TIPS FOR GRADUATES APPEARING FOR PLACEMENT INTERVIEWS
The ultimate objective of a management graduates is to land in their dream job and to start a highflying corporate career. The placement interviews are thus the doorway to opportunity and hence, management graduates must put in all their efforts in making it a success. This means that the preparation for the placement interviews must start well before the actual days and it is advisable to plan for them as soon as one enters the second year of the management course A placement interview is a physical interface between the interviewer and the interviewee with the objective of assessing the interviewees potential for the job post they have applied. One should always remember that an individuals interaction with the company officials is a formal one. They should be evident in their manners and clothes. They should not show a sloppy attitude or try to be humorous. In terms of knowledge, they should show their awareness of the field they have applied for and awareness about the world and the company they want to be a part of. Be thorough in your approach and make sure you prepare for the interview in a comprehensive manner. A graduate appearing for the placement interview should start preparing for their interviews well in time so that they have enough time to review the subject knowledge and increase general awareness. The degree or the level to which an individual prepares is an important factor. A compromise on this front could mean a lifetime compromise on your career. Recruitment processes generally follow two rounds of interviews. These two interview rounds are as follows: Technical Round: Technical interviews go beyond personal interviews as they test the subject knowledge of the candidate. What have you learned during the four years of an engineering college or your graduation? Can you clearly explain some important concepts? Can you apply these concepts in the practical world? These are some of the questions that are tested in the technical part of the interview process. Interviewers may try to ascertain the level of seriousness during the technical interview. You may be asked to explain certain things you have learned during college. At times, you may be even asked to draw diagrams or solve questions during the interview. It is a viva where you have to demonstrate your learning. Go over your text-books carefully and revise the concepts that you may have learned in the first or second year. Do not leave out anything. Or at least some common concepts must be absolutely clear. Carry copies of your project work that you may have done and also show your comfort level in the work done. Do not, if asked, say that you did not know much about the project or that it was just a theoretical one and that there are no applications of it. In case you have not taken it seriously, take a look now. Demonstrate that what you have done was important to you and it also has wider application. But then also keep in mind that if you do not know an answer do not bluff, accept your shortcoming and simply say, “I dont know sir.” The HR Round: In the HR Interview, many students face difficulties, simply because they have not been thought about their ambitions and about themselves. Before you appear for campus placement interviews, it is advisable for you to introspect and know yourself. It articulates as to where you see yourself in 10-20 years. Describe your dream and ambition clearly. Do not show that you are taking up the job merely to gain experience and will shift as soon as you get a better one. Give a thought to your goals and be clear in your mind.If you are not convinced about these, how will you convince anyone else about your future? An interviewer generally tests your communication & interpersonal skills, your intelligence, enthusiasm, maturity, flexibility, and leadership skills. He/she can also test your problem-solving skills. Also, an interviewer wants to know how much know how much knowledge you possess beyond your respective core field. Some of the important tips to keep in mind: The first point to note is that a well-made and well-presented resume is the first step to win over your recruiters, management graduates must spend as much time as possible in preparing a good resume. Indeed, even for the summer placements, resumes are needed and these have to be polished and prepared in a thorough and detailed manner. it should also be noted that many corporates do not like to go through resumes that are more than 3-4 pages in length and hence, it is advisable to prepare a resume that is succinct, lucid, and conveys all the information to the point and accurately. HR professionals usually skim through each resume in a matter of minutes or even less than that and being seasoned professionals. They can spot a good resume when they see one. This is all the more reason to start working on one’s resume as soon as possible. The second point to note about placement interviews is that it is all about peaking at the right moment and hence, despite how many hours spent planning and preparing before the placement season, the key aspect is that one must be physically and mentally fit as well as be “in the zone” when the eventual placement days arrive. Given the fact many business schools have compressed placement sessions despite efforts being made to stagger the placement season, it is important to be focused and motivated for the placement interviews. However, the vast majority of business schools world over still have a gunshot placement season where most offers are made during the course of a week or so. This means that is better to work out and exercise before the placement season and to eat and stay healthy. The third point to be noted is that given the fact that the summer internships usually lead to Pre Placement Offers, selecting the dream job and choosing the offers must be done diligently and by giving adequate thought to the outcome. This means that one has to be careful about accepting the PPO and at the same time have enough breathing space left over to attend other interviews as well. Though many business schools now have the provision of multiple offers and letting the students select the appropriate one, it is still important to understand that the first placement usually determines the course of the career for a few years at the minimum. Apart from this, getting into investment banks and consultancies is a different game altogether and if one is aspiring for these jobs, it is better to start preparing from day one of the first year as such jobs demand consistency in grades, all-around achievements, and well-rounded personalities. This is the reason why many management graduates who aspire to join consultancies and investment banks “build their profile” right from the start of the management course. The fourth point is though we all are stressed on the importance of placement interviews as the ultimate goal of business school education, one should not take it to the point that an unwanted outcome in the placement interview makes one totally “lose it”. In other words, do not be disheartened if you do not make it to your dream job and instead, try the other options of building your profile during the first few years of your career so that you can eventually make it to the job of your choice.