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Internship Apping: Civil Engineering Society Training and Placement Cell
Internship Apping: Civil Engineering Society Training and Placement Cell
Internship Apping: Civil Engineering Society Training and Placement Cell
Manabendra Saharia
Harish Borah
Amartya Dey
B.Tech (Civil Engineering)
Class of 2011
NIT Lingo
App (verb) The act of applying for
Internship/Graduate School, Apping,
Apped.
Interns/Trainee (Nouns) Students
who go for Internships
Fresher 1st Year student
Sophomore 2nd Year student
Junior 3rd Year student
Senior 4th Year student
Certi Certificate of completion received at the end of your Internship.
PPO - Pre-Placement Offer
RECO-Recommendation Letters. Very
Important for MS/PhD abroad.
RI Research Internship
II Industry Internship
FI Foreign Internship
NOTE on FIs
PLEASE APPLY FOR FOREIGN
INTERNSHIPS IF YOU CAN! Specially through DAAD and directly to
Professors. If you can afford, getting a
foreign Internship is not tough. But if
you want to be funded, better concentrate early!
What is an Internship?
An Internship is probably the best (and most fun!) mode of knowledge
discovery beyond the traditional classroom delivery of lectures in Engineering. Our curriculum necessitates that you spend minimum 8 weeks in
an external organization during your B.Tech years. While previous batches mostly fulfilled this requirement during the summer after Junior year,
but increasing competition and awareness has meant that a huge majority
of students now work in both Summers after Sophomore/Junior year as
well as corresponding winters. It is a very welcome change and this momentum must be built upon.
Many different terminologies ranging from training, apprenticeship to
summer project are popular in India which is equivalent to the word Internship. The term most popular in NITS is Summer Training, which is
generally used to denote work in all kinds of summer destinations- R&D
dept of a company, Research Labs, IITs/IISc, Site, NGOs etc. However,
the work involving Interns in all these sectors is vastly different and a
blanket term training doesnt justify its purpose and confuses most students. We prefer Internships because it best explains the purpose of
working in your summers and because a large number of destinations
dont offer any training per se.
N.B Some people are of the opinion that paid trainings should be called
Internships. It is factually WRONG. The meaning of the term Internship
has actually got nothing to do with money.
Why?
In addition to gaining great experience to
augment your classroom learning, college
internships allow you to beef up your portfolio or resume and make valuable industry
contacts that can be essential to landing the
ideal job upon graduation. Remember the
old adage, "It's not who you know, but
what you know". Well toss that right in
the garbage can! In today's competitive job
market, it's what you know AND who you
know that often makes the difference. College internships are a great way to address
both of those issues at the same time. Fortunately, NIT Silchar already has a 4000strong alumni spread all over the world and
you can learn from their experience and
expertise by interacting with them in person
or in social networks. As such, the importance of internships to college students
demands serious consideration. The purpose of an Internship is to learn more than
what classroom can offer and to develop
professional contacts.
Depending on your career aspirations, two
objectives can be clearly demarcated.
Pre Project
Pre-Project
Identify an AOI
Find an advisor
Prepare a nice CV
Email Profs/Scientists
Meet them
In-Project
Develop contacts
Post-Project
Accomplishments
Mythbusters
Share!
2. Find an Advisor
The first place to look for potential advisors is in the Faculty Homepage
section hosted on the institute servers.
Check Institute Site>Department>Branch>Faculty. Check professors
in your chosen area. You will get links to publications in the webpage.
Prefer Profs with healthy publication record/funded projects since their
recommendations will be highly useful if you decide to pursue Graduate
studies in that area abroad. (MS/PhD).
If you need info about a particular field, talk to a friendly Faculty
member of our Dept and politely ask for references. Most people are always ready to help. Dont assume otherwise. If you have personal/family
contacts, use them. But remember that a contact may help you get in, but it will accomplish nothing if you cant impress
your Advisor with your work.
CV Checklist
4. Email Profs/Scientists:
Write a short and formal email expressing your interest in working with the Prof. NEVER Spam!
Dont write long emails with crap like With great respect and humility, Ill be highly honoured and I hope I am
not wasting your time. We have heard from Profs first-hand how much they hate reading these emails.
Keep it short and formal. Eg. Start with-I am a student of X and I wish to work under
your kind supervision from Y to Z.. End with Anticipating an encouraging reply/
Looking forward to a favourable response
You have read any paper of the Professor you are apping to, mention a line about that.
Send the email at say 1-3 pm in the afternoon. Most Profs are too busy in the mornings
and will probably delete your email from their flooded inbox without reading it.
In-Project
1. Slog Fest
Nothing can substitute the good ol days of slogging! If you are intending to app for MS/PhD, this is the single most
important event that can make or break your funding chances. Try to soak in everything you can!
2. Develop Contacts
A very important point many Interns forget is that a prime purpose of their Internships is to develop contacts. If you
have spent an entire summer only working on your project and didnt develop good relations with atleast one Graduate
student (M.Tech/PhD) and your advisor, you have wasted an entire summer for nothing. These are the people who can
help you in your project, share their insight and give inside info. Ofcourse, this doesnt mean that you hound them all
the time in the name of developing contacts. But a chance-meeting at the coffee outlet is a golden opportunity to start a
chit-chat. Show them you are committed to your work and be respectful while asking for advice.
This is very important for those who apply for Graduate School. Good relations with these people will help you for the
rest of your professional life.
Post-Project
1. Accomplishment
The reason for a separate heading for this is that an overwhelming majority of the students undergoing Internships in
Research Labs/IITs have little idea what encompasses an achievement in a research internship. While a certi from a
high-profile lab does look well in your CV, it shouldnt be regarded as a big achievement and something to brag about.
It is different for Industry Internships where better companies usually provide better Internships and a certificate from
such places will serve you well in your initial career. You may as well as brag about that! But an RI is a totally different
deal. Yet another reason why the word training doesnt justify the purpose of an RI. The purpose of your RI is to
develop contacts, secure recommendation letters and, if possible, publish papers. A certi is commendable but not what
should motivate you. The work should. Not having a clear idea of the purpose of their work is understandable for sophomore Interns, but it is inexcusable for a Junior to approach it the wrong way, specially the ones who have gone for an
RI in the previous summer. By doing so, you are wasting time, both yours and the Profs, as well as depriving other deserving candidates.
In increasing order of importance, these are the things you should look to achieve through an RI (As told by an IIT
Professor):
The biggest myth surrounding an RI is The duration of a project is two months. While Industry Internships usually end in 8 weeks, there is NO SUCH THING as duration of a project. Though your official timeframe
will indicate 2 months, you have to continue your work even beyond the summer to come up with something that may
be counted as a significant achievement. So, Continue to work after returning on-campus! The beauty of Internet is you
no longer have to stay near your advisor to continue your project.
Sometimes a student discovers he doesnt like the field or wants to discover some other avenues, then its understandable. In such a case, you should either try a different Prof or go for an II next summer. But an overwhelming majority of
Interns dont return because they were not clear what the objective of their work was or were probably too lazy. The
duration depends on your ability to finish work and subject to hundreds of factors like your knowledge of the tools employed, hardwork etc, it may take you anywhere from 2 months to 2 years to come up with publishable results. Also,
you might have to do very menial or uninteresting work in your first summer. Persevere! After you impress upon the
Profs about your sincerity, you will get interesting projects to work on.
For those of you looking for MS/PhD admits abroad, it is absolutely imperative that
you continue your projects beyond the summer. Professors will not give you strong
Recos unless you have impressed that person with your work. Besides, two months of
work is usually not enough to come up with any publication whatsoever. Your
GradSchool funding chances will be a lot better if you have one. Also, try and work
with research-active Professors of our Department for papers.
INDUSTRY INTERNSHIPS
1. Decide on your AOI
It is very important that you decide upon your area of interest first, before you proceed. If you have trouble narrowing
down to one discipline, atleast have a priority list in mind! Civil engineering is a gargantuan branch in itself and opens
numerous fields of specialization to its students. A detailed list of possible specializations is given later. With the immense opportunities available, deciding your priority AOI list will help you focus and stay on track while you proceed.
However it is always suggested not be very adamant on your priority list and to be open to new ideas. Needless to say,
as you proceed as you will discover a whole lot of new things that may interest you. Lets keep some room for them too!
Read the selection of AOI part for Research Internships as it is equally applicable here also. Structural & Construction
engineering are usually the most popular discipline among Civil Engineering students. Geotechnical Engineering and
Earthquake Engineering has its fanbase too! Some of the hottest Civil Engineering areas in Indian Industry currently are
Transportation Engineering, Remote Sensing and GIS. Research on these disciplines and find out what interests you the
most. Try and justify your list. Make sure you have valid reasons! And please dont use job opportunity as a criterion
while selecting this!
All specializations have more than enough scope in Industry. Your focus should be to become a MASTER/EXPERT
in one or atmost two sub-fields.
2. Public/Private Sector?
Having decided your AOIs, the next thing to work upon is to try and figure out, what kind of institution would you
preferably like to work for post graduation- public undertaking or private corporation. Again do not be adamant, its
just about preferences! Immense opportunities of career growth exist in both. Dont take starting salary alone as a
criterion while deciding on this. The focus should be to become an industry expert in your AOI within 2-3 years and
choose the route that serves that goal. E.g. Joining a power company wont be the ideal choice if your dream is to become, say, a great geotechnical engineer. Again, dont be adamant!
For those seeking public sectors jobs should preferably look for opportunities in the PSUs. Most of these organizations
conduct well planned summer Internships/Training for 3rd year engineering students at their various respective project
sites nationwide.
Similarly, private sector job seekers should preferable look for opportunities in the various private organizations, keeping in mind their field of interest. Here bigger the brand, the better! Many private companies offer paid internships
that students can apply for. Besides PPOs are always an icing on the cake offered by some!
One must realize that training/internship in a public sector/ private sector does not necessarily guarantee a placement in
the same ,but it definitely gives you an edge during recruitment interviews. Moreover, it provides you an understanding
of the nature of work of the respective sectors (which are very different in their own way) and gives you a feel of the
corporate world that you will venture into after graduating.
Sidenote
Most of the PSUs approach the TRAINING AND PLACEMENT CELL of NIT Silchar with their programmes.
However , strong personal contacts can also help you find a place. For the private companies , a lot of slogging is required from the concerned TNP team. They dont really come easy! Good contacts can again help big time in this perspective. It is worth mentioning that some organizations such as RELIANCE METROs start plans from Mid December.
So for those of you dreaming big, its time you start your effort!
Academic Departments
1. Dept. of Civil Engg., IIT Guwahati
2. Dept. of Civil Engg., IIT Roorkee
3. Dept. of Civil Engg., IISc Bangalore
4. Dept. of Civil Engg., IIT Bombay
5. Dept. of Civil Engg., IIT Madras
6. Dept. of Civil Engg., IIT Kanpur
7. Dept. of Civil Engg., IIT Delhi
8. Dept. of Civil Engg., IIT Kharagpur
9. Dept. of Hydrology, IIT Roorkee
10.Dept. of Water Resources Development
& Management, IIT Roorkee
11. Dept. of Earth Sciences, IIT Roorkee
12. Dept. Earth Sciences, IIT Bombay
13. Dept. of Ocean Engg., IIT Madras
14. Dept. of Earthquake Engg., IIT Roorkee
15. Environmental Engg and Mngmnt., IIT Kanpur
16. Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, IIT Kharagpur
17. School of Water Resources, IIT Kharagpur
18. Dept. of Oceans, Rivers, Atmosphere
and Land Sciences, IIT Kharagpur
Research Labs/Centres
10. CBRI
11. AHLUWALIA CONTRACTS
LTD
12. OIL
13. THDC INDIA LIMITED
14. CMERI
15. L&T ECC
16. HPCL
17. ASEB
18. RRL
19.
20.
21.
22.
NRL
BMTPC
NCC
EPIL
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Hydrology/Hydraulics
GIS/Remote Sensing
WINTER
SUMMER
Enjoy
Continue your RI. This is the time to impress RI: Take a good project in the same field. Publish if you
your advisor about your seriousness.
have good results by now. Arrange Recommendations.
II: Impress the Industry people. Persuade HR.
(First Paragraph) Write your Research Interests/Areas of Interest here. Also, your CPI (If its a good one.
Neednt mention if not). If you have read some paper of the Prof, write a short line mentioning you have. Also write
your skills if any (Like GIS/ StaadPro/ ANSYS/ Matlab)
(Second Para ) Papers, Projects, Trainings, Internships, Scholarships etc. Dont elaborate too much. Second
year students may mention your Techfest paper presentations/contests winnings/coding war wins too. Third year
students should elaborate on your Summer (After 4th semester) and Winter (After 5th semester) Projects/Trainings.
Anticipating an encouraging response.
Warmest Regards,
XYZ
B.Tech (5th semester)
Dept. of Civil Engg.
NIT Silchar
Phone: 00000-00000
SMART TIPS
1. Embed/Type your CV in the website and send the link instead of an attachment. Chances of a reply from a Professor becomes tenfold.
2. Neednt know HTML or FLASH! Just use GOOGLESITES or WEEBLY (Preferred). It is so easy!
3. Best time to make it is during your Summer Internship/break after 4th semester. After that, as you learn more
and gather qualifications, add it continuously to your homepage as well as CV.
4. Put your research papers/term papers/project reports/presentations/scanned certificates/Codes/contest wins
etc here. Dont put useless stuff like antakshari wins.
5. This is the BEST way to keep track of your progress during B.Tech years. While IITians have been doing this
for a long time, very few here have homepages. So start building it today itself!
6. Your web presence matters a lot in todays world. Prospective advisors/professors sometimes will google your
name before they reply. So try to be responsible on the Internet. Use LinkedIn to connect with Alumni.
7. If you are planning for M.Tech/MS/PhD, join www.academia.edu or www.researchgate.net. Meet
like-minded people and have general chats on your work. It helps!
8. Never hurt your colleges image because the only one who will lose by that is YOU.
MISSION 2015
MISSION 2015 is all-pervasive 5-year programme by Civil Engineering Society for providing better career opportunities to its
members. Its objective is to augment the existing reputation of the Dept. of Civil Engineering of NIT Silchar in Academia and
Industry and the entire Civil Engineering fraternity of NIT Silchar is benefited by it in due course of time.
Our larger vision is to help each and every student of NIT Silchar of all branches receive top-notch Internships, better jobs and
more opportunities in Higher Education as well as give adequate coverage to the major strides taken by Faculty members in Research, Teaching and Consultancy as well as Alumni in Industry and Academia.
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