ICE Intern Talk — Reliance Industries Limited

I’m Avinash GS, and I had pursued a virtual summer internship at Reliance Industries Limited in the month of July as a Manufacturing Intern. I’d like to share my experience of working with RIL and also answer some FAQs related to the internship.

1. Give us a few details about the company.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is a multifaceted Indian company, engaged in production of energy, petrochemicals, textiles on one side and telecommunications and retail on the other consumer-oriented side. It has several plants and tech parks located throughout the country.

With our specialization in instrumentation and control, we work in the maintenance and engineering departments of the industries, starting off with on-field equipment maintenance as trainees and growing to the position of lead instrument engineers of sub-plants inside the industries as senior employees and beyond.

2. Tell us about your official job title at the company.

I was a Manufacturing intern at site C2 of the Jamnagar plant.

3. Could you describe yourself in a few words?

I’m a rather selective individual and emphasize a lot only on subjects or areas of study which stand out to me the most. This preferential bias bled into instrumentation and application of sensor technologies in industries and I developed a keen interest in the same.

Academics aside, I love reading, writing and food-hopping.

4. How often does the company visit our campus? What’s the selection criteria for candidates? What location of work do they offer?

RIL has higher chances of visiting NIT Trichy every year to recruit for both Internship from 3rd years and Full Time Employment (as Graduate Engineering Trainees/GETs) from 4th years. It’s one of the most consistent and best companies to intern under for the branch of Instrumentation and Control Engineering(ICE) in its core portfolio.

Posting is dependent on the project, and the batch of 2020 had the liberty of choosing projects. The sites could be one of Jamnagar, Hazira, Patalganga, Nagothane, Vadodara, Dahej and Navi Mumbai. RIL provides accommodation at these sites for the duration of the internship along with a stipend of good amount.

However, due to the intern being virtual this year (for the batch of 2021), we were directly allotted the projects and the sites by the company.

5. What were the steps taken by you to prepare for the intern selection process? What topics did you prepare?

The senior students of ICE department, NIT Trichy were of immense help in the preparation for the process. In the online test, aptitude is of a higher priority than the core subjects, it serves as a filter for selection to further rounds. As per various recommendations, I practiced a lot from Indiabix website for the same. It had tens of sections of each part of aptitude with hundreds of problems, which served as an exhaustive testing medium.

Coming to the core subjects, I mainly focused on Sensors and Transducers (ST, for transducer basics, types and formulae), Industrial Instrumentation (II, for various types of sensors/measuring arrangements used in industries) and Instrumentation Practices in Industries (IPI, for details on instrument calibration). Circuit Theory, Control Systems and Analog Signal Processing received a glance as well, though I didn’t pay much heed to those topics since I’m not particularly good at them. But, I’ll reiterate that aptitude should demand more of your prep time than for core subjects.

As for the interview, I spent more time on IPI and II. Calibration of instruments turned out to be a crucial topic, since I was asked a bunch of questions on the same during the interview. Basics of Programmable Logic Controllers, Digital Control Systems, control valves and types of controllers (P, PD, PID, cascade, ratio etc.) also need to be looked into. These topics required external study and Instrumentation Tools is a great website to study those topics. Students can also refer to the google drive link here to check the other materials I referred to.

6. How was the overall process from application till the interview?

It wasn’t too nerve-wracking, I’d say. There definitely will be competition, given the scarce number of opportunities. The aptitude and core sections of the Online Test (OT) are individually timed, but the questions themselves aren’t. If I recall correctly, there were about 25 aptitude questions and 50 core questions. The latter, though seemingly intimidating, turned out to be easier and got answered quickly.

The interview shortlist was put out, and we had around 10 days(varies) cumulatively to prepare for it. Time slots were given based on the department and the student. The interview itself went about without a fuss with an air of seriousness — a plant manager was at the helm asking questions about the subjects and resume. The interview was taken virtually. We were expected to know the projects mentioned in the resume inside and out. A confident hold on that and core topics, and one can sail through the interview.

7. How was your experience working at the company?

The internship almost always involves on-field work and hence the postings are at the plants; however, due to the circumstances prevalent this year, RIL had switched to a virtual mode though with a reduced span of 4 weeks, during the month of July. Everyone had been partnered with a co-intern from different colleges for their study projects. My team was tasked with the study of extruders, the operation, its control system architecture and faults during operation to suggest ways to overcome those issues and increase performance.

Our mentor proved invaluable to the study period since these equipment are largely company specific, and only a general idea of the process could be obtained from the internet. Regular meetings were held to cover different topics, followed by a brief doubt clearing session. We had a mid-term review two weeks into the intern, along with a couple of virtual engagement activities in the form of webinars hosted by the top brass and quizzes. The atmosphere was calm and not stressful — we were encouraged to explore after being guided through the basics and we set our own deadlines. Understanding and division of work between the team members is again critical for the progression of the intern. We also had been provided with a buddy to help lay the foundation of the intern and introduce us to the company.

All in all, it was a healthy and nurturing experience.

8. How to convert a Pre-Placement Offer(PPO) from the company?

Constant communication with the mentor and other staff is a huge green flag which indicates the intern’s intent to learn and proliferate. Even though in some cases the projects may face hurdles and not be expected to be completed on time, the enthusiasm and keenness to give your best and wring as much information out the people at the company as you can is considered a big positive. The final evaluation and mentor’s observations cumulatively can tilt the scales. RIL has a sufficiently high PPO conversion rate, hence this intern is a good pathway into the company.

9. Do you know any seniors who are currently employed at that company?

Yes, I know one senior from 2019 batch and a couple from the 2020 batch who will be joining the company.

General suggestions — strong aptitude preparation for the OT, confident answering in the interview whether you know it or not, leave no part in the resume unknown to you.

In case of further queries, feel free to reach me at 9581143377 or mail me at gavinash205@gmail.com .

All the best for your future endeavours!

An initiative of SENSORS NIT TRICHY, the annual technical symposium of the Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering of NIT Trichy.

Edited and interviewed by Dhwani Shah❤

Poster Design by Karthikeyan Venkateswaran