FORESIGHT(2023): Summer Internship at Glean| Aryan Singh|
Brief Introduction
As a final year dual degree student from the department of Computer Science and Engineering, IIT KGP, I have always been passionate about software development and problem-solving. Therefore, I was thrilled to learn about the SWE intern role at Glean, a growing company that offers many new challenges in the field of software development. In this blog, I will share my experience of getting selected for the SWE intern role at Glean and provide some tips for aspiring students who are looking for internships in this field.
How did I get into Glean? What was the selection procedure?
I got an internship at Glean through an on-campus drive. They were one of the Day-1 companies, and the selection process involved a CV shortlisting followed by two technical interview rounds. The interviews mainly focused on testing my problem-solving skills and involved questions about data structures and algorithms.
How did I prepare for the interviews?
To prepare for the interviews, I focused on improving my problem-solving skills by practicing on Interview Bit and LeetCode. However, I was not aware of the interview pattern for the SWE intern role at Glean, so I started watching mock interviews of Google, Meta, and other companies to learn how to structure my answers and handle follow-up questions.
What difficulties did I face while preparing, and how did I overcome them?
One of the difficulties I faced while preparing for this profile was the lack of knowledge about the interview pattern. However, by watching mock interviews, I was able to overcome this problem and gain a better understanding of what to expect in the interviews.
Who should ideally apply for this job?
In my opinion, students who are passionate about solving real-world problems through software development and have strong problem-solving skills would be ideal candidates for the SWE intern role at Glean. As a growing company that has built its first iteration of the product, Glean offers many new challenges, such as scalability, efficiency, and harnessing large language models (LLMs) to solve enterprise-level problems. Therefore, individuals who enjoy solving complex problems and want to gain experience in a fast-paced startup environment would be an ideal fit for this role.
Any specific advice you want to give to the junta sitting for internships this year?
If you are starting from scratch, I would strongly recommend mastering the Standard Template Library (STL), watching videos, and practicing on Interview Bit and LeetCode. I would suggest avoiding contests for now and focusing on solving more questions on these websites. Once you have attained adequate knowledge, you will be in a good position for interviews. In the meantime, you should also brush up on your Object-Oriented Programming (OOPs), Operating Systems (OS), and Networks courses.
What are some of the major points you think would be valid to mention in your CV while targeting this profile?
While targeting the SWE intern profile at Glean, it is better to have a good full-stack project in your CV as it allows interviewers to ask many theoretical questions. For example, they can ask about the ACID properties of databases, the four pillars of OOPs, or why you used Flask instead of Django or MySQL instead of MongoDB. It is advisable to give sufficient time and importance to the projects that you mention on your CV. Therefore, I would suggest highlighting any relevant projects or experiences you have had in the software development domain and clearly mentioning the technologies and tools you have used. Additionally, it would be beneficial to mention any relevant coursework or certifications you have completed in the field of computer science.
In conclusion, I would like to wish all aspiring students the best of luck in their pursuit of internships and careers in the field of software development. I would like to thank my parents, God, and the Career Development Cell (CDC) for the internship that I got.
