posted by Valerie Scarsellato on November 18, 2009
The comfort zone we all mosh in daily is familiar and comfortable, much like our favorite pair of jeans. However, sometimes, we need to reach beyond the zone boundaries to be rejuvenated and inspired. I took the initiative and created a stretch goal by finding a way to attend this year’s Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) for Women in Computing. The annual conference is held in different locations throughout the US, and this year it was a completely sold out event with 1600+ in attendance! I was fortunate enough to have it near my back yard in Tucson, AZ during the last week of September.
I had never attended the GHC conference nor had I heard of it until I saw it mentioned on Intel’s intranet, so I thought I’d check it out online [LINK TO: www.gracehopper.org]. Even though my position is not directly in computing, I’m a sourcer/recruiter that seeks experts in this area and I felt it would be a great professional networking event. Besides, some of the session titles sounded like they could be very inspiring and I really wanted to attend.
Giving Back
The conference kicked off on Wednesday, September 30. I arrived that afternoon and was a volunteer for the resume writing clinic. Given my area of expertise, I felt this would be a great way for me to give back to the technical community. At the end of the afternoon, I truly felt like I had helped many of the women I met (a mixture of experienced professionals, PhDs, and recent college grads), by giving them constructive feedback and tips on how to revise their resumes. There is nothing more rewarding than to feel like you’ve contributed and are valued. Day one was off to a gratifying start!
Impactful Sessions
The following two days, I attended several sessions. There were two in particular that were extremely thought-provoking to me: “How We Did It: Breaking through the Glass Ceiling” and “The “F” Word: Feminism in Technology”. The panelists and speakers for both sessions were well-respected female professionals from Intel, Amazon, IBM, Intuit* and CA*, as well as in academia. The presentations provoked a number of constructive discussions that left imprints on me that were both energizing and motivating. It was exactly what I had hoped for! The presenters for the “F word” session were engaging and influential. What was interesting were their stories of being in denial about considering themselves feminists. They each gave a personal account of the turning point of when they realized they were feminists. One quote was “Don’t call me a feminist, how do you expect me to get a date this semester!” Everyone laughed, but it certainly highlighted the perceived stigma of being called the “F word”.
Networking!
The opportunities to network while at the conference were plentiful. There were organized events as well as impromptu mingling during lunch/dinner in the companies’ exhibit areas. There didn’t seem to be any social or professional barriers when meeting someone you didn’t know. It was easy to smile and introduce myself without feeling self-conscious. To wrap up the week there was a sponsor-only networking event outdoors at the resort. Intel, Google* and Microsoft* hosted a massive soiree for all conference attendees where I had the opportunity to not only meet people from all over the country and the world, but from within other organizations of Intel as well. We raffled off some netbooks, gave away some Intel swag and had Guitar Hero set up at our canopy. Everyone at the event had a blast, including all of us Intel folks! Intel is proud to sponsor the Grace Hopper Celebration because it promotes diversity in the workplace and enables women from all over the world to share ideas and connect with one another.
Community
As Disney* pointed out to us many years ago “It’s a small world after all.” This is particularly true when people feel they are part of a community where they can openly collaborate about areas and issues that are important to them. This type of nurturing environment also promotes spontaneous sharing of creative ideas. Attending the GHC was an opportunity to have discussions on the issues that females face, especially in a technological environment, to learn about what’s new in the industry, but most importantly it was an opportunity to meet some incredible, intelligent women and share creative ideas with them. I was also very impressed to hear about different programs being sponsored by GHC/Anita Borg Institute, in order to get girls/young women interested in computer science.
I didn’t realize a conference could have such a positive impact on me; however, simply put, it did.
If you’re a woman in technology, at what age did you become interested in computer science or engineering? Did a teacher or mentor have an impact on you at an early age or did you explore your interest on your own? How can we encourage other young women to consider technology as a career path? A lot of questions, I know, but I would be very interested to hear your thoughts/stories.
Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
posted by Priyanka Bhagat on November 16, 2009
When I was in college I used to think, “What options do I have for starting my career in an organization? Which role do I start my career with? How can I add value to the organization I join? Will I be able to do justice to my own career development? Am I important?”
It was difficult to get answers to these questions in the beginning of my career. But once I joined Intel, I could see how important I am as an employee and as an individual. For Intel, each employee is important and for those freshly out of college it is a great foundation.
Intel not only made me feel important, but took care of me and my career over the years. Intel makes a lot of effort to select the right talent – the best and brightest. Intel’s investments are headliners because Intel’s wisest investment is in the employees.
I have learned at Intel that getting fresh faces into the organization is so important; it helps us in getting the most innovative ideas. A great place to find this freshness is in our local colleges and universities. That’s why Intel India, and my team in particular, has a variety of college programs to offer and a strong college presence! We are connected with the best colleges around the country which means we’re making it easier for talented minds, such as yourself, to apply. There are different ways that college students can join Intel: students can join the intern program while Recent College Graduates (RCGs) can apply for full-time positions. You can take a look at it yourself at Jobs at Intel.
Today, I would like to highlight the intern program. The internship program is extremely important to us at Intel, as you may know from the posts we have had on internships in general, and specifically on internships in the UK and China. An internship can last from two months to one year with lots of opportunities to get involved on projects with lasting impact. This program becomes very important because at the end of the internship we evaluate the students’ performances and may offer jobs to outstanding performers. We have interns coming from across the country to be a part of Intel India’s growth. We have an Intel Scholar Program in India which helps us to connect up to the colleges. Under this program we have contests where we invite applications from students across the country to send in their proposals on certain key topics identified by Intel Technologists. Through this program we find the ‘best of the best’ and invite them to apply to relevant internship opportunities at Intel India.
The intern program in India is unique in its own way. The kind of projects, independence and sense of responsibility that is given to the interns helps them to get connected with the latest technology and the company at a very nascent stage of their career. They are exposed to the mentoring and guidance of the best of leaders to help them learn and grow and choose their area of expertise.
Now that you know about the Intern Program, I’m sure you are anxious to hear about the RCG hiring opportunities. All of these programs and Intel’s strong presence in colleges make the Intel India’s College Program a great success. Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post where I’ll tell you more about RCG hiring.
In the meantime, you can visit the India Student Center and also log on to Jobs at Intel to check out the latest job opportunities that match your profile.
If you have the passion to change the world with innovation, I hope to see you at Intel.
posted by Sejal Patel on November 11, 2009
At Intel, we’re always looking to make things better. Case in point: right now, I’m working on a project where we are evaluating this blog’s performance, and I could really use your help!
This blog was created to help YOU get to know Intel better. To ask your questions and get some answers. To see what it’s like to work here. Help us make the blog better for you. It’s what we want to do.
We have numbers, we have bloggers, we have feedback from those who have worked on the blog with me—-but we want to hear from you! What do you think of the blog? What kind of content would you like to see? What’s good? What could be better? Let’s hear it!
And if you don’t tell us, we’ll never know :)
posted by John Sun on November 09, 2009
Hi! My name is John (Jianxun) and I am a Circuit Design Engineer with Intel’s Server Processor Group. I am currently working on the design of a future generation microprocessor targeting the high-end server market. The last project I worked on was called Tukwila. It is the first processor in the industry that has over two billion transistors! Today, I’d like to share my story about how I came to Intel and what it’s like to be a chip design engineer, as well as a little about myself outside of work. Maybe my story could inspire you to join Intel and be a part of shaping the future!
How did I come to Intel?
After I graduated from college in China, I worked as an electrical engineer at a major Chinese consumer electronics company for a few years. While doing my work there, I realized semiconductor chips used in the electronic devices I was working on are the major force that drives technology forward. So I said to myself, “It would be nice if I could design microprocessors at Intel.” To do so, I made the decision to come to the US and study semiconductor chip design at graduate school. After graduating, I worked for a company that Intel eventually acquired from Hewlett Packard…and here I am!
So, you might be wondering what it’s like to be a chip design engineer at Intel. Well, a microprocessor is probably the most complicated component to have ever been designed and manufactured. It takes a team of several hundred engineers to work together for several years to finish one design. Therefore, it requires a lot of team communication and collaboration to make a make a project successful, making people skills very important. The R&D nature of design work also means designers have to constantly learn and innovate. That makes everyday different and fun.
I usually get to work at about 8:40 a.m. and leave work slightly before 6 p.m. If I need to come late or leave early, I’ll work at home before or after to make up the time. There is no set time that we have to be at office unless there are meetings to attend. The key is to get the work done on your own time and flex your schedule accordingly.
On a personal front, I recently completed a part-time MBA program at Babson College and that should help to broaden my career horizon. Better yet, Intel helped with my tuition. Otherwise, I spend most of my time with my family. We have a five year old son and he is really cute! We go to Cape Cod to spend time on the beach almost every weekend in July and August. We all love swimming in the ocean. I get four weeks of vacation time a year and I spend over half of it in China to be with my extended family.
If this sounds interesting to you, please consider joining Intel or go to Life at Intel to hear more stories.
**Intel has a tuition assistance program that is determined on case-by-case basis. Visit our Jobs at Intel Web site to learn more about Intel’s different compensation and benefits packages and programs offered around the world.
posted by Robert Toepfer on November 03, 2009
From day one at Intel you’re told, as Andy Grove famously once said, “own your own employability.” You hold the key to promotions, becoming a manager, and earning your own raises. You’re even encouraged to change job positions every few years to keep your mind fresh and working in new and challenging areas. But as a recent college grad (RCG) starting out at Intel, all of these are probably the last things on your mind. As a current RCG, I find it to be a pretty overwhelming and challenging task trying to prepare myself for the near and distant future at Intel. To help you prepare, Intel’s RCG program does an excellent job providing RCG’s with the appropriate tools and information to start building your future. As an additional resource to Intel’s RCG program, I am a member of Intel’s Rotation Engineers Program (REP). I’d like to share with you some of the “not so obvious” ways the REP is helping prepare me for a successful career at Intel.
First, I would like to point out how the REP made it easy for me to transition to Intel. As a RCG moving to a new city thousands of miles away from home where I had little to no friends or family and starting a new job, I had plenty of problems to face and a ton of questions to ask. “How will I get all my stuff there?”, “Where should I live?”, “What is there to do for fun?”, “How can I prepare for Intel?”…and the list of questions goes on. Months before I even started at Intel, the REP assigned me a “buddy” to help with everything and anything. My buddy helped me find a place to live, get my belongings to my new apartment, showed me around the city, identified fun things to do and see, and even setup a schedule for my first few days at Intel. It made my move to Oregon really smooth and easy, and allowed me to focus a lot of my time and energy into transitioning into Intel and getting started on the right foot.
Second, the REP made it effortless to find peers in a similar situation as myself and make friends. In fact, after my first day I had already met the current class of rotation engineers (REs) and made a handful of entirely new friends. It’s nice to know that by joining the REP, you’ve already got a group of friends who eat lunch together, plan hiking, go carting, and skiing trips (to name a few), and occasionally get together for happy hour. It not only helps socially outside of Intel, but inside as well. Quite a few REs have different backgrounds, and thus work in different business groups within Intel. Having these connections provides me with a bigger picture of what’s going on at Intel and allows me to hear about different parts of Intel that I normally wouldn’t be exposed to.
Finally, I have come to find out that Intel is all about networking, networking, and more networking. Whether it be finding your final position or looking for a career change, building a strong network of peers is a key and fundamental attribute and the REP provides just that. Joining the REP instantly gave me access to a vast network of current and past rotation engineers across all Intel sites (REP is available in Hillsboro, OR; Folsom, CA; Santa Clara, CA; Chandler, AZ; and Rio Rancho, NM). The program hosts numerous networking and social events making it easy for current rotation engineers to network and engage with REP alumni. I’ve had no problem making connections through these events, other REs, or through my rotations. As an RE, I soon came to realize that my network is already there, the REP has built it, and I just have to connect to it.
Please follow this link for more information on the REP.
If you have additional questions, feel free to leave them in the comments! I will try to answer as many as I can!
posted by Cherizza Lundy on October 29, 2009
“So, what do you do for Intel?” asked the person sitting next to me as I flew from Houston back to Portland in late-September. I wanted to respond with “I have fun!” but didn’t think that’d be a good, young-professional answer. Although I do have fun in my job, I knew that answer wouldn’t explain why I was on a flight across the country. The truth was that I had just finished working on Intel’s behalf at the National Black MBA Conference (NBMBAA) in New Orleans for the week. While the conference signified a small portion of my job in Human Resources as a Diversity Specialist on the Global Diversity & Inclusion Marketing and Communications team. (It’s kind of cool that I sit on a marketing team in human resources when I had little marketing experience. Intel, however, gave me the opportunity to gain and hone my marketing skills in my field of interest, HR.) It was my first time working a national conference where Intel was a sponsor.
I was barely three months into my full-time job at Intel (I had interned the previous summer) when I hopped on a flight that would take me from Portland, Oregon to New Orleans, Louisiana (yes, all the way across the country!) I got to New Orleans in the late afternoon despite leaving my apartment at an extremely early hour in the morning. After a good night’s sleep, I was ready to tackle my first day at the conference. The conference was held in the New Orleans convention center and from the moment I walked in, I was floored to see my company’s name all over the place! After the initial “awe” moment, I moved into work mode. The first day consisted of all the behind the scenes work – making sure our booth and marketing was set up (hope you stopped by!) and we had every little piece of the puzzle together. It took a lot of running around but we got it done!
The next two days were the actual event days. The conference was packed; there were a lot of people in suits walking around with resumes in hand. It created a strong intellectual energy that carried on throughout all phases of the conference. NBMBAA also had all kinds of keynote speakers from Star Jones to Roland Martin. Each speaker talked about a different aspect of managing the business world; there was really good information gained by everyone that attended! As my role involves staying up-to-date on trends in technology and other industries, I took the opportunity to walk around to check out other company booths. However, in being a member of the marketing and communications team, my biggest goal there was to make sure Intel has a strong, visible presence at events such as this one, so I took every chance I could get to talk to students about my experiences at Intel. It was a lot of fun to be so new in a company talking to people my age that are just as excited as I am about Intel. That night I was able to do some more mingling at the networking suite Intel hosted where we gave away a netbook.
The last day of the conference was much of the same: a lot of walking around and talking with other companies, doing benchmarking and coming up with ideas for next year. It was really cool to be able to talk to some executives at other companies and just see what they were all about! The Intel booth was packed because we were giving away another netbook. Even though the career fair was over, my work wasn’t done yet. We had to make sure the booth was all packed up, resumes were collected, marketing taken down, and off to FedEx we went to get it all shipped back. It was a long day but I had fun every minute of it so it flew by (like most of my days at Intel do!)
Looking back, I think what made it such a great experience was the fact that, even though I was—and still am—super new to Intel, I was given the opportunity to go out and represent for Intel. Going to these conferences was a good way to meet and greet with young diverse students that can add their unique backgrounds and experiences to Intel’s already diverse workforce. The landscape of the world is changing as Gen “Y”ers as myself are entering the workplace. It is important that Intel taps into all of the resources we have available to use to attract and gain great young talent! I had a blast at the National Black MBA Conference and as a result I’ll be heading up the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) conference at the Portland Convention Center, October 29-31. Stop by and see us (and me!) at booth #437!
posted by Jonathan Harle on October 27, 2009
Everyone knows Intel as a manufacturer of some of the world’s best microprocessors and other hardware technologies, right? But did you know Intel does software too? We do, and we just launched our new Software Careers website! Yep, I said software… but… what about the s-o-f-t-w-a-r-e? Jason blogged about software opportunities in his post, “Why does a hardware company need Software Engineers?” a little while back, but I wanted to remind you and share some of my thoughts too.
Having been involved with the Software and Services group for five years now, I always knew it was an important component of Intel’s success. No matter how great the hardware is, it will not realize its full potential without correspondingly great software. I was amazed to find out that if you counted up all our software employees, as a stand alone company, it would be one of the largest software companies in the world. We have an insanely great team of software engineers that create many cool innovations in areas like graphics computing, open source, Moblin–Cool Vid, Intru 3D, Security, Manageability, Windows and other technologies.
With all this amazing “software stuff” flying around, in what is commonly known as a hardware company, we thought it would be a good idea to have a place designed for people interested in software careers. Inside Intel’s careers site, Jobs at Intel, (pardon the pun) you can quickly learn more about our software opportunities, explore Intel’s latest software innovations and easily meet and connect with the people that make Intel such a great software company.
Check out the new site and let me know what you think!
Also, stay tuned as we will be adding functionality that will allow users to select a specific interest area (open source, graphics computing, etc.) and see all of our software opportunities in that specific area. No searching - all with one click. Have questions? I’d love to help! Leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to answer them .
posted by Sejal Patel on October 20, 2009
I recently celebrated a milestone: I successfully completed my first year with Intel. It seems like just yesterday I was dressed in my black slacks and grey button-up and was shown my ‘home away from home’ that I would spend much of my working time in. In the days to follow, I was introduced to incredible people who were going to be my co-workers, learned about Intel and our strategy moving forward and discovered how I fit into the big picture.
As the economy took a hit, I realized how fortunate I was to be where I was: not only was I fortunate to have a job, but I was blessed to have one that I loved. The challenge of a new role and the uncertainty of unexplored territory combined with the support of intelligent, helpful teammates and the encouragement of taking risks translated into wonderful opportunities. Over the past year, I was taught the lay of the land but also encouraged to venture out and try something new. So, off I went with my teammates and together we accomplished a lot. We worked on finding ways to connect with you through the Jobs@Intel blog and Twitter and our Discover Intel Facebook Fan page. We even launched a new social networking portal called “Your Job Network” on the Jobs at Intel web site where you can choose how to connect with us. We’ve started, we’re excited and we can’t wait to keep going! (But none of this could be possible without you…so go on, leave us a note and tell us what you think. We’d love to know your thoughts!)
A lot has changed in a year, yet much remains the same. I swapped my business casual attire for the more common (and comfortable) jeans and a sweater look. My grey cube is still, well, grey but I’ve livened it up with photos. And around my birthday, 60 pink balloons and the Jonas Brothers (cut-out) made a “guest appearance” in it. My co-workers are still as incredible (if not more) than when I met them and have become friends. While I don’t think I will ever stop learning about Intel and our future plans, everyday is a different opportunity for me to find ways to create an impact on the big picture of where we are going. One milestone has passed which means there are only more to come. I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens next!
posted by Valerie Scarsellato on September 24, 2009
Last week, I talked a little bit about why you should use social media, professionally. Today, I want to talk a little bit about how and some of my personal experience. Here’s a fairly compelling bit of information that I recently read on Groundswell*: “In 2009, more than four out of five online Americans are active in either creating, participating in, or reading some form of social content at least once a month.” Even I was surprised by that statement; that’s a significant amount of people participating in social media! Check out the article for further analysis, it’s pretty revealing.
Social Media Enhances the Professional Networking Experience
In addition to networking with potential candidates, I’m also looking to network with other recruiters or subject-matter experts that can lend value and increase my business acumen. Social media turns the networking experience up several decibels! Here’s a perfect example. I posted (or tweeted in Twitter-speak) a question regarding a leading business software solutions company. Within minutes, I became connected with the principle coordinator of an upcoming technical conference from the software solutions company I was asking about. She provided me with very valuable information which I was able to utilize and piggyback onto additional resources. Additionally, one of our Intel managers that supports the software solutions package, also reached out to me and said he was available if I needed any questions answered. Had I not been orbiting the social media sphere, I may never have engaged with these knowledgeable and constructive professionals. These two examples made my research regarding a specific skill set area, much more targeted and robust. I was also pointed to join a couple of Facebook groups, which provided even more information that I was able to utilize. Each social media channel provides a unique facet to the networking experience.
Population Misconception
What’s ironic to me is the perception from people that have never really tried to tap into social media. They seem to have no desire to give it a chance because they believe that younger people predominantly utilize some social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. What a major misconception! It’s not at all what you may think. Take a look at some revealing statistics from “Boomers Social Media Stats-Rocking Out on Twitter, Facebook,AARP”
Creating a Social Media Footprint
Let’s fast-forward if you’re not already there. You’ve taken the time to check out some of the social media sites. You’ve even created profiles on a few of them, now what? Being actively engaged on the sites you’re now a part of is imperative for positive results. Think of it like the lottery slogan: “YOU HAVE TO PLAY TO WIN!” Utilizing social media for networking purposes is not just creating the profiles on the different sites, but actively engaging, inviting others to join your network (Linked In), requesting someone to be your friend (Facebook), following others that work where you do or have common interests as you (Twitter), post comments, update your profiles, blog a little. Most of all, HAVE FUN WITH IT! You don’t have to devote much time to it in order to see results. Signing in a time or two during your week or weekend on a couple of sites you have profiles on, won’t take very long. The best part of engaging on your social media channels is you can do it from anywhere, and there’s no formal business attire required!! I hope to see you out there. If this is brand new to you, please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn*.
posted by Coby Schneider on September 22, 2009
A while back I wrote my first blog post on “What’s a typical Intel internship like?” In response to that, a question was posed back to me, “What do we (Intel) expect from our interns?” This is a great question and I committed to elaborating more on this topic in a follow-up post.
It’s now the end of August and the majority of our 2009 interns have returned or are returning to school soon, and I’ve been speaking to a lot of them about how to position themselves for a future internship or post graduation position through our Recent College Graduate hiring. In addition to the three things I mentioned previously (problem solving skills, willingness to embrace learning, and good communication skills), the other key expectations that have been front in my mind lately as I’ve watched this year’s intern are: do the job you got hired for and help us help you.
Do the job you got hired for
As I mentioned in my first post, Intel hires interns to do specific projects. A successful intern completes the requirements of that project as defined and on time. There will be lots of opportunities to take on interesting and fun stuff but those extra activities can’t be at the expense of the core job. In fact, the most successful interns plan time for other things as part of their schedule. They prioritize completing project deliverables on schedule in addition to scheduling time to go to intern events to meet other interns and grow their career network, set up informational interviews with key roles in their organization to learn more about how those folks got to where they are now, help others with projects that align to their skills giving them more exposure to different kinds of work, etc. However, if the core job the intern was hired for becomes at risk of not being completed successfully, the manager may require the intern to not pursue extra activities and will likely not be interested in having that person back in the future.
Help us help you
Our first CEO Andy Grove famously said employees “own their own employability,” and while we now say it’s really more of a partnership between the manager and the employee, the employee still holds a critical role in communicating how the manager can help them grow. Interns should feel very comfortable having frank conversations with their managers. These conversations can be about what they want to do now and in the future, what they like and dislike about their current project, and what they need help on. Since interns are the first people we go to to fill the majority of our future post graduate employee positions, managers want to support the interns’ development as much as possible. The extent to which this can be done is very reliant on the manager’s understanding of his or her intern’s interests. Tell us what you need from us and we’ll help you get there.
For those of you who are beginning a new school year or semester, good luck with your fall schedule! In the meantime, we will be back on campus to recruit for RCG positions as well as internships. Now that you know the expectations, both what we expect from interns and what interns can expect from us, I hope you’ll consider Intel when exploring your opportunities.
Check out our Recruiting Events Calendar to see where Intel recruiters will be.
