InternFeel: Hello Ritika, pleasure to meet you. Please tell us about yourself. What makes you different?
Ritika: Currently in my final year computer engineering.
Interests – I like application development. Have had some experience in android too. I love teaching immensely – voluntarily taught a few roadside kids math and English, Was also Teaching Assistant at college for first year students.
I took up a lot of technical projects in my second year.
Hobbies – I play the violin. I like singing too. I try my hand at sketching and writing too.
IF:Which internship you got the chance to take? What is it all about? Stipend, duration, place?
Ritika: Barclays Technology Centre, Pune.
They offer technology role in Pune, operations in Chennai. I was in the technology division.They gave a whopping stipend of Rs. 55k/month. Since I was from Mumbai, my accommodation was also taken care of. We were given stay at Oakwood Residence for the entire duration from 12th June to 2nd August. Travel and food was taken care of too.The perks of the internship definitely make it very exciting!
You can too apply by clicking here –http://joinus.barclays.com/apac/apply/
IF:How you came to know about the internship? To what all sources you kept yourself connected?
Ritika: Barclays Technology Centre, Pune visited the campus for a presentation on the summer internship. They also take students off campus. All one needs to do is apply on their online portal and then they contact you back via email.
IF:Tell us on the procedure to apply for the internship. Who all are eligible to apply for this internship?
Ritika: Only third year CS/IT students of a four year engineering course and third/fourth year CS/IT students of five year courses are eligible. Like I said one needs to only apply on their website online. All their interviews were held at a hotel in BKC.
Day 1: Aptitude test – quants and data interpretation
Day 2: Group discussions
Day 3: Technical and strength based interview
IF:Let’s talk about how competitive is the selection process.
What qualities of yours, you believe helped you in having an edge over the selection process? What key things you feel were looked for by the selectors?
Ritika: I was somehow prepared for this. Preparation helps. I had assessed my strengths and weaknesses properly before I appeared for the interview. Key point that interviewers look for is examples. They ask very standard HR questions but what matters is you exemplify them with appropriate examples. Another factor is knowing about the company and showing tremendous enthusiasm to join them.
IF:About when you got the news for the selection? How was the celebration?
Ritika: Haha! I was thrilled. It had to be one of the best days of my life. When I saw the email, I started dancing around the house. I was very excited to have a peek into the corporate world.
IF:What all preparations you did (academic/otherwise) after the results in view of the internship?
Ritika: After the results, nothing absolutely! I became very laid back.
IF:So Ritika, could you please highlight us with what work/research project you carried out during the internship period? It’s application in near future and your work in it?
Ritika: I was a part of the Equities team at Barclays. I was given java code to refactor in the beginning and later on I developed a regression testing suite by myself. I learnt a great deal about java, bash and different applications used in banking environments. These codes were dispatched on the server for use by traders in USA.
IF:What was the best thing about the work culture and the internship? What all things you liked there?
Ritika: culture at Barclays is very fresher friendly. Everyone, even high level directors and MDs are approachable. We attended parties where they spoke to us as if they were one of us. Overall, it’s a great culture to be in. The interns and graduates are treated very lavishly and as important people!
IF:Were there any special events during the internships?
Ritika: Yes, we had a joining and a farewell Drinks and dinner. Almost everyone spoke to us with great enthusiasm. There was a one day CSR event we conducted which was a success. Special video conferences called Speaker Series were held for us where heads across the world addressed to us directly about various aspects of the bank. Other interns across the globe joined these meetings too.
At the hotel, we attended the monthly hotel party, which trust me, will be something I’ll always remember. It was a lot of fun!
IF:What was the guidance provided by your guide? What all support you received from Barclay’s administration.
Ritika: In the very first week of the internship, we were given a three day financial training by the most fantastic human I’ve ever met – Sean Ring. He was called all the way from Singapore to teach us the basics of finance since we belonged to technology background.All interns had a buddy in the office whom we could approach with problems, if any. But the treatment given was such that we never faced any.
IF:Let’s now talk about some negatives.
What problems you or your friends faced, regards to the internship, which your juniors may be able to avoid?
Ritika: There are absolutely no issues. A cab service picked me up from my residence before the start of the internship and dropped home at the end. The hotel is a renowned 5 star with good food. Daily commute to office was available in a cab provided by the hotel. I’ve thought a lot about it, and really, I couldn’t think of one negative aspect to the internship.
IF:Anything you would like to tell us please. Feel free to share any interesting thing that happened.
Ritika: As a part of the internship programme, we were supposed to hold director meetings and make reports on them. We held video conferences with directors in small groups from France, UK, USA, Africa – almost everywhere in the world. It was one of the finest parts of the internship giving us the opportunity to directly interact with them and learn a lot about the banking sector and technology in general.
IF:To which all people you would, like to thank in context of this internship?
Ritika: The HR team at Barclays for the most pompous facilities we were provided with, the trainer who trained us in finance – Sean, my team which trusted in me to give me good quality work, and all the other interns with whom this journey became a lot of fun.
IF:How much difference this period of 2 months made in your intellectual capabilities and mind-set. In broad terms what are your gains from this?
Ritika: In all of the 4 years of engineering, these two months were the months when I learnt the most. I am so much more aware about banking, I know what it is to be in a corporate world something which probably others back in college haven’t experienced yet. Throughout, I have only learned from this internship. It’s one of the best things that happened to me.
IF:Advice for juniors? Which can help them in getting internships in their future college life and also advice for making the best out of it.
Ritika: Make sure do an internship. The kind of value it adds to your thinking is something which college or projects cannot. Apply on the company websites when you’re in the second year itself. There are tons of such opportunities. One only needs to be aware.
IF: What are your future plans after this internship and how much impact this internship will have on it?
Ritika: I really liked the work culture and the kind of work I did, I am looking forward to join Barclays as a full timer after college.
IF:Any views about this initiative of InternFeel, and how beneficial it would be? Any suggestions for improvement?
Ritika: I think InternFeel is a great platform. Barclays happened to me because it came to my college. Otherwise I think I would have never explored this possibility. Because of the website now, everyone else will be able to benefit from this and I wish InternFeel good luck with their endeavors.
IF:Ritika it was so nice to know all about this. We agree you would have been busy with your academics. Even then you took out time for this. We thank you and wish you best of luck for all your future endeavors.
Ritika: Thanks a lot, and good luck! 😀
