IDFC First Bank Data Science Intern

I am Ishan Pandit, currently in my fourth year (after second year when I did the internship). In my second year summers I interned at IDFC First Bank as a Data Science Intern. This article gives an overview of how I got this internship and my experience during those two months.
About the Internship:
Company: IDFC First Bank
Role: Data Science Intern
Duration: 2 months (8th May - 5th July 2025)
Mode: On-site (with some WFH days for tech roles)
Company Type: Indian Private Sector Bank
Department: AI Labs Team
How I Got the Opportunity:
I came across this opportunity through word of mouth and sent my resume through referral.
Selection Process:
- Initial resume screening
- Quantitative test - Math, logical reasoning, and English
- Psychometric test
- Final interview with Lead Data Scientist of AI Labs team
Preparation:
Key Focus Areas:
- Thorough knowledge of projects - Main testing area for second-year internships
- ML concepts and GenAI knowledge - Since interviewer led the GenAI team
- Project understanding - More important than DSA for data science roles
Previous Experience That Helped: Projects were the main differentiator - they expect limited experience from second-year students, so strong projects are crucial.
Primary Responsibilities:
Main Domain: Generative AI
Key Projects:
- SQL Query Generation Automation for IDFC First Bank’s extensive database
- Built custom LLM agent using LangChain and OpenAI API
- Implemented LLM-based evaluation techniques
- Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) implementation
- Optimized selection of relevant tables for query generation
- AI Text Detection Research
- Studied various architectures, models, APIs and tools
- Found optimal solution for AI text detection
- Custom LLM Application Development
- Built content generation system for multiple formats (image, video, text)
- Based on bank guidelines and needs
- Implemented various prompt engineering techniques
- Project Shadowing
- Attended meetings for GenAI projects on SEO, call analysis, and VRM automation
Work Culture & Experience:
Onboarding:
- Received laptop on first day
- Access setup took 2-3 days
- Proper work started from second week with clear problem statements and expectations
Work Environment:
- Amazing work culture! Very supportive and approachable team
- Proper mentorship - Allocated buddy mentor with excellent rapport
- Could ask anything work-related or about career paths
- Generally easy-going with interns (though this might create bias)
Mentorship: Excellent buddy system - mentor was very supportive for both work queries and career guidance discussions.
Key Learnings:
Non-Technical (Corporate Exposure):
- Office etiquette and formal dressing
- Communication with new, often older team members
- Senior leadership interactions
- Corporate meeting participation
- Work presentation skills
- Professional relationship building
Technical Knowledge:
- AWS tools and cloud technologies
- Advanced LLM concepts and models
- Hands-on GenAI implementation
- Enterprise-level AI application development
Career Impact:
Gained valuable insights into:
- Tech ML work flexibility - Good work hours and flexibility
- Corporate data science roles - Day-to-day responsibilities and environment
- Career direction clarity - Understanding of preferred work environment
Important Note: Even if you’re not completely sure about your direction after internship, that’s perfectly normal - you have time to figure things out!
Recommendations for Juniors:
Best Strategy: Referrals - Send resume through contacts to directly reach OA stage
- Ask parents for contacts in companies with relevant roles
- Much easier than cold applications
Advice for First-Time Interns:
Mindset Preparation:
- Be ready for a completely new world - New people, high self-expectations, potentially overwhelming corporate offices
- It’s an amazing experience to meet people working in your desired field
- Don’t hesitate to ask anything - Especially non-work related questions
- People are happy to help - Most colleagues enjoy guiding interns
Key Benefits:
- IIT tag advantage - Commands respect even before significant work
- Don’t worry about team acceptance - People are generally excited to have interns
Maximize Opportunity:
- Don’t limit yourself to just working
- Talk to many people (even outside your team)
- Learn from diverse backgrounds and journeys
- Network actively
Common Misconceptions:
Reality: Office people are NOT busy and unhelpful. In fact:
- Most people are happy to see interns
- They love helping and talking to interns
- They’re interested in your story and future plans
- They don’t have unrealistic expectations
- They’re more than happy to support you
Core vs Non-Core Decision:
Depends completely on your interests and passion:
- Core interest + Core career plans = Core internship or research
- Non-core certainty = Better to discover early through non-core internships
- Early clarity helps long-term career planning
Contact Information:
- Email: 22b2141@iitb.ac.in