LinkedIn- My first favorite always !!
Hello all! I am Meha Shukla, SWE LinkedIn CoachIn Mentee 2022 (Top 60 across India to be selected for cohort 3 of LinkedIn CoachIn) I am also a Generation Google Scholar ‘22, Microsoft Engage Mentee’22 and have multiple SWE internship offers for the summer of 2023. Let's sail into my experience of getting my very first wish fulfilled- Getting into the LinkedIn CoachIn Program.
So if you are someone who’s planning to apply, you are in the perfect place :)
Application Link for the 2023 season:
https://linkedincoachinprogram-season4.splashthat.com/
[1] How did I get to know about Coachin?
I got to know about this opportunity through a youtube video in my first year. Since then I had made it a point to try to get into it whenever the application opens.
Eligibility:
- All women engineering students across India pursuing B. Tech/B.E courses specializing in Computer Science/Information Technology with no backlogs, graduating in 2025.
- Required to have a 70% CGPA across two years of engineering degree.
[2] Program Structure
[3] The Application
The Application process is pretty simple and straightforward. Candidates just have to fill out a form wherein they have to submit their basic details and LinkedIn profile.
Common query: Do they shortlist on the basis of LinkedIn profile?
I think no. From what I had experienced last year most of us who had our eligibility criteria met, received the OA link. Still, it's always good to keep your LinkedIn profile up to date for better chances of selection.
[4] Step 1: The online assessment
Date: 13th March 2022
Platform: HackerRank
At our time, people who missed giving 1 OA were given a chance to appear for the other one that happened on the 19th of March 2022.
Format: 3 coding questions + 1 essay type question
->1st OA (OA on 13th)- One map, one hashing, and one dp question was asked as far as I remember.
->2nd OA (OA on 13th)- Linked list, array, and string questions were asked.
The essay question remained the same for both. The question was: “Why do you want to join coachin program?”
[5] Tips for OA
- Practice DSA medium and hard level questions from leetcode (I preferred hacker blocks as I had done a paid course recently at that time)
- Practice writing essays quickly in that short span of time.
- Try to write a personalized essay, related to your personal experience.
What motivated you to choose your stream of study?
What do you lack at your college that you could get through CoachIn?
Your future dreams, and aspirations.
How CoachIn will help you achieve your dream?
[6] Step 2: The telephonic interview
After the OA, those who solved 1.5+ questions in the first oa received a shortlisting mail. I am not sure of the cutoff for the second OA.
After a few days, I got a call from a LinkedIn Recruiter for my telephonic interview which covered questions like-
- Your introduction.
- Why CoachIn?
- How you will manage academics and the program.
- Tech stacks related to your project.
[7] Result time
Soon after, I got a mail that I was selected. All over India, the top 60 women were going to be a part of LinkedIn’s Mentorship program. I was very happy that I was one of them!
[8] The CoachIn Journey
Here’s what I got during the mentorship program.
- 1 personal mentor from LinkedIn, with whom you can connect monthly to discuss your progress.
- Alternate months of mock interviews and Mock OA tests.
- I had 2 mock interviews with actual LinkedIn Seniors and 2 online assessment mocks.
- Monthly sessions with class assignments on DSA.
- Also, LinkedIn Branded Goodies 🤩
My performance in the first interview and OA wasn't up to the mark which made me feel very low at first. But as they say, “ harna aur har man jana dono alag vidhay hote hai”.
I practiced really hard after this first feedback and was able to ace my mocks later, and final interviews too in the long run. Hence, I urge you to participate in this program.
[9] The SWE Internship opportunity
- All of us CoachIn mentees got to give the oa.
- The ones who solved 3/3 questions were called for interviews.
- 2 interviews were held.
- Approximately 5 to 6 people were selected for the internship. (the number may be wrong as I do not know the exact count).
The interview went very well and I bagged my first internship offer 🤩🤩PS: Let me know if you want me to write a blog covering the SWE Interview experience in detail.
That's all from my side, CoachIn played a very important role in whatever I’ve achieved today. I'll encourage everyone eligible to give it a try.
In case of any doubts, feel free to reach out to me through any of my socials. My LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter are hyperlinked. If this blog was helpful, hit the clap button below and follow Codess.Cafe for more such articles!
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