Name: Arif Mirzayev
Home Country: Azerbaijan
Previous studies: BSc Accounting and Auditing, Azerbaijan State University of Economics
Current study programme at BI: MSc Business Analytics, BI Norwegian Business School
INTERVIEW
Internships are an integral part of any student's academic journey, providing them with valuable hands-on experience in their chosen field of study. Today, we are joined by Linh Le, a second-year MSc in Business Analytics student at BI Norwegian Business School, who recently completed an internship as part of her master’s degree.
In this interview, we will discuss Linh's experience during her internship, the skills she acquired, the challenges she faced, and her advice for students looking to secure an internship in their field.
What company did you intern for and what was your role there?
"I interned at Opera Norway AS as a Business Intelligence Analyst Intern".
How did you find out about the internship and what was the application process like?
"I found the job advertisement on the BI Portal. The application process consisted of a CV round and an interview. During the interview, they asked about my personality, technical knowledge (such as SQL, Machine learning), and the way I work in a team".
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your internship?
"I did not really have any significant problems during the internship because I was supported a lot by my mentor and other team members. However, I consider learning new SQL and Python syntaxes as an opportunity to improve my skills".
What skills did you learn or improve upon during your internship?
"I improved my technical skills in SQL, Python, and visualization using Looker, as well as soft skills such as communication, presentation, and teamwork".
How did your internship relate to your academic studies and/or your career goals?
"My internship highly correlated with my academic studies as a Business Analytics master student. It gave me a chance to work with real data, an actual project that many departments in the company cared about, and I use Python and SQL most of the time for most projects. I also visualized the data by creating interactive dashboards, which is one of the must-have skills of a data analyst. Overall, it was a good start for my career path in data science".
What advice would you give to other students who are looking for an internship in your field? What should they do to stand out and be a successful internship applicant?
"Firstly, having a good academic record could help you stand out, but it's not the only deciding factor. Secondly, during the interview, be clear about what you are expecting from the internship. Thirdly, pay attention to your communication skills and keep calm during the interview. Finally, be persistent and keep applying until you find the right internship for you".