Intern Story: Ryan Kim - Tesla, CISCO & Activision

Breaking into Major Tech Companies with Ryan Kim

Ryan Kim has interned at top companies like SAP, Cisco, Activision, and Tesla, gaining a wealth of experience across different industries. In this Q&A, he shares his insights on navigating interviews, standing out in competitive roles, and leveraging your skills to land internships.

SAP: Tips for Students Preparing for Interviews

What should students focus on for an SAP interview?
SAP typically asks easy to medium-level LeetCode questions and occasionally touches on object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts. For general Agile Dev internships, expect a range of topics like arrays and trees, so a strong foundation in basic data structures and algorithms is key. While the scope can vary, preparation across broad topics will serve you well.

Cisco’s Internship Process and Insider Tips

What should students know about Cisco’s interview process?
Cisco's interviews are highly team-specific, with questions tailored to the technologies and skills used by the hiring team. Frontend roles might require live React coding, while backend positions often involve creating REST endpoints. Ryan advises having deep knowledge of your resume and being ready to code or explain anything you've listed.

Activision: Insights into the Gaming Giant

What’s unique about interviewing with Activision?
For his server-side role, Ryan was quizzed on web server fundamentals like HTTP, DNS, protocols, and database queries. While algorithm questions appeared less frequently, candidates should expect an online assessment before moving to interviews. Understanding backend systems and server operations is essential for similar roles.

Tesla: A Competitive Interview Process

What stood out about Tesla’s hiring process?
Tesla’s interviews can vary by team, but Ryan encountered medium to hard LeetCode questions, with some rounds packing multiple challenges into tight time limits. For example, one round required solving three medium-difficulty problems in 45 minutes. Preparation for high-pressure environments is crucial for Tesla roles.

Balancing Multiple Interview Processes

How do you juggle interview prep for different companies?
Ryan focused on building general tech knowledge through personal projects, ensuring he could handle trivia, design, and coding questions. While LeetCode was a staple, he emphasized practicing in the programming languages listed on his resume to avoid surprises during interviews.

Coding Assessments: Preparation and Fatigue

What’s your approach to coding assessments?
Ryan recommends NeetCode’s Blind 75 to tackle common LeetCode problems. His tip: don’t just watch explanation videos—understand the solution thoroughly. To combat assessment fatigue, aim for one strong score on platforms that let you share results with multiple companies.

Application Tips and Resume Advice

Optimizing your resume for tech applications:
Ryan’s advice: get feedback from experienced peers to refine wording and formatting. He’s reviewed hundreds of resumes, helping students secure more interviews. When it comes to cover letters, Ryan prefers to skip them, investing that time into applying for more roles instead.

Work Culture Across Companies

What were the biggest cultural differences between internships?
Tesla had the most competitive culture, with long hours and high expectations. Ryan valued the autonomy, as he led projects and made decisions that significantly impacted the company. SAP and Cisco were more relaxed, with remote work dominating their environments, while Activision and Tesla leaned towards in-office collaboration.

Technology and Tools

What tech stacks did you work with?
Ryan used a variety of tools across roles:

• Frontend: React

• Backend: Flask, Spring

• DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins

His advice: focus on the stacks you’re passionate about—you’ll eventually land a role that aligns with your preferences.

Compensation Insights

How did pay compare between companies?
Ryan found that U.S. opportunities generally offered higher pay and benefits than Canadian roles. Tesla stood out with the highest compensation and most growth opportunities, giving him the chance to lead impactful projects.

Leveraging Student Projects

How can projects strengthen your application?
Ryan highlights the importance of showcasing your reasoning and impact when discussing projects. Building unique solutions that don’t already exist helps you stand out. Be ready to explain why you chose to create a project and how it solved a real-world problem.

Ryan’s Advice for First-Year Students

What would you tell your younger self?
“Get involved early,” Ryan says. Joining clubs, volunteering at events, and building relationships can shape your career path. These opportunities helped Ryan grow personally and professionally, leading to the success he enjoys today.

A Final Note

What’s next for Ryan?
Ryan is passionate about bridging the information gap for students navigating internships. His platform, InternDB, allows students to share and access details about tech interviews and internships. If you’re looking for help, Ryan invites you to check it out and leave a review!

If you’re interested in chatting with Ryan, you can message him on LinkedIn