Making it there

Schlumberger selects interns annually through on-campus recruitments. The recruitment process for my batch ended up getting delayed due to some technical difficulties, following which the process was reduced to only two rounds. The first round was that of resume shortlisting. Students from the Earth Science department (Geophysical Technology and Geological Technology) are eligible for the Petro-Technical Engineer (PTE) profile and are shortlisted based on their resume. The second round was that of Personal Interview which was held later in the month of January.

The interview is quite rigorous and tests your subject knowledge as well as who you are as an individual. The questions asked are very specific so one should not beat around the bush with the answers. I was asked numerous questions to test my understanding of the subject and each of these questions, although simple, was extremely concept based and required in-depth knowledge of the subject. If your previous internships are relevant to the profile you are applying for, you must be completely thorough with the entire work which you had done over there otherwise it could reflect poorly on you.

A lot of questions were also asked about my activities around the campus, my roles of responsibility and my general daily lifestyle. Apart from these, one should be prepared with the classic interview questions (‘about yourself’, ‘strengths and weaknesses’, ‘why should we choose you?’, ‘why Schlumberger?’).

Workplace

All interns are introduced to the company, its policies and safety measures through a 3-days induction program after which each intern is sent to their allotted locations and segments. I was allotted segment Data Services (DS) Hub at Schlumberger’s Nerul base in Navi Mumbai. DS Hub is further divided into teams such as Geophysics, Petrophysics, Geology, Production and Reservoir. I was introduced to my team which was Petrophysics, met with my mentor and was briefed about my project.

DS Hub Navi Mumbai serves as the headquarters of data servicing for Schlumberger and hence receives data from all across the globe. For Earth Science enthusiasts, my project was focused around NMR Logging data. To interpret NMR data, an accurate T2 cutoff is required to be obtained from core but in my case, core was not present and I was to devise a method and verify whether an accurate T2 cutoff could be obtained through it, without core.

My project was planned very efficiently through discussions with my mentor as we decided on short goals for each day of the entire internship period, in the beginning itself. This allowed me to keep a good pace and complete my project on time in a period of 3 weeks. In the final week, I was to present my work through a presentation in front of all of the managers and my colleagues, where I was assessed on my presentation skills as well as my work.

Work culture

Schlumberger functions like a relentless well-oiled machine. The job is not restricted to a traditional 9 to 5 scenario and employees work around the clock as and when a task is assigned. There is little room for slack and error. However, the entire segment working as a whole gives a very positive vibe to the workplace. The atmosphere is very collaborative where everyone takes care and guides each fellow employee. The teams also go out regularly for meals and parties which is always a fun experience!

Apart from work, there are ample facilities for leisure activities such as table tennis, gym, video games or just bean bags for those like me who are willing to relax! Accommodation, meals and travel are all taken care of very efficiently and as per requirements. Navi Mumbai has a pleasant weather at all times and makes for a good stay.

Key Takeaways

My experience remained amazing throughout. I was especially excited to be surrounded by people who were actually working on techniques and concepts I had only studied on paper in classrooms. As an intern, I was guided at each step and I gained further confidence when I realized that my project was not going to be restricted to my internship but would be beneficial to the company in the future.

Despite the seemingly short duration of a one-month internship, it is an intensive learning process. It gives interns a lot of scope for professional and personal growth as it demands work at a regular pace along with excellent communication skills. Getting here is tough and persisting here is tougher but making the ride fun is all up to you.

For interviews, my only advice is that you be thorough with the subject matter and your resume. Be calm and confident and always remember that it is you who drives the interview and not the interviewer. Feel free to contact me for any further questions!