How to get an internship at Siemens
You may have stumbled upon this article while searching for internships in Siemens. Headquartered in Berlin and Munich, this German company is the largest engineering company in Europe. Siemens summer internship is highly valued by students all over the world.
What are the types of internships available at Siemens and who are eligible to apply?
It has dedicated internship programs for undergraduates and postgraduates of mainly mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering along with those pursuing business administration. Siemens India internship generally lasts for a period of 2-6 months depending on the availability of students. Interns are hired for the different divisions of Siemens according to their profiles.
How to apply?
Interested students can apply through following methods:
1. Online application:
You need to register on the company website after which you can search for and apply to available internship opportunities.
2. Campus recruitment:
Siemens visits selected colleges across India for hiring interns. Get in touch with your college placement coordinator for arranging a campus visit.
3. Mailing the HR executive:
Find a previous/current Siemens employee/intern and ask her to provide you the HR’s email address. Mail the HR directly clearly stating your purpose, with a strong cover letter and resume.
4. Through a referral:
If you know someone who works at Siemens, ask her to provide you a referral. You can even find some employees through Facebook or LinkedIn for this.
What after Applying?
Students are asked to either submit their resume while applying online or to send hard copies to the Siemens office where they wish to intern. Students are initially shortlisted on the basis of their CGPA, skills, and past projects.
This is followed by a telephonic interview which lasts for 30-45 minutes. It’s not stringent and focuses on the willingness to learn. Examples:
• Tell us about yourself. Are you comfortable in relocating?
• What are your strongest technical areas?
• Why should you be hired for this role?
During college visits, the telephonic round is replaced by a general aptitude test which contains questions based on logical reasoning, verbal reasoning, arithmetic aptitude, and data interpretation.
This is followed by a face to face interview which consists of both technical and HR questions. Technical questions mostly pertain to the individual projects which you had done in the past. Other questions include:
• You are given a block of metal, let’s say cast iron. What would you do with it? You have all the necessary processes available to you.
• What are the different types of gears? Which one is the least efficient?
•Questions on the basics of microprocessor, communication & embedded systems, algorithms & data structures, and various manufacturing techniques.
• What problems did you face during your past projects and how did you overcome them?
HR questions are mainly focused on your behavioral competency with the company. Examples:
• Why do you want to join Siemens?
• What are the joint ventures in which Siemens is involved?
• Describe a time when you made a bad decision and what did you learn from that experience?
• What are your career goals and how will this internship fit into that?
Once the internship starts, every intern is assigned a mentor. One week of free accommodation is also provided to outstation candidates. Siemens gives a stipend of 20-25K/month to interns and it varies across profiles. Other perks include free lunch and snacks, car facilities, flexible work hours, facilities for indoor and outdoor games, and a gym.
Word of advice from ex-interns:
Open work culture: All the interns are treated like important members of the company. Top management is easy to approach and interns get a chance to gain hands-on experience on important projects. However, Siemens does hire a lot of interns and some interns have to suffice with less important projects and teams.
Getting placed: An internship at Siemens is the best way to get your foot in the door and improves your chances of landing a full-time job. The PPO depends on your performance during the internship and your mentor’s reviews. You may also be asked to sit for a technical interview.
A couple of pro-tips:
• The interviewers focus on your problem-solving skills. The way you think is more important than arriving at a right answer. So, talk with them while you are solving as they want to know how you arrive at a solution.
• Go through your resume and past projects carefully as most of the questions asked stem from them.
• Do your research about the company beforehand. When asked questions like ‘why Siemens’, link your answers to your future goals. Don’t just spout facts and figures to prove how great you think the company is.
• To prepare for the aptitude test, you can go through this Q&A site.
You can also read about Piyush’s experience of doing a Siemens engineering internship and how Kritika successfully completed her Siemens internship program at Dubai.
Are you dreaming about making a career in the field of engineering? Check out these similar engineering internships and start your professional journey. If you have done an internship at Siemens and have something to add, we would love to hear; please comment below.
Image credits: thehindubusinessline.com
