Ayush Jain
Mechanical Engineering
Placements
Jaguar
Graduate Mechanical Engineer Trainee
Interviewed by:
Shubham Jhakkar
Internships
Placements
20th September 2020
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When to start preparing for the Placement season?
Comparison between your intern and placement interviews?
Learnings from this placement season?
How did you decide your field of interest? What about backups?
Major problems that you faced?
Online vs Offline placements?
Does the higher studies application timeline and placement session go along easily?
Necessities for targeting your field?
Well, it actually depends on the type of profile you are preparing for. If you are looking for a job in core (non IT) then I think you yourself are the best person to decide how much time would you need to revise all the major topics/concepts you have learnt so far.
I can understand that it would be like a nightmare to revise all the concepts that you have studied in the past 3 years but plan smartly, target specific important concepts only depending upon the company you are applying for.
If you are looking for a job in IT, then of course coding is a must. And if you haven’t started it then you must start practicing coding as soon as possible. There are many sites that provide resources for learning and practicing coding like Hackerearth, Hackerrank etc. Once you are ready with all the Data structures and algorithms, start solving questions from Leetcode or Interview bit. Target around 300 questions from these sites. You should have strong fundamentals in data structures and algorithms, OOPS concepts, OS, Networking depending upon the company you are applying for.
If you are looking for a job in analytics profile then you must focus on quantitative aptitude, puzzles, probabilities, and statistics. You can easily find many resources on the internet for practicing these concepts like prepleaf for quant; Brainsteller, Gfg, 50 Challenging problems, Heard on the street for puzzles and probabilities. And yes, coding is also a must for this profile.
I can understand that it would be like a nightmare to revise all the concepts that you have studied in the past 3 years but plan smartly, target specific important concepts only depending upon the company you are applying for.
If you are looking for a job in IT, then of course coding is a must. And if you haven’t started it then you must start practicing coding as soon as possible. There are many sites that provide resources for learning and practicing coding like Hackerearth, Hackerrank etc. Once you are ready with all the Data structures and algorithms, start solving questions from Leetcode or Interview bit. Target around 300 questions from these sites. You should have strong fundamentals in data structures and algorithms, OOPS concepts, OS, Networking depending upon the company you are applying for.
If you are looking for a job in analytics profile then you must focus on quantitative aptitude, puzzles, probabilities, and statistics. You can easily find many resources on the internet for practicing these concepts like prepleaf for quant; Brainsteller, Gfg, 50 Challenging problems, Heard on the street for puzzles and probabilities. And yes, coding is also a must for this profile.
I don’t think there was a significant difference between the two. The online test pattern was exactly same and so were the interviews.
Well, I can’t think of any such thing that I regret doing, all I can say is just give your 100 percent and be yourself, don’t try to be anyone other than yourself.
To be honest, like many of you, I wasn’t sure about the field. But if you are, then the problem is sorted, just give you 100 percent to it and you are good to go.
In my 3rd year, I was very much into the core (mechanical) and only applied to the core companies and I was fortunate enough to get an internship in a good firm. But I used to think that if I haven’t got the internship in that firm, It would be very difficult for me to get an internship as only a few core companies were there. So yes, having a backup is a MUST. And I feel that practicing coding could open the doors to many other profiles. Since, I wasn’t so sure about my field, I started preparing for almost all the profiles. I started coding, practiced puzzles/probabilities, started ML/AI and kept revising my core courses also. Fortunately, I got the offer from all these profiles, and it was during the interviews that I came to know what I want to do for the rest of my life. Interviews especially the HR rounds is the best place to know about the firm, profile, and the kind of work they are expecting.
In my 3rd year, I was very much into the core (mechanical) and only applied to the core companies and I was fortunate enough to get an internship in a good firm. But I used to think that if I haven’t got the internship in that firm, It would be very difficult for me to get an internship as only a few core companies were there. So yes, having a backup is a MUST. And I feel that practicing coding could open the doors to many other profiles. Since, I wasn’t so sure about my field, I started preparing for almost all the profiles. I started coding, practiced puzzles/probabilities, started ML/AI and kept revising my core courses also. Fortunately, I got the offer from all these profiles, and it was during the interviews that I came to know what I want to do for the rest of my life. Interviews especially the HR rounds is the best place to know about the firm, profile, and the kind of work they are expecting.
Well, I don’t think I faced any major problems in the whole process. As long as you are well prepared and confident, you need not worry about any problems.
I personally have no idea about this as I was sure that I wasn’t going for further studies. I just gave my 100 percent to the placements and that’s it. But I think that if you are disciplined and determined, you definitely can prepare for both these things. It just depends on you and your time management skills.
For coding, having an in-depth knowledge of data structures and algorithms is a must. COL106 is a great course with amazing assignments that can help you with that. Although it’s not necessary to do this course but I personally feel that all those who are aiming for IT jobs must do this course. For core, all they want is clarity of concepts and that’s it. There aren’t any specific one or two courses that will help you get the job but all the courses and concepts that you have studied so far will.
You should not panic, if you know how to code, if you've done some work (intern), if you've practiced even for a month you'll get placed eventually. Don't worry about on which day you gets placed. Good companies also come on day 2, 3, 4…
Another thing I would like to say is try to decide that where you can perform best. Like you may not be very good in algorithms but you might be good at app or web development.
The embedded software profile doesn't require muchh algorithms knowledge so if you have good knowledge of C language then you're good to go there. So choose the profile where you can give your best.
Another thing I would like to say is try to decide that where you can perform best. Like you may not be very good in algorithms but you might be good at app or web development.
The embedded software profile doesn't require muchh algorithms knowledge so if you have good knowledge of C language then you're good to go there. So choose the profile where you can give your best.
Takeaways
Although there wasn’t any significant difference between the two, I will prefer online placements. You get to complete your online tests and interviews in a more comfortable environment. You get rid of that nervousness you might get on seeing the competition before any interview or test. Also, a lot of things are happening in the placement seasons like tests, interviews, preparation, ongoing semester etc. and you just cannot afford any other issues like the issue with food, running some errands or so which you might face in the offline mode.
Q
If someone does not get an intern via OCS in their 3rd year, what should they do?
If you are performing well in the online tests and interviews and you have a fairly decent CV, It won’t affect the placement chances at all. I got an internship from a very good firm from OCS in my 3rd year but it got revoked due to the pandemic. All I can say is, just don’t waste your time. If you have time, just use it judicially. When my internship got revoked, I utilized that time to learn about ML and AI and did many online courses. And fortunately I was able to get an internship in the data science field through LinkedIn just based on what I learnt in a few months and this was appreciated by many interviewers. I think this will motivate you guys, so instead of getting disheartened, just use your time judicially and keep practicing.