain it will be incredible.
