Boeing Interviews

Please give us a brief description of your internship profile.

Abishek: I was a part of the Avionics Embedded software team. My role was to create an interpreter between the cockpit display systems (CDS) and user application (UA) based on industry standards. I had to create packets to be passed to CDS from UA along with retrieval of critical information from packets sent from UA to CDS.

Pranav: I was part of the AvionX team at Boeing. I particularly worked on the Cockpit Display Systems. This role involved developing an interpreter to act as a translator between the display systems and the user application, which followed the aviation standards. The whole project was built and tested on embedded software.

How was your internship experience? How was the company’s work culture?

Abishek: It was a great experience working for a multi-faceted organization. The internship was a wholesome experience. Starting from scratch, moving onto developing the main module followed by testing was fun. Mentors were so approachable and had several years of experience in the field.

Working together with people involved in different domains ranging from electrical, mechanical design, avionics, IoT to data analytics gave an insight into how vast the avionics industry is.

Pranav: The internship experience was great. The project which I was assigned was very interesting and challenging at the same time. There is no hierarchy as such in this company, so I could approach anyone in case of doubts. During the internship, all interns had a meeting with the CEO, who himself was an intern years ago. In short, the work culture at Boeing played a pivotal role in making this internship a grand success.

How was the process of getting the internship?

Abishek and Pranav: I got this internship through the Placement cell of our college. First, we had resume shortlist, followed by rounds of Technical and HR personal interviews.

What do they look for in your resume?

Abishek and Pranav: They mainly looked into the projects section and spent a fair deal of time asking about the same.  So it is recommended to be honest and well prepared.

Can you tell us how you prepared for the interview process?

Abishek and Pranav: For learning the technical concepts, Geeksforgeeks and HackerRank were of immense help. Having a good understanding of data structures is necessary. Solving questions on arrays, linked lists, stacks and queues are important. Having a sound knowledge of Object-Oriented Programming concepts is mandatory.  Coming to HR based questions, getting familiarized with the STAR (Situation Task Result and Action) based approach is crucial. Looking into interview experiences of various candidates in Glassdoor also helped me a lot. In addition to that, being aware of the company and its current policies are of importance.

As someone who got a PPO after your intern, what would you say are the criteria they take into consideration while determining who gets the PPO?

Abishek: A lot of factors come into picture while deciding this. The progress made in the given problem statement, along with the approach will be scrutinized. Soft skills showcased during the internship period will also be noted. Besides that, the vacancy in respective teams we are a part of also plays a pivotal role. But it is recommended that we give our best without thinking about the final result.

Pranav: Honestly speaking there are a lot of criteria but I believe the primary one would be the willingness to work, learn and grow. 

Were the tasks open-ended? If so, what are the steps you took to ensure that you were in the right direction and completed it?

Abishek: For the majority of the time, we were given only the problem statement. We had to figure out the solution and present it to our mentors. We were given hints if we went off-track, nothing was spoon-fed. But if we got stuck somewhere with no visible progress made, mentors were always at our back. A weekly review meeting with manager and mentors helped us analyze the position we were in.

 

What skillset helped you carry out the tasks assigned successfully? Did you learn any new skills during the internship duration?

Abishek: Basic programming skills and CS concepts learnt during the first year of college laid a good foundation. I learnt advanced C++ and OOPS concepts during my internship. But the most important skill acquired was learning how to approach a problem. Divide and conquer approach worked like a charm.  Along with that, my soft skills also improved.

Pranav: My programming and analytical skills helped me a lot. I learnt a lot about aviation standards and how to use them. I also learnt various new programming concepts which helped me accelerate my project.

Does the current curriculum satisfy the skill set needed by the industry? What up and coming skills does the industry require its employees to learn?

Abishek and Pranav: The current curriculum helped in understanding the basics. But the programming abilities can be developed only by practice. Many industries require employees to learn Object-Oriented Programming concepts. It would be great if it is added to the curriculum shortly like many other colleges. Nevertheless, it is the student’s responsibility to be well equipped to industry needs.

What were the key takeaways from the summer internship?

Abishek: The key takeaway was problem solving and technical skills. As mentioned earlier, the divide and conquer approach was a very important lesson learnt.

Pranav: A good learning experience which helped me shape my technical and soft skills.

Do you have any advice for the current third-year students looking forward to internships?

Abishek: It is necessary to figure out the field you are passionate about. Getting well equipped with the relevant skills along with looking for opportunities both on and off-campus is a must. Regular practice and special importance on improving soft and analytical skills are recommended. Finally, persistent efforts are the key.

Pranav: Emphasis should be on internships, whether it be company or research. Also, make sure you have a few good projects in your resume. In your free time please do some online courses which will help you acquire new skills.