Complete Test & Interview Guide for Telenor Summer Internship Program 2015

Telenor Summer Internship Program is one of the most coveted entry-level career opportunities available to students and fresh graduates in the country. Thousands of applicants compete every year for the opportunity, a select few of which are finally given the chance to serve at the company for a set period of 8 weeks, and the internship program culminates in a grand Graduation Ceremony usually held in Islamabad.
Like previous years, 2015 edition of Telenor Summer Internship Program has officially kicked-off and interested applicants can now apply for the opportunity. For all such individuals, students and graduates alike, we have compiled the following guide. It is based on the experiences of a former Telenor intern, and shall be beneficial for all the candidates regarding the testing and selection procedures, on what to expect during different stages of application processing, and how to effectively deal with each one.

Eligibility Criteria for Telenor Summer Internship Program 2015

For an applicant to be eligible for the internship program at Telenor, they must satisfy one of the following criteria:

A Bachelor’s student who has completed at least 6 semesters of education out of total 8
A Master’s student who has completed at least 2 semesters of education out of total 4
A fresh graduate from a 4-year Bachelor’s program
A fresh graduate from a 2-year Master’s program

Apart from these preliminary requirements, an ideal candidate should be highly motivated and possess strong interpersonal skills. Previous employment experience is not essential for selection, but some industry exposure coupled with good grades are beneficial to have on your resume.

Relevant Departments for Telenor Summer Internship Program 2015

Eligible students or fresh graduates from almost any educational background can apply for the internship program. They will be allocated the best-suited department according to their skills and education level. Major departments at which interns can expect their placement include:

Corporate Communications & Responsibility
Customer Relations
Financial Operations
Human Resources
Marketing
Products & Services
Sales & Distribution
Financial Services (Branchless Banking)
Network Engineering
Software Engineering
Technology Operations – Network

Application & Selection Procedure for Telenor Summer Internship Program

Summarily, the complete application and selection procedure flow for the internship program goes like as follows:

telenor-summer-internship-program-2015-procedure
The application process for Telenor Summer Internship Program 2015 has started as of March 29, and candidates can visit the Career Portal at official Telenor website to apply. There, new users have to create a new account to apply for the position by clicking the “New User?” link on top-right corner under the banner image. The existing users can simply login and move to the next step.

Once the account has been created or user has logged in, an applicant can select “My Profile” link from the menu at the left and edit/update each individual section of the profile, like Personal Information, Education, Skills & Abilities, etc. Remember one thing while filling-out these details: Grades are not everything. Try to highlight your skills, achievements, awards and honors, volunteer and extra-curricular work you have done to improve your chances. After all, it is your interpersonal and professional skills that the company wants, not your grades or a certification.

After all relevant details have been updated, go back to “My Home” and click “Telenor Intern 2015” link under “Current Vacancies”. Go through all the details and hit “Apply” button at the bottom to finish the application procedure. You will soon receive a confirmation e-mail that your application has been received.

Online Test Guide for Telenor Summer Internship Program 2015

Businessman working with documents in the office

Like previous years, candidate screening at first stage will most likely be done via an online test. Candidates who applied for the internship program will be sent unique login IDs and passwords for an online testing portal after the application deadline has passed.

The online test for Telenor’s Internship Program usually consists of 30 questions, which have to be attempted within 30 minutes of time. These questions comprise of basic General Knowledge/IQ and mathematics subjects, which are meant to test the GK/IQ and time management skills of applicants.

First of all make sure that you have a steady internet connection. You’ll only get one chance to attempt the test. Keep a calculator, pen/pencil, and spare papers handy as they will be needed in solving the questions. You will use the link, login ID, and password provided by Telenor to login to the online testing system. At the start or end of the test, you will be asked to fill-in some personal and professional details like CNIC, education & work details, so it is better that you keep a copy of your CV at hand as well.

The trick to solving the online test is effective management of allocated time. There is one minute to solve each question, but all questions are not of the same difficulty level. Some are very easy, while some might take more than one minute. So try to solve the easy questions first, and use your judgment to skip the ones that seem like they’ll take longer time. You’ll be able to try the skipped questions again at the end of the test.

You can end the test early if you complete it before the time runs out. Once finished, you can close the testing portal. After that you’ll have to wait for the announcement of successful candidates. Only shortlisted candidates who finish the test with good marks will be informed about the next step, which is the interview.

Interview Guide for Telenor Summer Internship Program 2015

Interviews are usually one of the major make-it-or-break-it components of selection procedure, and you can expect the same at Telenor. Top candidates to perform well in the online test phase are called in for the interviews; candidates can expect the first one of them to be a formal personality interview. Dress up for this one, and go in prepared. Confidence is one key element that will define the chances of your success, so believe in yourself and maintain a can-do attitude. As for what type of questions you can expect, consult the following guides which quite adequately cover all the bases:

For most of the applicants, one interview will be enough to either seal the deal or kiss the opportunity goodbye. In a rare case where a manager personally wants to interact with the applicant or HRD is not satisfied with a single interview, a second one may also be arranged. This one might go a little on the technical/subjective side so be prepared if you’re called in a second time.

A Relevant Must-Read: A Quick Job Preparation Course for Graduates

If you ace the test and interview(s), you can expect to receive an offer letter, via e-mail, mentioning the perks/benefits of the position and the last date to intimate the company about your decision. Successful candidates who reply to this in ‘Yes’ will receive the joining date at which they will respond at their office of placement, and their internship will officially begin that day onwards.

Stipend & Benefits of Telenor Summer Internship Program

As of the Summer Internship Program 2014, interns at Telenor were eligible to receive:

a monthly stipend of Rs. 10,000
a Telenor employee SIM with mobile credit of Rs. 2,000
a company laptop for the intern to work on and stay connected to their co-workers
pick-and-drop facility (for female interns only)
access to all internal facilities (gym, games rooms, café, etc.)

An Interns’ Graduation Ceremony is held at the conclusion of the internship program, where all the interns who completed their internship at the company receive certificates.

telenor-internship-graduation-ceremony-2014-2015-guide

The real benefit of the Telenor Summer Internship Program, however, lies beyond stipend and credits. These benefits include the hands-on training and the ability to work on real-life company projects. All interns are treated as full-time employees, expected to attend relevant meetings, give their input on specific areas of work, and present a final deliverable at the end of internship program which is relegated to the intern by the manager at the start of internship.

In short, it is a great opportunity for whoever is looking forward to hone their communication, presentation, and technical skills within a professional and supportive environment. Females and candidates with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply, as the company has zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination. Provision of a dedicated pick-and-drop facility is also a huge supportive step to assist female interns.

Some of the interns who show promising performance are offered full-time employment at Telenor after the conclusion of the internship program. During the 2014 episode of Telenor Summer Internship, 9 interns received and accepted the permanent job offer. Those interns who do not receive a job offer immediately are still kept in the loop regarding future employment opportunities and even stand eligible to skip some of the stages a regular applicant will have to go through during induction procedure.

The Competition, and Chances of Selection

All this discussion brings us to a final point, which is: What exactly are the chances of an applicant getting selected? The honest truth is, the selection procedure is very competitive. Now, do not get demotivated when we tell you that only 60 interns were selected from a pool of 20,000 applicants last year, because those 60 shortlisted candidates were just as living, breathing beings with a sound mind as you are.

Do not listen to nay-sayers and discouraging comments. Do not pay attention to those who say that the selection system is rigged and you need a good recommendation or parchee for selection, because these ideas are simply bollocks and usually spread by those who fail the selection procedure in the first place.

If you possess decent grades, have a track record of participating in activities other than mere study groups, and are motivated enough to take on any challenge put in front of you, you will definitely be among the ones graduating this year.

Conclusion

Remember the following points if you are aspiring for the intern position at Telenor to improve your chances:

Prepare a strong CV which showcases your extra-curricular and volunteer work,
Try to manage time effectively during the online test,
Be completely prepared for the interview,
And most importantly, believe in yourself.

Do tell us in the comments below if you are/were an intern yourself, or are looking forward to apply this year. If you have any queries, feel free to post them here and we’ll be glad to help out if possible.

Now go apply here, and best of luck!

– Disclosure: i) Author of this piece is a former intern at Telenor. ii) The information rendered above is being provided on the basis of author’s personal experiences at the company and for guidance purposes only, and is not intended to serve as advertisement or promotion for the company. iii) Some of the working details might have changed between the time the author interned at the company and the current internship program, however we believe the guidelines explicated above will nonetheless give aspiring candidates enough knowledge about what to expect and how to deal with each application & selection stage.