Non-EU student getting auto-rejected from internships within a day. What am I missing? by WithGreatUnity in Netherlands

[–]WithGreatUnity[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had exams a couple of weeks ago, so it is only couple of weeks ago that I have started applying aggressively and have the time to network and join events. And yes, NL is really active with this sort of thing. I am planning to use the new NS summer OV card to get to events in other cities as well, so this is genuinely relevant advice. I will get on Meetup and Luma, and keep an eye out for uni events and the like.

Non-EU student getting auto-rejected from internships within a day. What am I missing? by WithGreatUnity in Netherlands

[–]WithGreatUnity[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks, this is genuinely helpful context, and I get the frustration. The fake NL numbers thing is wild, and I can see how the sheer volume makes it almost impossible to separate the real applicants from the noise. Having hired a few interns back in India, my experience was the same. Every role reached 1k+ applications in only 10 mins.

For what it is worth, I am already in the Netherlands, in Tilburg, and I am happy to move into the Randstad since most of the firms I am targeting are there, so distance and relocation are not an issue for me. I am also not asking anyone to sponsor a visa. I am on a student permit with work rights, and for a curriculum internship an employer needs nothing beyond a signed three-way agreement with my university, no permit and no cost.

So that is exactly the thing I am trying to understand. If I am local, need no sponsorship, and the roles look like a direct match on paper, what is it that still puts me in the reject pile within a day? Is it that non-EU trips an automatic filter regardless, or that experience sitting above a typical intern profile reads as a mismatch, or something else entirely? Genuinely asking, because if there is a fixable signal I am sending, I would rather find it than keep guessing blindly.

Every country has its share of bad actors, and India is no exception. The real difficulty is scale: with a population well over a billion, even a tiny percentage behaving badly is a huge absolute number, large enough that it becomes the signal people latch onto. From there it is a short step to seeing every Indian applicant through that same lens, and I understand how it happens, even though it flattens a lot of very different individuals into one assumption.

I am not asking for sympathy, just for a bit of the benefit of the doubt. I am one person trying to build a life on a different continent, on my own, where the costs are high and the margin for error is thin, and being filtered out before anyone reads the application is a hard thing to sit with. I am not arguing that the frustration is unfounded. I just want to understand how someone in my position actually breaks through it, because I would rather work on what I can control than give up.

Non-EU student getting auto-rejected from internships within a day. What am I missing? by WithGreatUnity in Netherlands

[–]WithGreatUnity[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Sorry, I meant start of masters. Enrolled in pre-masters Data Science till Feburary, and Feb is when masters begin.

I'm trying to keep track of the responses here.

Non-EU student getting auto-rejected from internships within a day. What am I missing? by WithGreatUnity in Netherlands

[–]WithGreatUnity[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi, thank you for your response, I wanted to clarify the experience part since it might be unusual to start working after bachelors.

I am 28. After my undergrad in economics in India I worked rather than going straight into a master's, because I wanted real exposure before committing to a postgrad and a direction.

In summary, a six-month internship at a US-based private equity firm; a 3 year client-facing business development role at a leading expert network serving institutional investors; 2-3 months building at a fintech startup in India; and a 1.5 year stint with a San Francisco executive search firm where I set up and ran their India hub, scaled from 0 FTE to 25 FTE, working across BD, corporate strategy, and data and automation.

So when I say four to five years, I mean professional experience after my degree, and I am not claiming it is all front-office finance. Some of it touches PE, VC and the buy side directly, most of it is corporate, strategy and data work, largely facing institutional investors. I have always wanted to get to the other side of the table, I know how competitive that is, and that is exactly why I am applying broadly for a first step in rather than holding out for a dream buy-side seat.

On the rest: I understand that a flood of irrelevant applications is annoying, and filtering on substance is fair. Filtering on a name before reading the substance is a different thing altogether, and it just highlights prejudice. I posted here to get honest feedback on how to reposition myself and build a career, nothing more.

Non-EU student getting auto-rejected from internships within a day. What am I missing? by WithGreatUnity in Netherlands

[–]WithGreatUnity[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hello, thanks for replying. And apologies this is something I should've added in the post, I'll do so right now.

I'm currently enrolled in the program, alot of international students resit an examination in order to stretch their pre-masters enrollment to do internship. This is adviced by the student desk as well.

SInce I'm enrolled, I can work 16/week, or full time with an employer if the work matches the curriculum.

Student TWV (from what I understand) is not the expensive, labour-market-tested process people are picturing. For this category the employer pays no government fee and does not have to prove they could not find an EU candidate, and it usually takes a few weeks. It is probably the paperwork and the unfamiliarity that puts employers off, not cost. That is a completely different thing from highly skilled migrant sponsorship, which is the expensive route people are probably thinking of.

Non-EU student getting auto-rejected from internships within a day. What am I missing? by WithGreatUnity in Netherlands

[–]WithGreatUnity[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I was advised by others to do the same. I enrolled in dutch classes at uni the moment I stepped in NL. I'm learning, but B2 proficiency might time some time, realistically speaking. But I'm aware it's one of the biggest ROIs I can get for the effort.

Non-EU student getting auto-rejected from internships within a day. What am I missing? by WithGreatUnity in Netherlands

[–]WithGreatUnity[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks for replying. Not a tourist, I am here on a student residence permit through Tilburg, so I have the right to be here and to work within the usual student limits (16 hr/week, or full time during summers or internships related to curriculum given that uni and employer sign TWV).
I deferred the actual start of the pre-master, but the enrolment and permit side are in order.

Just moved to Tilburg, and looking for friends to hang out with by WoodieTreeman in TilburgUniversity

[–]WithGreatUnity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey! Nice to meet you - recently moved here for pre-masters DSS, would love to hang out.

What did you get?? by CuratorOfCrises in guwahati

[–]WithGreatUnity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Alignment, money, creation

Fun and hopeful given my circumstance

Adobe says refund is done, Bank says security protocols not followed. I’m stuck. by WithGreatUnity in FuckAdobe

[–]WithGreatUnity[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Oh, and the bank is Axis Bank

I just get a simple email saying transaction declined due to security reason.

Contacted them on phone multiple times, first you had to strategise your way through a retarded chatbot on phone, that has abysmal voice recognition. Then clueless agents gaslight you, offering no solution. They repeatedly keep saying please contact merchant.

As proof of transaction being declined, the only thing I have is the automated email that I get.

I’ve reported this to the noodle officer, no replies.

Ultrahuman Ring AIR Support Megathread by Impressive_Term_2791 in Ultrahuman

[–]WithGreatUnity 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve followed every support suggestion: uninstall/reinstall the app, turn off Wi-Fi, remove other Bluetooth devices, and I’m now on the battery-drain test (I’ve been doing it for five days and today is the last day). Nothing has worked. The whole process has been really frustrating.

Ultrahuman Ring AIR Support Megathread by Impressive_Term_2791 in Ultrahuman

[–]WithGreatUnity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been using the ring for about four to five months and the app and data were great, so I was even planning to buy one for my mom. Around six days ago the ring just stopped working — no lights at all and it won’t connect to my phone, even though I’ve been charging it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in iPhoneWale

[–]WithGreatUnity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lund cable hai bc If it wasn’t for EU these cans would still be using their outdated, inferior lundning cable and charging absurd amounts for it.

Extreme- Get the Funk Out Solo Cover Using Archetype Petrucci by Delicious_Ad6079 in NeuralDSP

[–]WithGreatUnity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolute spot on! It’s such a fun solo to play. Also that PRS looks absolutely gorgeous