Cummins Inc |

"Although I am a student of Aerospace Engineering, I did not have any real hands-on engineering experience. Most I ever did was some minor University projects. Although Cummins had one of the longer and difficult initial assessments the recruitment process went amazing. I really appreciated always being kept in the loop. Many companies ask you to apply in November and next time you hear from them is March or April. Cummins doesn’t keep you in the dark and sends updates about progress of your application every week or two. I did not really know what to expect as this is my first real work experience. Nonetheless, Cummins surprised me in a positive way. I did not expect an engineering company to put so much care into making sure everyone irrespective of position is treated fairly and with respect. Flexible work environment where you can talk to everyone and ask as many questions as you want without being brushed off or judged makes it truly enjoyable experience. Throughout the first week and month, I’ve been introduced to how Cummins operates through a range of trainings and tasks given by my manager. You start carrying real responsibility in Cummins very fast. I enjoy that Cummins also gives you opportunities to develop yourself in a way you choose by providing a range of free training programs. My tip for everyone applying to Cummins would be to do your research on the company (as much as the time allows you) and be confident in the interview. I’m sure you heard it many times, but confidence really is around 50% of success in the interview."

"The only hands-on experience that I have had in engineering was through university. However, I am passionate about cars and have been heavily involved in engine swaps, turbo swaps etc. on my own cars and friends. My age was a concern, being a mature student was something I thought could hold me back. However, I have not felt like that at all throughout the whole process. I thought it was well structured with a variety of methods used. I thought the process being online was good as it wasn’t as pressured as it would have been in person. My first week went well and it was a good opportunity to get to know other placement students. One thing I found really helpful was the meet and greet the week before the official start. It made Cummins stand out as a company that cared for its employees and that they are invested in creating a good experience for placement students. My first month has been amazing and I am lucky to be part of such a varied team. On the VG platform, there is so much going on and there is always something to be involved in. I can happily say that I have not come across anybody who is not willing to help or give advice. The number of social events and activities I have been invited to is great and has really made me feel part of a team. It has been a steep learning curve, not necessarily in the technical aspects but more getting to grips with the corporate structure and various systems that we have to use on a day-to-day basis."

1. Be yourself.
2. Be passionate.
3. Show your interests.
4. Ask questions.
5. Be honest.

"Being a physics student, I didn’t necessarily have much engineering hands-on experience- we had labs where I dealt with some circuitry and machinery but nothing quite like what Cummins does. So, both my lack of hands-on experience and the fact that I was a science student and not engineering did worry me at first as I assumed that I would be lagging behind all the other interns. However thankfully, that was not the case at all! I have found that being a non-engineering student was not a disadvantage to me which was a huge relief- instead, it allows me to tackle problems from a different perspective which is always useful. Additionally, if there was anything I didn’t understand, help was always available to me. Everybody I’ve worked with has been willing to sit with me and work through any issue I have, show me where I can find certain documents and how to use them and so much more, which has been a huge help and allowed me to become more settled in my role.

My recruitment process was actually the best out of all the internships I applied for. So many companies either never replied to me or if they did, they took a very long time to respond and made me feel like they didn’t care about my time or effort. Cummins responded to me faster than anyone else and made me feel like I was important to them which was great.

I am currently really enjoying my internship- I have learned so much, worked on some interesting projects and have been able to experience what working for a company as big as Cummins is like. The people are lovely, and you get the sense that they all really care about you and what is best for you.
A tip for current candidates from me is to look at what makes you different (non-engineering student, if you’re not local to Huddersfield, if you haven’t worked in an engineering company before etc) as a good thing rather than a disadvantage. Working as a team is all about bringing your unique perspective and what makes you different could actually be and usually is a huge advantage."