My Experience As A Software Developer Intern At SSENSE
I’m currently a computer science student at Université de Sherbrooke and for my final co-op internship, I was lucky enough to join the SSENSE team. As a fan of SSENSE myself, when I first saw the internship in my university portal, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to combine my interests in fashion and computer sciences. If your university does not share internship opportunities, you can also reach out to campus@ssense.com directly to learn more about the SSENSE internship program.
About SSENSE
SSENSE is a global fashion platform that offers a mix of over 500 luxury, streetwear, and avant-garde labels. It was co-founded by Rami, Bassel, and Firas Atallah in 2003 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada. Rami actually built the first SSENSE platform as part of his graduate thesis for his degree in computer engineering.
Interview Process
Once you’ve sent your resume and letter of intent, you cross your fingers and hope for a first interview with a talent partner. Yes, there are subsequent interviews if you pass the first one; it’s a thorough process and can definitely be worth it!
Here’s what each step of my interview flow looked like:
- Introductory phone interview to discuss company and work culture
- Video interview to test technical skills
- Face to face interview blocks with:
- Tech Leads and Seniors
- Manager and Lead
- Cross-functional SSENSE employee outside of team
For more information and tips on successfully navigating the SSENSE tech recruitment process, you can refer to this article.
If you passed each step, congratulations, you’re almost there. After a standard background check, and some hiring-related paperwork, you’re in!
On-boarding at SSENSE
I’ll admit, I was a little stressed before starting the internship which, of course, is very normal when starting any new job. In the first few days, my time was focused less so on hands-on work, and more on learning about company culture and structure. I have to mention that my on-boarding at SSENSE was amazing. Everyone I’ve met has been welcoming, and the HR Talent Projects Team made me feel comfortable and well-adjusted. During this on-boarding process, I not only met my team but was also given an overview of how every department at SSENSE functions and collaborates as well as noticed how diverse the workforce is.
Every SSENSE Tech intern is assigned a “buddy”, a mentor, and a manager. The buddy is a friendly face, someone who is an informal source of information for all things regarding your department, and who is readily available to share their personal experiences. They will help you with your daily operations, provide tips and tricks on how to be more efficient, and offer any other support you may need.
Your mentor is there for more structured guidance and is able to provide long-term support and insight on how to think outside the box. Being mentored allows for personal growth and can accelerate your development by working with someone with experience, expertise, and oftentimes an extensive network as well. Your initial meeting with your mentor is scheduled within your first week, following that, it’s up to you to book time and outline what you would like to work on during these meetings.
Finally, you’re also assigned a manager. Every week, you have one on one time allocated with them to discuss how you feel about the project you’re working on and anything else that has an impact on your work.
Personally, I connect with my buddy practically every day because he is part of my team. He’s a great resource and I can ask him for information of any kind. If he’s not available, I can refer to any other member of my team. Thankfully in my case, all my colleagues have acted as mentors throughout my internship and are always offering advice and guidance.
The Internship
There are many teams working within the technology department at SSENSE, each responsible for specific tasks and projects. When I first started, I felt that I was not contributing to the team where I could be the most impactful. One integral part of the internship program is a scheduled lunch with the technology department’s leaders. In my case it was with the Chief Technology Officer and I also had the opportunity to connect with the Senior Director of Product Management, Engineering, and UX. During these encounters I voiced my concerns, and was transferred to a team working on topics better aligned with my technical skills. If I could share one piece of advice, it’s to continue to discuss your interests and competencies with your team over the course of your internship to ensure that both you and your team are getting the most out of the experience.
After about one week of on-boarding and training, I was able to start hands-on tasks. Each team will adjust your assigned tasks according to your skill level. Typically, the software developer internship begins with writing documentation to provide a better understanding of the architecture and to familiarize interns with the tools and workflow. With my knowledge of many of the tools used, I was able to adjust my schedule to begin a variety of more complex tasks and work on developing substantial features. Documenting the process helped with the initial learning curve and made the work much more efficient. I learned not to be scared of offering my opinions and asking questions. Remember that your team will understand that you’re junior and will welcome and encourage curiosity.
Possibilities
Now that I’m past the half-way point of my internship, I can happily confirm that I made the right choice; this has been a great opportunity. Typically after co-op internships, you probably need to go back to school. In my case, I’ll return to school in September to complete my last semester of university, and during this time I will also continue my SSENSE internship part-time while working remotely. I’ll continue the learning experience and communication with my team through Slack, e-mails, and video calls. Finally, upon graduation, I’m proud to say I’ll be returning to SSENSE as a full-time Software Developer.
What’s next?
If you’re looking for an internship in software development, I highly recommend SSENSE. An interest in fashion is not necessary to get the job, but it will probably make your experience a little more enjoyable. Like tech, it is a fast-changing and high value industry with a lot of complex and interesting challenges to solve. I hope you enjoyed reading this article, don’t hesitate to share and comment and let us know about your experiences too.
Editorial reviews by Deanna Chow, Liela Touré & Prateek Sanyal
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