Do you remember your first internship?
The projects. The team meetings. The way the energy on a corporate campus is different from your university campus. Internship programs have come a long way from the stereotypical coffee runs and mail room assignments.
At Dassault Systèmes, early career programs are not one size fits all. No two experiences are exactly alike, because they are essentially shaped by the individuals who fulfill those roles in our offices around the world. While many traditional internships are exclusive to current students, we offer a range of early career programs beyond a standard experience for students and post-grads who are eager to explore their interests and skills in a professional environment.
The intern experience
Throughout the course of a year, over 400 students participate in the internship program offered at our global headquarters in Vélizy-Villacoublay, just a short drive from Paris.
As a Talent Acquisition Partner for this region, Elodie Brunet has seen hundreds of students cycle through our early career programs and kickstart their careers. Across all of these initiatives is an emphasis on encouraging and supporting participants who wish to extend their time with us, either transitioning between early career programs or into permanent roles within the company.
“Our objective,” Brunet said, “is to convert those interns and apprentices who are the best candidates for our job position due to their motivation to continue their journey in Dassault Systèmes, due to the fact that they are already trained on our tools and due to their knowledge of our complex environment.”
Pamela Stoyanova, a talent acquisition partner for our offices in Germany, attributes the increased conversion of participants to full-time roles to the exposure to our diverse and innovative projects, which allow interns to see the exciting possibilities for their careers at Dassault Systèmes. “They witness firsthand how their contributions contribute to the company’s success and the positive changes they can make in the world through our cutting-edge solutions,” she said.
Volunteer for International Experience
Although Pauline Castany never imagined that she would spend a year working in Waltham, Massachusetts, she recently wrapped up a year as a member of the internal communications team at Dassault Systèmes.
After starting her journey at Dassault Systèmes back in 2021 as a corporate intern in Vélizy, Castany participated in France’s Volunteer for International Experience (VIE) program. This program is offered for recent graduates under the age of 28 who are citizens of countries in the European Economic Area. Participants are eligible for short-term international work assignments at French companies for a period of six to 24 months. During her VIE program, she had the opportunity to attend many Dassault Systèmes events across America, including 3DEXPERIENCE World in Nashville and CES in Las Vegas. Castany also had the opportunity to speak during Family Day in Waltham this past summer.
Now that she’s returned to Vélizy for a full-time position on the communications team, Castany’s advice for newcomers is to embrace taking risks for opportunities that interest you and make the most of your experience here, even short-term contracts.
Co-op experiences
Mrinalini Jadhav, an international student from India, has spent the past five months completing her graduate co-op program for Northeastern University interning for Dassault Systèmes’ SIMULIA brand. The co-op experience allows students to pursue full-time vocational programs as part of their degree program.
Studying and working half a world away from home, Jadhav has had the opportunity to venture outside of her comfort zone in the pursuit of knowledge and cultivate new skills with the unwavering support of her team and mentors. In addition to learning Linux operating systems this summer, Jadhav had the opportunity to work as a Quality Engineer intern for PowerFLOW applications. Describing her journey at Dassault Systèmes so far, Jadhav emphasizes that it is truly “a learning experience” that has helped her grow both individually and within her skillset.
Jadhav’s favorite experience during her co-op? A midsummer field trip to Rhode Island with her Waltham team for a fun day of kayaking, outdoor games and icebreakers to facilitate a bonding experience between the teams based in Waltham and Johnston, RI.
Early career experiences in Germany
Beyond our Vélizy campus, there are a variety of early career programs in our offices throughout Europe. Stoyanova believes that our internships are remarkable due to the real-world exposure that they provide for young professionals.
“These placements allow students to immerse themselves in the world of work while continuing their studies,” Stoyanova said. “It’s a valuable chance to gain practical insights into their chosen field and build a solid foundation for their future careers.”
Undergraduate internships in our Germany offices are more inclusive than most because they provide hands-on opportunities for high school students, allowing them to explore their interests and skills before embarking on their university studies with a specific career in mind. This philosophy is reinforced by the Dual Study program, which allows students to bring their specialized knowledge from their university campuses to relevant projects developed on our campuses. With an equal emphasis on education and professional development, this program offers a unique learning experience that bridges the gap between academia and practical skills development.
Stoyanova believes this program is remarkable as it “welcomes individuals from various backgrounds, whether they have studied engineering, business, pedagogy, psychology or even insurance. It caters to recent graduates and those with prior work experience, regardless of their previous roles, making it an inclusive and accessible opportunity for all.”
This is a common feeling among interns in our offices, as many of them begin programs without expertise and background in STEM. There are opportunities for internships in a range of backgrounds here. Regardless of whether you’re a STEM or humanities major in school, there are opportunities for you to explore early career opportunities at Dassault Systèmes.
Steffi Schramel, a working student from Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, is grateful for the opportunity to apply her studies as a member of the corporate communications team. The working student program allows students to establish a flexible part-time schedule that accommodates their academic course load while providing them with real world exposure to projects in their field.
After graduating from university in October 2023, Steffi is continuing her role as a part-time working student as she pursues a master’s degree in communications – all with the flexibility of working from home. Schramel explained one of the most important positive experiences as a working student was the ability to work remotely, as this helped her balance her workload and academic pursuits.
Another essential support system for Schramel is her relationship with her manager, who has become her mentor throughout the experience. Although they are both based in Germany, their five-person team also consists of members based in Singapore, France and the United States. Schramel is grateful for her constant exposure to an international environment that operates on different schedules and routines.
A global perspective
Hannah Epstein, a summer intern in Waltham, worked as a Japanese localization intern for SOLIDWORKS. She communicated daily with coworkers in the Tokyo office who operated in a different time zone.
Epstein felt that her expertise was truly valued by her team as she assisted in addressing help tickets and suggestions from Japanese users to improve their experience. In addition to understanding their needs to enhance SOLIDWORKS, Epstein had the opportunity to identify additional areas of improvement and share these insights with senior members of her team to be implemented in the future. Through the power of language and localization, Epstein left a lasting impact that will be helpful for SOLIDWORKS users around the world, and she feels that this was the most meaningful aspect of her internship.
Epstein’s advice for young applicants? “Be bold and fearless. Don’t hesitate to take on various responsibilities, even if you feel you may not be fully prepared. This is how personal and professional growth happens. Also, ask as many questions as you need, especially in the initial stages of your journey, as this will make everything significantly easier!”
The variety of early career experiences and the roles offered through them provide flexibility and support to interns that allows them to tailor their schedule and projects around their personal and educational commitments. The format of our early career programs allows young professionals to establish a healthy work life balance while working at Dassault Systèmes.
Supporting young professionals in the early stages of their career prepares them for the changing landscape of the workplace in the years ahead. This allows Dassault Systèmes to provide a strong and vibrant foundation on which so many young professionals have developed their careers, both within and beyond our community.
At Dassault Systèmes, 3D experiences are at the heart of everything we do, and that includes our multifaceted early career programs that provide transformative experiences for those who participate in them.