Viktoryia Zhuleva is a Senior Boilermaker from Vitsebsk, Belarus. She is majoring in Computer Engineering with a minor in Mathematics. Last summer she was a Research and Development Engineer within the Surgical Innovations Department at Medtronic PLC. Medtronic is one of the largest medical equipment development companies in the world. Viktoryia experienced growth in her field as well as personal development throughout her time with the company.
What attracted you to the company/position?
The company mission is what inspired me. “Alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life”. I wanted to be a part of it, to use my skills to personally grow and contribute to the company’s mission.
What was the hiring process like?
I applied through the myCCO website and got a call from a person in HR at the company. Then I had a 30-minute general behavioral interview. A couple of weeks later I got a “moving forward in hiring process” email. I then had two 1-hour back-to-back interviews scheduled with my future supervisor and a team manager. Those two interviews were behavioral as well. My interviewers asked me about projects and working experience on my resume and why I was interested in working at Medtronic.
What was your overall experience like working there and what was your typical day like?
The daily routine would start with me saying hi to another intern on my team and catching up on things as well as discussing what our next steps towards completing project should be. Then I would research and read research and articles relevant to my project. I would then code and test my algorithms and discuss them with my teammate once again.
Did you get any cool perks working for Medtronic?
I got to see how biomedical devices are made and the “behind the scenes” of the R&D. I also got to learn about the entire tool development process and how a device makes its way all the way to the surgeon’s hands in an operating room.
What did this job teach you about yourself?
It taught me that I cannot know everything in the world and it is okay to ask questions and admit you are not familiar with something. I spent quite some time researching certain topics I was not familiar with before the internship. It helped me to grow as a person and as an engineer.
How do you feel that your education at Purdue helped you while working for this company?
What I like about Purdue and its professors is that they prepare you for the real world. I took away a lot from talking to my instructors and asking them specific questions regarding my internship expectations. And, again, the Purdue ECE curriculum definitely prepared me for the job. I believe I was able to stand out as a person who is well educated and prepared to do real work at a company.
What career readiness tools has Purdue provided you with?
In terms of finding a job – myCCO was my go to resource. That’s how I was able to land an opportunity for my summer internship in the first place. I also went to the CCO and talked to Career Counselors in person who prepared me for future interviews.
While working at Medtronic – my coursework/project work helped me stay on top of the game. I was able to do real work and contribute to my team’s work directly.
What career advice would you give to underclassmen?
Start looking for internship opportunities early. I made the mistake of not staying on top of it my freshman and, especially, sophomore year. Make sure you have one or two personal projects you worked on in the past that are relevant to your field that will show companies your passion for what you are doing. Don’t stress when you get rejected. There are hundreds of opportunities out there and hanging up on one will not let you move forward.
