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Of IAPs and interviews
As mentioned last week, I applied for 3 industrial attachments (IA) this semester (well 5, but the other 2 postings sort of vanished into thin air, machiam Harry Potter under his invisibility cloak). I've been allocated the firm which I liked best. No, I'm not bootlicking. Truth was, the other two interviews rang off alarm bells so loudly that they put Notre Dame to shame. How's that?
Interviewer: Are you afraid of long hours?
Me: I think anyone in this field is no stranger to long hours. (slight chuckle to buy time) What sort of long hours are you referring to?
What the... Looking for slave labour is it?
Interviewer: Oh, it's not regular you understand. It's because we're rushing on this project, and may require you to stay back till about 9pm at nights.
Me: I see I see. 9pm is definitely not that late. I'm actually used to 1am nights.
9pm?! The pay better be reasonable...
... later
Interviewer: So do you have any questions for me?
Me: Can I ask about the renumeration for this internship? NUS doesn't provide any details about that.
Interviewer: Oh. We'll be paying the interns around $550 a month.
Me: (Shell shocked) ... ... ...
@#%$#^%#$^$%! $550 a month for 8am - 9pm work days?! Harlow! Student Programmer != Slave!
Interviewer: So how do you find the job description?
Me: Very challenging and competitive.
Challenging because one has to work and starve at the same time. Competitive because all the students will be competing not to get this.
When I reached the elevator, I sniggered so loudly that the other passengers probably thought I was having an asthma attack.
Interviewer: So, do you have any interests in music?
Me: Well I listen to it. (weak, very weak laugh) I also use software like dbPowerAMP and Audacity to convert and tweak sound files.
I sing in the bathroom too... does that count?
Interviewer: Well, we'll keep you informed. There're still over 40 students applying for this internship, though.
Me: Ha ha. Ok. Sure, I understand.
Look me in the eye when you say that...
Needless to say, I didn't land this internship as well. The place, IR2, is a very posh-looking building located within NUS. They even have 3 security guards as receptionists, plus a gigantic plasma TV, which nobody watches, in the lobby. How classy is that. It's funded by A*Star, so that's your tax dollars at work I might add. (Do I sound bitter?)
It was the third internship which was successful. The job is interesting and challenging (not in the sense of interview #1), and the only drawback is that I did not dare jeopardize my chances by asking for details on renumeration. Stupid stupid stupid.
I don't post this entry with the intention of disparaging the firms which are looking for interns from NUS. However, I honestly think that some firms treat these industrial attachments as an opportunity to get themselves cheap coders to help meet software deadlines. Some students might not mind that, but others like me will. What's in it for me? "Learning" and "experience" are the usual replies, but that doesn't mean students have to settle for rock bottom pay. ($550 a month with extended working hours works out to $2/ hour. MacDonald's rate for a coding job?) The pay should at least be commensurate with the number of hours put in and/ or the finished product. Otherwise, industrial attachments are simply a way of exploiting undergraduates.
Furthermore, firms should also state their requirements up front. Both these two interviews shocked me with their hidden agendas and requirements. Finding out during interviews that your technical skill set doesn't match the job despite passing the resume round and that you have not a prayer of a chance against 40 other applicants can be pretty demoralizing.
Like interviewees who do not handle interviews properly put themselves in a bad light, interviewers who do not conduct interviews properly risk putting their firm in a very bad light. The latter however, is one side of the equation which doesn't get acknowledged often in articles.
Interview #1
Interviewer: Are you afraid of long hours?
Me: I think anyone in this field is no stranger to long hours. (slight chuckle to buy time) What sort of long hours are you referring to?
What the... Looking for slave labour is it?
Interviewer: Oh, it's not regular you understand. It's because we're rushing on this project, and may require you to stay back till about 9pm at nights.
Me: I see I see. 9pm is definitely not that late. I'm actually used to 1am nights.
9pm?! The pay better be reasonable...
... later
Interviewer: So do you have any questions for me?
Me: Can I ask about the renumeration for this internship? NUS doesn't provide any details about that.
Interviewer: Oh. We'll be paying the interns around $550 a month.
Me: (Shell shocked) ... ... ...
@#%$#^%#$^$%! $550 a month for 8am - 9pm work days?! Harlow! Student Programmer != Slave!
Interviewer: So how do you find the job description?
Me: Very challenging and competitive.
Challenging because one has to work and starve at the same time. Competitive because all the students will be competing not to get this.
When I reached the elevator, I sniggered so loudly that the other passengers probably thought I was having an asthma attack.
Interview #2
Interviewer: So, do you have any interests in music?
Me: Well I listen to it. (weak, very weak laugh) I also use software like dbPowerAMP and Audacity to convert and tweak sound files.
I sing in the bathroom too... does that count?
Interviewer: Well, we'll keep you informed. There're still over 40 students applying for this internship, though.
Me: Ha ha. Ok. Sure, I understand.
Look me in the eye when you say that...
Needless to say, I didn't land this internship as well. The place, IR2, is a very posh-looking building located within NUS. They even have 3 security guards as receptionists, plus a gigantic plasma TV, which nobody watches, in the lobby. How classy is that. It's funded by A*Star, so that's your tax dollars at work I might add. (Do I sound bitter?)
It was the third internship which was successful. The job is interesting and challenging (not in the sense of interview #1), and the only drawback is that I did not dare jeopardize my chances by asking for details on renumeration. Stupid stupid stupid.
I don't post this entry with the intention of disparaging the firms which are looking for interns from NUS. However, I honestly think that some firms treat these industrial attachments as an opportunity to get themselves cheap coders to help meet software deadlines. Some students might not mind that, but others like me will. What's in it for me? "Learning" and "experience" are the usual replies, but that doesn't mean students have to settle for rock bottom pay. ($550 a month with extended working hours works out to $2/ hour. MacDonald's rate for a coding job?) The pay should at least be commensurate with the number of hours put in and/ or the finished product. Otherwise, industrial attachments are simply a way of exploiting undergraduates.
Furthermore, firms should also state their requirements up front. Both these two interviews shocked me with their hidden agendas and requirements. Finding out during interviews that your technical skill set doesn't match the job despite passing the resume round and that you have not a prayer of a chance against 40 other applicants can be pretty demoralizing.
Like interviewees who do not handle interviews properly put themselves in a bad light, interviewers who do not conduct interviews properly risk putting their firm in a very bad light. The latter however, is one side of the equation which doesn't get acknowledged often in articles.
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