HOW TO PREPARE FOR BCA PLACEMENT INTERVIEWS
According to Wikipedia, a campus placement or a campus interview is the program held in colleges to grant jobs to students who are pursuing or are in the stage of completing their degree course. Industries often visit the colleges to select students depending on their capability to work, potential, focus and aim. The main purpose of campus placement is to recognize the talented and qualified professionals before they finish their education. It makes available job prospects to the students who are often in the ultimate juncture of their course. This procedure reduces the time for a company to choose the candidates according to their requirements. It is a convenient activity and hence majority of the companies engage in it to find the right talent. Preparation for the Written Round Start by preparing specifically for the companies one is sitting for: for example Mu Sigma, Capillary, Latent View, Sabre Holdings i.e. the Analytics companies focus more on maths, puzzles and the student’s resourcefulness than their knowledge of core subjects. While some Software companies require a good knowledge of OOPs especially Java, almost all coding profiles test the student’s algorithm writing skills in depth.2. Companies want the candidates to be proficient in at least one programming language. Students should pick the language of his choice and should learn to code all sort of programs using it. 3. Check the reviews on Glassdoor about the interview process of the companies. Most of them paint an accurate picture about what the student is going to face. He should read about the interview process of other candidates and try to gain some insights into which subjects the interviewers of that particular company focus on the most. 4. It is important to Google for the past placement papers of the company the student will be sitting for. Most of the companies often have a standard set of questions which they repeat throughout the whole Placement session wherever they go. Doing prior research will help the student get a general idea about the type of questions that they tend to ask the students. 5. Once the student has gained a rough idea about the whole thing, it is time to focus on individual subjects. Data Structures, Algorithms, Operating Systems are the subjects most interviewers focus on. It is important to read the standard reference book on Structures and Algorithms. The student should try to perfect all of his core subjects but lay more stress on Structures and Algorithms apart from Operating Systems. It is never late to call a few seniors, especially those who are working at the company the student is trying to get into and ask about their own experiences. If he have a good network of friends it won’t be hard to find a senior who guides who will be willing to guide him. Preparation for the Personal Interview round 1. Do not be late for the interview round. Nothing makes an HR person angrier than a candidate who arrives late for an interview. 2. Look confident but not appear brash. Most people no matter how good they are sometimes just cannot handle themselves during their interviews. Such students must remember to relax. It is important to work on communication skills right from the very beginning. The student must learn how to answer as concisely as possible. If he is nervous, it is advisable to do a few mock interviews with his friends. 3. The student should not blatantly lie as the interviewers were themselves students earlier and have been part of the interview process all throughout their life. Questions like “Why do you have this much CG, ” Why do you want to work for our company “and, “Where do you want to see yourself in 5 years” are routine and it would help the student a great deal if he prepares for these beforehand. The student must not mumble or bluff his way through the technical rounds too. If he is confident only then should he answer. Otherwise he must ask politely in terms of ” I am not exactly sure of the answer but can I tell what I know about the topic” and try to make an educated guess if he is permitted to do so. 4. Unknown to the student, the Interviewer might be planning a stress interview. If this happens and the Interviewer appears rude, then it is important for the student to keep calm and not lose focus. One of the most important things to do before the interview, is to read the” About Us” page on the company website and to listen carefully during the company presentations generally held before the Interview process. When given the opportunity to ask questions, the student must not hesitate and should show how he is already familiar with the company and his job profile. Good questions to ask include a typical day at the job, about the interviewer’s job profile, what qualities they look for in a prospective employee or something unique noticed by the student during the presentation.6. It will serve well if the student does not get demotivated if he cannot answer all the questions. Under all and any circumstances, he must not panic. Sometimes interviewers ask all sort of questions which are probably too hard for an undergrad student. The student should just know that if he is well prepared and has an interest beyond what is taught at college, he will definitely succeed in life. 7. If the student is asked about his favorite subjects, then he must be prepared. Interviewers usually ask about the protocols of almost all the layers including session layer while the most common things taught during most Networking Classes which involve TCP, UDP etc. The student must therefore be well equipped. He should have good in-depth knowledge regarding the subjects of his interest. 8. It is important to bring 2-3 copies of one’s resume. The student will not want to sit there and find out he gave the only copy of his resume to the HR and does not have something to show to his interviewer. 9. After the student is done with the interviews then he can graciously ask for their feedback after the whole process even if they are not selected. This will help them perform better for the upcoming companies. If they are refused then walking out is the best option. 10. For the companies dealing in analytics, it is imperative to practice all the common puzzles usually asked during the interviews. Some of these problems include popular ones like the man in elevator problem, the Golf ball problem, the number of cars in a particular road variation, the Flash light problem, the Rope Bridge, the Switches Problem, the Salary Problem, the 100 Doors in a Row problem, the Boys and girls puzzle, the Gold division problem, the Red Marbles problem, the Blue Marbles problem, the Pirate problem and the Hat puzzle. It is important for the student to be well groomed before turning up for the interview. He should not dress casually and he must cut his finger nails. This will create a good impression with the interviewer and might potentially help the student land the job. The student should write about the various projects he has done in his CV. It must be written briefly and it should not give it all away so that the student can explain to the interviewer later on during the actual interview and impress him. If the student is good enough, he can easily divert the whole interview process towards his projects and questions based on them. However, he should prepare in advance and read about his projects thoroughly. There is no excuse for failing to explain whatever he did during the time of the interview Do not talk too much. The student should take care to be to the point and not ramble on during interviews. It will be a mistake to try to impress the interviewers by being quick to answer their questions and in that way, not listening properly or giving a wrong answer. If the student has some doubt, then he should just say that he is not completely sure of the answer but would still like to attempt the question and should then follow up with the best logical explanation he can give even if he does not know the exact answer.14. The student should prepare different resumes for different profiles. The resume made for a Business Analyst profile will evidently have to be different from that of a coding profile. In case of coding profiles, the student can put all of his coding projects at the top and focus more on them during the interview while during interviews for Analysts, Account Managers and other such positions, he must structure his resume in such a way that it will suit the job description for that particular post. If it is a telephonic interview, the student should try to fix such slot during which he can give his best. Most people in college only are only free during the afternoon and are most dexterous during the late evenings. Hence, if possible, the student should try to arrange the interview according to that. These are some of the basic tips that a student must follow when he is preparing for a placement interview. By following these few general tips and therefore, by preparing himself through, he will stand a good chance of impressing his interviewers and landing the job of his dreams.