FORESIGHT(2023): Summer Internship at Amex| Sneha Kharya|
1) Brief Introduction
Hello, My name is Sneha Kharya. I am a fourth year undergraduate student from the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences enrolled in its integrated Masters of Science course of Economics. I am from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. I got selected in American Express through the CDC internship drive. Previously, I had worked as an Analytics Intern at Godrej Capital Limited Mumbai, and as Research Intern at the University of Newcastle. Apart from academics, I have held the POR of Head of Finance at Quant Club, IIT Kharagpur and General Secretary Sports at Sister Nivedita Hall of Residence.
2) How did you get into Amex? What was the selection procedure?
The selection procedure consists of three steps: an online test, a technical interview, and another interview with both technical and HR questions.
- Test: It had three sections. The first section was compulsory and you can attempt either or both of the remaining sections:
- Mathematics: This section consists of questions based on mathematics and probability. You should have enough practice to solve the questions to complete them on time.
- Machine Learning: Some basic ML questions are asked.
- Case study: I didn’t attempt this section so won’t be able to provide information on this.
- Technical Interview: This round consisted of CV grilling. I was asked to describe one of the ML projects in my CV. The interview was focused on how I approached the problem at different stages and I was asked to compare different models and different evaluation metrics for my project.
- Tech + HR Round: This round started with discussion about my project at Godrej Capital. Then it moved on to some HR questions and some questions related to feature selection and EDA for fraudulent transactions in credit cards.
3) How to prepare for them?
It is essential that you are thorough with Prob Stats and have a habit of solving puzzles. I had solved Heard on the Street and 50 challenging problems on Probability to prepare for the puzzles and had gone through the Prob Stats course that I had as my depth in second year.
For ML part after learning the concepts you can go through various online resources like InterviewBit to practice ML questions.
Apart from that you should be thorough with your CV and know every project in detail. For the HR interview, do go through the culture of AMEX and the different credit card offerings they provide.
4) According to you, who should ideally apply for this job?
Anyone with interest in analytics can apply. Interest in finance is a plus.
5) Any specific advice you want to give to the junta sitting for internships this year.
Be consistent with your prep and plan your day beforehand. If you are preparing for multiple profiles and are confused between a few profiles try to find the profile you are better and focus more on that. It always helps if you are preparing with your friends as it keeps you motivated and you can help each other in case of doubts. Do take fundae from seniors who have prepared for similar profiles. Maintain a healthy routine, spend some time for recreation and do keep check on your friends as well. The CDC process can be challenging and demotivating, but ensure that you prepare diligently and give it your all. Even if you don’t succeed in the CDC, there are numerous off-campus opportunities that may be even more promising. Machake Junta!
6) What are some of the major points you think would be valid to mention in your CV while targeting this profile?(any specific suggestions you would like to make?)
Major points to mention in your CV:
- Prior internships/projects related to Data Science
- Programming skills and ML related coursework
- Rank in Competitions/Hackathons helps to portray your skills and teamwork
- Background in finance through courses/project is a plus
