It’s that time of year when companies are set to welcome interns to their offices. But Covid-19 has meant a lot of changes. At tech company Adobe, which has always banked on its internship programme to find future leaders, there has been significant retailoring. Abdul Jaleel, Vice-President Employee Experience, shares what has changed.
How important is the internship process at Adobe in recruiting talent? What percentage of interns typically find a permanent position?
At Adobe, we look at our interns as future leaders. With their ideas, talent, and dedication, interns have always played a crucial role in forwarding Adobe as a brand by helping us create the future of digital experiences. Over the years, our interns have made key contributions to our products, attained leadership roles, and have continued to stay with us through their careers.
What has changed this year in your internship programme and process?
Software business is a people business and, at Adobe, we have always put our people first. Prioritising the health and safety of our interns in this unprecedented time, our 2020 internship programme is being hosted digitally. We have virtually onboarded more than 700 students globally across locations, across teams in Engineering, Research, Corporate Functions, and Sales.
Like every year, the programme continues to provide interns the opportunity to work alongside some of the tech industry’s top innovators and mentors, get exposure to innovative technologies, and develop professional skills. We have also retailored our programmes to ensure a smooth remote-working experience, along with learning opportunities to support their transition from school to a career in technology.
Is the internship programme the same across Adobe globally or do you have special customisations in India?
Enabling holistic career development is our top-most priority when it comes to structuring our internship programme. While the programme structure is largely the same globally, we do tailor sessions and engagement activities to adapt to the needs of the interns and deliver a seamless learning experience for all.
Do you think a wholly digital internship can help an intern get the true feel of organisational culture?
At Adobe our values strongly reflect in everything we do, inculcating a strong sense of belonging. Leading from this, we have anchored our internship program around three key pillars of people, purpose, and pride. Through the programme, interns get the opportunity to interact with our executive leadership team, learn from and network with employees, be part of interactive digital training and mentorship sessions, and work with the best of Adobe technology, cutting across the three cloud businesses.