Happy to welcome our summer interns. Thanks to the teams who made a virtual internship possible.
Did you know that some of the most senior leaders at Amazon started off at Amazon as interns? Well, Amazon’s internship program is an important source of leadership talent and interns play an important role in their teams. The interns are assigned on challenging projects which provide them with an opportunity to accelerate growth by working with talented teams. There is a lot of thought that goes into the intern selection every year, including looking for people who think analytically, question assumptions, and have a desire to solve problems.
This year, however, given the COVID-19 situation, things may have changed, but our commitment to providing a great learning experience remains the same. What next? Finding a solution to honour this commitment, beating all odds of COVID-19, internship is now moved to being virtual!
Welcoming summer interns, virtually!
As all of us are aware, COVID-19 pandemic has restricted our movement and we ought to adhere to government directives of staying at home in order to flatten the curve of this pandemic. But this did not stop us at Amazon from honouring our commitment to providing internship experience to the diverse talent including undergraduates for SDE, MBA and graduates for business roles.
The interns are provided with a virtual curriculum and the internship also includes mentorship with tenured Amazonians, moderated group discussions, opportunities to connect with other interns, fireside chats with senior leaders and a variety of networking events!
I have longed to be an Amazonian from my very first introduction to the company’s leadership principles and peculiar ways.
Virtually welcoming the class of 2020 summer interns, Akhil Saxena, VP Operations (Asia, MENA and LATAM) said, “Today, I participated in an engaging panel discussion with our interns virtually on ‘What makes Amazon, Amazon?’ Our days may look different, but our priority to our employees, customers, and communities remains the same. Wishing the interns the best for a great learning experience at Amazon!”
Meet the Summer Interns - Class of 2020
Over hundreds of interns from across the country attended the leadership connect which was hosted by the Student Programs team with senior Amazon leaders on the panel. Amit Agarwal, Global Sr. VP and Country Head, Amazon said, “Happy to welcome our summer interns. Thanks to the teams who made a virtual internship possible. We remain committed to our employees, customers and communities. Wishing our interns a great learning experience at Amazon!”
With many interns being thrilled about their roles, they took to their LinkedIn profiles to talk about their on-boarding experience and give us a peek into their virtual workspace. While few of them thanked leaders to mentor them and guide them on the right path, there were others who were excited to be on-boarded virtually. Some of the interns even mentioned how they always wanted to be called an ‘Amazonian’. Read on to know about their experiences:
'Longed to be an Amazonian'
According to Aswathi Dinakar, Program Manager Intern at Amazon, “I have longed to be an Amazonian from my very first introduction to the company’s leadership principles and peculiar ways. Looking from the inside, it is fascinating to see how fundamentals like customer obsession and ownership are deeply ingrained in the culture at Amazon.”
'Smooth on-boarding experience'
Extending his gratitude towards the hiring and on-boarding team at Amazon, Rohan Mitra, an SDE intern at Amazon said, “Excited to share that today I started my journey as an SDE Intern at Amazon, India. Gratitude to the entire Amazon Student Programs team for executing the entire process of virtual onboarding so smoothly, even in these difficult times, amidst a country-wide lockdown and a global pandemic. Looking forward to the journey ahead and making the most out of this internship experience in the coming days. Here's to an amazing summer where everyday is 'Day 1'!”
'New learnings new beginnings'
From being a Gentleman Cadet with the Indian Army to becoming a Program Manager Intern at Amazon, Dhruv Yadav says, “It is Day 1 and as they say at Amazon, it will always be Day 1. From muddy boots and combat uniforms to Smart casuals, the surroundings might have changed but the principles of working are similar between the Indian Military Academy and Amazon. Looking forward to new challenges and learnings.”
'Adapt, invent and simplify'
A student of IIT and an SDE intern with Amazon, Divyansh Herdia highlighted, “Despite all the challenges, Amazon adapted, invented and simplified to deliver a smooth virtual onboarding experience to its interns. I am excited to share that today I started my journey as an SDE Intern at Amazon, India.”
With so much excitement and with newer minds joining in, Suman Yadav, Sr. Manager, Student Programs, APAC said, “At Amazon, one of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out. A lot has changed over the last few months, but what has remained constant is our commitment to our interns in delivering a positive internship experience. Despite the constraints, the team has partnered closely with business partners, hiring managers and supporting teams to ensure our interns have a great learning experience, virtually.”
The summer internship typically lasts for about 6-8 weeks and we at Amazon believe that there is an opportunity for every intern to be an innovative future talent who can don many hats and master their domain.
