Partha Dhar
Computer Science and Engineering
PPO
Rubrik
Interviewed by:
Ashi Jain
Internships
PPOs
20th September 2020
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Why PPO?
Any tips for securing a PPO?
Summary of the specifics
Importance of good relations within the company?
Criteria used while handing out PPOs?
How did you stand out among your colleagues?
Policies regarding PPOs?
I had mostly decided during the internship itself that if offered a PPO, I would accept it. There were several factors at play, such as the work environment, scope for growth, peer group, and compensation. Since I loved my experience in software engineering, I wanted to continue in the same role and thus was able to narrow down my options. Of these, I felt that Rubrik offered the best combination of the mentioned factors, and so I accepted the PPO. To get some more perspectives on the decision, I did consult a few seniors who had been in similar positions as me.
My foremost advice to others would be to focus on their project and to try to drive it to completion. Sync up regularly with your mentors and manager so that they are up to date on your progress, and they can help clear any blockers. Be active during meetings and try to contribute to the discussion to whatever extent. Taking extra initiative would certainly set you apart.
There wasn’t a separate interview or test for the PPO. In the last week of the internship, each intern presented their work in front of the company. The presentation, along with the feedback collected during the internship, was used to evaluate the candidates.
To make the decision, my company took feedback from other people in the team as well, besides my manager and mentors. Unless the scope of your work is too limited, one would likely interact with seniors at some point, so their judgment of your work quality may certainly play a part.
Most companies offer small projects to interns that they expect can be completed in a limited timeframe. How the intern executes their assigned tasks is probably the most important criterion. Even if the project isn’t finished, sincere efforts would be rewarded. Apart from such tangibles, stuff like your work ethic, communication skills, etc., could also contribute towards the decision. The rest may be factors out of the student’s hands, such as budget constraints.
I don’t believe I had a significant edge over any of my co-interns. All of them were well-qualified and managed to complete their projects on schedule (and get a PPO).
Rather than fixed amounts numbers, companies usually hand out PPOs considering how many positions they expect to open up on the team. Larger companies may have fewer such constraints, but an outstanding candidate can probably make any company reconsider its limits. For example, this year, all 11 interns from IITs got a PPO from Rubrik, while this hadn’t been the case previously.
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