Intern Insider X BobaTalks (Part 2)

Welcome to Intern Insider!

Today, we’re bringing you Part Two of an exclusive conversation with Jeff Nguyen, a former recruiter at Google and Amazon and the founder of BobaTalks. If you’re a university student looking to land an internship, we know how much hard work it can be. Keep reading to gain some insights into the the interview process at Google and Amazon, advice to stand out from the crowd, and key steps you should be taking to succeed this recruiting season!

If you missed Part One, check it out here to hear Jeff’s thoughts on common application mistakes, cover letters, and the importance of networking.

About BobaTalks:

BobaTalks is a nonprofit organization that helps students navigate their early career and personal development. Find mentors from technical and non-technical backgrounds, access resources, and join the BobaCommunity on Discord to engage with like-minded individuals!

In your experience, what are the key qualities or skills that differentiate successful internship applicants from the rest?

Jeff: Leadership. It’s hard to quantify what this really means in today’s landscape, but I refer to the quality of person that shows the ability to work on projects with others, in stressful environments, and takes ownership of said projects. Usually, this means extracurriculars at clubs, RSOs, other internships, or projects. 

How much this piece of data is weighed will differ heavily at every company, and for every role —but extracurriculars are definitely looked at. That makes sense as most students need experience that comes from somewhere, especially if they don’t have work experience just yet.

For students who lack previous work experience, is there still hope for landing internships at companies like Google and Amazon? If so, what can they do to stand out from the crowd?

Jeff: Yes! Companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc have early student programs like Google Step and Microsoft Explore that are ideal for first and second years that usually have no work experience as most internships are not available to them. 

Again, most hiring teams will want some insights into your ability to work in a technical environment, so if you are heavily involved elsewhere like volunteering or personal projects, you still have a fair shot despite not having work experience.   

What is the interview process at Amazon and Google for internship positions like? What types of questions do interviewers typically ask, and how can candidates best prepare?

Jeff: The interview process for Software Engineering (SWE) internships is relatively universal, except for companies that conduct System Design interviews. Typically, you will first complete an Online Assessment (OA) on a platform like HackerRank. These assessments are similar to LeetCode problems and may include questions about space-time complexity and big O notation. If you pass the OA, you will be interviewed by a team of 2-3 Individual Contributors (ICs). These interviews can be purely technical or a mix of technical and behavioural questions, depending on the company.

The absolute best advice I give to my students, interns, and community is this: please study for the behavioural interviews just as much as you study for the technical interviews. It happens yearly where students are a bit overconfident with their people skills and they believe that they can “wing” the behavioural part—please don’t do this. 

Behavioural questions are weighted just as much as technical questions, and even if you pass the latter—you can fail the interview altogether if your behavioural question answers are subpar. This happens more times than students think, but because they aren’t told specific feedback, most believe that the reason for failure was their technical performance. 

Are there any specific projects, extracurricular activities, or experiences that tend to impress recruiters at Amazon and Google?

Jeff: Social-impact projects (social good) carry quite a bit of weight, especially when executed well!

What's the most mind-blowing, out-of-the-box way you've seen a candidate grab a recruiter's attention?

They (student) matched with them (recruiter) on Tinder.

What are some common mistakes computer science students make during the internship application process, and how can they avoid them?

Jeff: For CS students interested in SWE, a common mistake is using beginner classroom projects for your internship application process. These projects are used as homework or to reinforce CS fundamentals, but they often lack the technical complexity that hiring teams are looking for. 

Generally, the biggest mistake that students make during recruiting season is waiting too long. Many students who are just starting to look for internships believe that they can apply when their resume is stronger, when they secure a referral, or that they are owed an interview simply because they applied when the role was open. The truth is, there is a loose first-come, first-serve basis to most internships in the tech space in the sense that recruiting too late into the season makes it difficult to secure interviews as “seats” are limited. 

Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to aspiring interns that's so unconventional it might just work, what would it be?

Jeff: Conferences are an underrated resource for students. The truth is, good conferences for students are so rare that even the largest ones are not common knowledge. Conferences do everything that a typical recruiting season would do, but in a concentrated period of time. They enable students to travel with friends, have event-specific applications, meet companies directly, learn about new areas of tech, and have fun doing so. Conferences are treated a bit cautiously because they can be expensive, but if you are able to save up and attend, I would recommend them. 

The most Jeff-brand advice I can give students is that you don’t need to wait until you’re at an internship to do meaningful work. The best and most unconventional thing a student can do is to gather other students in similar situations and work on a startup or project together. If it kicks off, great! If it doesn’t, the experience will yield valuable data for both your resume and interviews. Student projects and startups are well-regarded by recruiters. 

Thanks for reading Intern Insider x BobaTalks!

If you missed Part One of our chat with Jeff, check it out here. Let us know what you think and we’ll be back with more recruiting resources very soon!

Continue reaching for the stars and remember, the best is yet to come.

Warm regards,

The Intern Insiders Team 🚀