Network, get connections, and find recruiters to reach out to. That would help tremendously with your job search instead of just applying and hoping for the best.
Name: Nitya Patel
Major: Computer Engineering
Employer: Lockheed Martin
Location: Mount Laurel, NJ
How did you find the internship/co-op? What was the interview process like? I attended the ECE career fair and met some representatives from Lockheed Martin who were interested in my resume. From there, I connected with the university recruiting lead and she was very helpful in my job search. I applied to many intern jobs that would pop up on their website and I got an interview for one of them!
How would you describe the company culture? What was the most helpful thing your supervisor did to make you feel comfortable at the organization? The company culture is very inviting. When I first met my team, they were so nice to me and my co-intern. From that day forward, they would always check in and see how we were doing and they were willing to help us with any questions that we had. My supervisor would always ask if I liked the work I was doing, if I was feeling comfortable and confident in my work, and if there was anything else I'd like to do. That way I was able to voice any opinion I had and my team would immediately take that into consideration.
Was there diversity among your colleagues within the department and throughout your internship/co-op experience? I was the only woman on my team during my internship. I had made friends with other interns that were also women, but my actual team was all men. At first, that intimidated me because I'd never been in an environment like that. However, when I first met the team, all of my worries eased away because everyone was just so nice and welcoming. As women engineers, that would probably be the case a lot that we are the only women in a room full of men but that shouldn't stop anyone from speaking up and participating in the conversation! I'm very glad that my team was incredibly supportive and helpful.
Was there a formal program for all interns at the company? Was peer support available throughout the internship? There was a formal program and there were intern events for us that they organized! There were networking and socializing events as well as informative events and plant tours. As for support, we had a buddy system within our individual teams. We were assigned a buddy that was on our team and close to age as us. My buddy was very supportive and very hands-on with helping us with our tasks. I appreciated his help when sometimes other members of the team weren't available.
What advice would you give other UMD engineering students seeking an internship or co-op position? Some advice I would give is to just put yourself out there, don't be shy. Network, get connections, and find recruiters to reach out to. That would help tremendously with your job search instead of just applying and hoping for the best.
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