Genentech

Process Development Intern

January - July 2023 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

As a result of working in one of Genentech's main Pilot Plant teams, I was able to shadow a great deal of molecule runs that came through the Purification Pilot Plant and understand the mechanisms and principles that drive Genentech's method for purification at a manufacturing-like scale. I was then also able to shadow the filling, in the Drug Product Pilot Plant, of the eluant that was purified in the Purification Pilot Plant for each of the molecules that came through and was able to learn about the process associated with vial filling in an aseptic facility. Besides my internship, I really appreciated how Genentech fostered a community of learning by holding weekly seminars with scientists of their gRED team to discuss the current research that they are working on, quarterly townhalls for the different departments to describe what has been achieved and the next steps, and an Open House towards the end of my internship where employees and interns, like me, were able to visit representatives from the other departments in Genentech and get a glimpse of the work they do and how it translates to the work you are currently doing.

What I wish was different

In terms of the internship itself, the company, my hiring manager, and the members of the Pilot Plant team that I was able to work with could not have done a better job with providing me the most invaluable experience. If anything had to be different it would be that I wish that I had taken more initiative to explore the different departments at Genentech as I would've been able to further broaden my options for future career paths.

Advice

My hiring manager in my first week told me "Don't do things for the sake of doing. Put thought into your work. Understand what you're doing and why you're doing it. Honestly question things that you don't know and learn about it or question the way things are done and improve upon it."

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Architectural Intern

May - August 2023 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I love the flexibility of management. They wanted interns to utilize as much benefits as possible and network.

What I wish was different

I wish I had stricter deadlines.

Advice

Connect with as many people as possible.

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Digital Pathology Intern

May - August 2021 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Really supportive and friendly, awesome company culture, great pay, impactful work

What I wish was different

Advice

Genentech is an awesome place to go if you're interested in biotech especially R&D side, and make sure to take initiative and ask for things to do. It'll be an awesome experience working there:)

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Facility Operations and Maintenance

June - September 2021 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Had the opporutunity to network with other workers in a field I am interested in

What I wish was different

I wish there were more hands-on experiences throughout my internship instead of just excel sheets

Advice

Continue to communicate with the people you worked with

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Chemical Engineering Intern

May 2021 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Great culture and work environment. People were very supportive and helpful. Everyone respected eachother.

What I wish was different

I wish it were in person instead of virtual. I did not get to connect with my teammates as well because of the virtual set up

Advice

Ask questions and do research. Asking the right questions can help you learn a lot, which will help in future positions.

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Strategy Intern

May - August 2021 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Very relaxed schedule

What I wish was different

More structure and solid goals

Advice

Reach out to other teams to find more work if you are interested

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Mechanical Engineering Intern

June - December 2020 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Genentech has an entire program dedicated intern professional growth and transition into the company.

What I wish was different

I wish I was working in person, but due to the pandemic my entire time was remote.

Advice

Meet as many people as possible as everyone has valuable resources and connections to offer.

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Pharmaceutical Development Intern

June - September 2020 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I loved seeing how a leading biotech company operates.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been able to go on campus instead of having a virtual internship.

Advice

Talk to as many people as possible!

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Pharma Technical Operations Intern

June - August 2020 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Loved the intern community, felt valued by my manager and team.

What I wish was different

The online aspect made it difficult to communicate, I wish there had been more flow to this

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask questions

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Wet Lab Intern

June - September 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I loved the atmosphere of Genentech! you never felt like you were moving amongst some of the brightest and most highly qualified minds in the industry. I also loved how my work was "mission critical", and I was making meaningful contributions to their research; My work comprised of conducting crucial wet lab techniques. I was trained by Phd's who taught me to develop insight into the experiment and understand the overall implications of what I was doing in the lab.

What I wish was different

I wish I had been entrusted to only one project during the summer. I was initially given two projects and because of that, I feel I could not get as in depth of an insight to the projects as I would have liked.

Advice

Know that saying no is ok! at least within Genentech. This was communicated to me by two of my managers, and I feel they are right. Had I been subjected to just one project, I could have achieved so much more. Instead of just validating assays, I could have gotten a chance to run actual patient samples. This would have made the overall experience so much more gratifying! Nonetheless, I had a spectacular time learn and expanding my horizons a Genentech.

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Manager Associate

June - July 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

The environment

What I wish was different

The length of my internship

Advice

Make connections with people

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Facilities IT Intern

June - September 2019 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Amazing benefits, beautiful campus, a wide variety of food options, friendly staff, flexible hours, accommodating facilities

What I wish was different

I wish I had a more structured plan of what my tasks were throughout the summer.

Advice

Don't be afraid to ask to shadow someone or ask to explore another role for a day.

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Process Engineer

June - September 2019 • Vacaville, CA

What I liked

The means to build connections.

What I wish was different

The extent of the role. I wish I had more time to learn other things.

Advice

Make the most and take on more than one project.

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Emergency response specialist

May 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Excellent training and many opportunities for growth. Company also offers many summer internships in different departments.

What I wish was different

Intake takes a while to complete, as well as training so you need to start the process earlier than just summer.

Advice

Just apply!

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Development Science Intern

June - August 2019 • San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Ability to talk with anyone about their career trajectory

What I wish was different

I wish I was working with other interns on the same project

Advice

Work for a company even if you want to do graduate school so that you can understand the corporate world

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Reliability Engineering Intern

April - September 2018 • Hillsboro, OR

What I liked

I enjoyed my co-workers and the learning culture the company embraces.

What I wish was different

I wish the project I worked on for a majority of my internship was more applicable to my major (Chemical Engineering).

Advice

Do not be afraid to ask questions, you need to be able to ask questions well to be able to survive in the working world.

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Case Manager

January 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

Interacting with patients

What I wish was different

More challenging

Advice

Find what you love to do and keep doing it.

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Reimbursement Specialist

June 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

They are large company that believes in their employees unique abilities, expereince and knowledge to apply and help solve issues with acess to affordable and effective mediciation.

What I wish was different

It could be a full time position, as I’m currently contracted with the company. However the experience still brings many opportunities

Advice

Be open to new experiences and take advantage of the many resources you have available. Whether it is the career center or using LinkedIn. Try your best to apply what you learn as you learn; networking is a skill that just takes practice too!

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Project Coordinator

August 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I liked being involved with people in different departments.

What I wish was different

If I could be a project manager.

Advice

Work to your fullest.

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Business Analyst Intern

June - August 2018 • South San Francisco, CA

What I liked

I loved learning about the different aspects of the drug pipeline at the world's largest pharmaceutical company. I am currently going into pharmaceutical management consulting, so this job really helped me find my passion for business strategy within the biotech space.

What I wish was different

I wish I had gotten more flexibility with projects and more access to leadership within my team. At such a large company, it can difficult to navigate a professional network so some more one-on-one mentorship would have been helpful.

Advice

Concentrate on networking if you intern at a large company. I spent too long trying to understand technical aspects of my job instead of asking the right people how to do so. Definitely don't wait until the last month to make connections!

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