# FORESIGHT (2024) | Internship at Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories | Sambhav Jena

Student Welfare Group, IIT Kharagpur
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1) Brief introduction and description of the offered role
A) Hi! I am Sambhav, an MF Dual Degree Final Year student pursuing my summer internship in the core sector at Dr.Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. So as I received the invite for the 2024 edition of SWG’s Foresight, I could not help but recall the time of my preparations — when I was
going through these blogs — a lot of them, to attain as much “foresight” as I could. So my answers might be a bit detailed but I believe they would help people targeting similar roles or roles in Core Engineering.
I was offered the role of R&D intern at Dr. Reddy’s. So Dr. Reddy’s has their flagship Young Leaders Programme for fresher graduates (Full-time placement roles) every year in which they are offered multiple stints across Manufacturing (plant-based work) and IPDO (lab and R&D) along with a month of rural immersion. Their internship program is a precursor to that in which they offer us the chance to work on projects, which are usually the parts of a bigger project to get a feel of working on real-world problems, getting a good idea of how the company works, and the Pharmaceutical Industry in general. Finally, at the end of the internship program, they offer PPOs to prospective YLPs based on performance. So my role as an R&D intern involves working on a core Engineering Problem under their IPDO division.
2) How did you get into Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories? What was the selection procedure?
A) After the CV submission, there was the release of the test shortlist. After that, we had a test which consisted of aptitude, technical as well as behavioral questions. The technical questions were mostly aligned with GATE’s previous year’s questions with higher weightage given to Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Heat Transfer, and likewise. Aptitude questions were also easily doable if one has practiced questions from the CAT and similar exams. For the behavioral part, I would say one has to be consistent with the type of values that you reflect via answers.
After the test, there was a technical group discussion round in which we were given handouts explaining a particular manufacturing process that they followed. We had to answer a certain set of questions on our understanding of it. To clear this round understanding of basic processes in thermodynamics, Heat transfer and psychrometric processes, and concepts of heat exchange are enough.
After this, we had our interview which was mostly based on core Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering like Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer. They also paid attention to projects particularly those which aligned with their work like numerical modeling and CFD. Post that we were called for the HR round where they grilled us on topics like our motivation to join the pharmaceutical industry, why we want to join Dr. Reddys, where we see ourselves in the next five years, and similar HR questions that have become quite typical.
3) How to prepare for them?
A) My previous answer covers a lot of the preparation. Some useful resources would be MITOpenCourse Ware Lectures, NPTEL Playlists, and GATE-shot videos. Apart from that, if anyone is interested, he/she can also watch the Hands-On Introduction to Engineering Simulations by Cornell University for a good idea of ANSYS and Engineering Simulations. Again the Simulations part is not a requirement nor necessity but a useful tool to know if one wants to sustain in the core field.
4) When did you start preparing for this role and according to you what is the ideal time for aspirants to begin their preparation?
A) I started my preparation in the vacations preceding the CDC. I started the preparation in a very structured manner. My priority during that time was to clear out concepts that would be needed for sustaining in core industry such as the basics of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. Next, I started up with gate question answers that helped me tackle the tests associated with the selection process. Finally, since HR questions have sort of become predictable, I did prepare for them as well and framed my thoughts regarding certain frequently asked HR questions.
Ideally, preparing sincerely and diligently throughout the vacations preceding CDC should be enough but it is better to start early i.e. as early as the end of the third semester to build up a strong profile if one is firm about going into the core sector.
5) What difficulties did you face while preparing for this Company/Profile? How did you overcome them?
A) The major challenge that I faced while preparing for this role was my lack of confidence. Having been rejected at different stages in various companies preceding Dr.Reddy’s was enough to shake up my confidence. The key here is to stay in touch with friends, talk to people, talk to seniors, and speak it out. CDC internships are indeed a challenging time and it can easily get overwhelming. Talking to seniors especially those who have gone through the story of rejections and acceptances can boost one’s morale & Confidence is the key to a good interview.
6) Are there any specific requirements such as department, CGPA, or other criteria for this position? Additionally, do certain PORs or EAAs enhance one’s chances of securing this internship?
A) Dr.Reddy’s hires Chemical and Mechanical Engineers for their Manufacturing/R&D intern role. So students of the Chemical and Mechanical Departments (which includes MF-MFDual) are preferred over other core departments like Metallurgy/Civil who are also allowed to apply. There is no specific CGPA bar as such, though a good CGPA (8 or higher) would put one in a strong position. They also have a data analytics role open for all departments but there is a bit of a bias towards students of circuital branches.
PoRs are not required as such but in my opinion, PoRs help to shape one’s personality and build one’s confidence which ultimately gets one through the gruelling rounds different companies have to offer. So while I don’t feel PoRs are necessary for this role it would be great to have one or a few to grow and develop as a person.
In terms of other criteria, having a project in the core sector, especially process engineering or numerical simulations does help though it is again not a very strict requirement.
7) According to you, who should ideally apply for this job?
A) In my opinion, those who are interested in the core Engineering sector, especially core Chemical and Process Engineering must apply for this job. Apart from that, those with an idea of the pharmaceutical industry or looking forward to having a strong career in the pharmaceutical industry should also apply for this role.
8) What are some of the major points you think would be valid to mention in your CV while targeting this profile?
A) Some of the key points that you could keep in mind would be to mention relevant competitions and event participation if any — even General Championship participation in events like ChemQuest/ Hardware Modelling/Product Design can be a good addition. One can also mention the certifications — certified courses, if any. They are an indicator of learning beyond the academic curriculum and staying updated with industry needs. I had a couple of competitions as well as certifications over which I had a small discussion with my interviewer. Finally mentioning Extra-Curricular Activities is a must as it shows an all-round personality.
9) Lastly, what advice would you like to give to the students aiming to grab CDC internships this year?
A) My 2 cents on that would be to go through the process very boldly; there will be many failures as well and many opportunities will come with every failure, it is important to learn from every attempt. One more thing to follow during interviews is to try to maintain a smile and engage the interviewer, and not make it a one-sided conversation.
Finally, I would like to say that there are opportunities available outside of CDC as well which can provide a pretty good learning experience as well. Hence there is no need to be overburdened by the hype created around CDC internships.