Pradyumna Jalan
Electrical engineering
Placements
Jaguar
Graduate Electronics 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?
If someone does not get an intern via OCS in their 3rd year, what should they do?
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?
I started my preparations just after the Covid-19 lockdown. I think a good time to start preparing would be just after the end of the 3rd year. Start with identifying the field of your interest. I wanted to get into core electrical engineering. I identified topics that were important for placements. I started watching NPTEL lectures and reading recommended texts on the topics in which I felt weak. For example, for analog electronics, I watched Shauribrata Sir's lectures on NPTEL.
I did not sit for OCS internship interviews.
There is one secret that I discovered. If you want to prepare for an electrical engineering job, follow the syllabus of Engineering Services Examination (UPSC ESE) and GATE. It would prepare you for test and interview of all the core profiles, be it electronics, power electronics, signal processing or any other profile that exists. I personally did the same and found it very useful. I would suggest juniors to believe no one senior and ask company-specific tips from as many seniors as possible. Each senior has a different experience and perspective when it comes to this field.
One thing that I regret the most is that I did not practice coding at all. Some necessary coding is required for some core companies as well. Like Jaguar Land Rover, Texas Instruments also has an embedded system profile. You do not need much practice. A good option would be to learn C or C++, as that would help in theoretical questions as well.
One thing that I regret the most is that I did not practice coding at all. Some necessary coding is required for some core companies as well. Like Jaguar Land Rover, Texas Instruments also has an embedded system profile. You do not need much practice. A good option would be to learn C or C++, as that would help in theoretical questions as well.
I think a person should analyze her/his strengths and interests. Another thing to focus on is job prospect in that field. I was interested in electrical engineering. But the number of jobs in electrical engineering for an undergraduate is less. So, if the aim is to get a job, one should have a backup. I had a backup plan. I prepared for management type roles such as in banks. The reason being that these roles require no extra preparations. The test for this role includes topics like general aptitude, reasoning, and mathematics.
I had no internship for the summer following my 3rd year. The interviewer would surely ask about the internship. An interviewer checks two things about you when she/he asks about the internship. First, whether you have the technical knowledge for the job or not. If you do not have an internship, interviewer checks your knowledge by asking you practical application questions. Second, whether you have ever worked in a team or not. When asked, one can answer this by illustrating the experience of past collaborative projects, team sports, NSS, extracurriculars, etc. The interviewer asked me whether I have worked in a team just after the question on internship in two different companies' interviews. My experience as NSS executive helped me. It might not be a sure shot formula, but it worked for me.
In short, the most important thing is that you must show the interviewer that you did not waste your time. Internship helps a lot. It answers many questions that interviewer might have. But if you do not have one, study harder to prove yourself.
In short, the most important thing is that you must show the interviewer that you did not waste your time. Internship helps a lot. It answers many questions that interviewer might have. But if you do not have one, study harder to prove yourself.
There is an acute shortage of information on what to study and how to prepare for core electrical engineering jobs. I got much help from seniors who are currently working in the field. But the demands of the field are changing. Some companies come up with different profiles and therefore, different tests each year. So, every subject taught in electrical engineering is essential.
I prefer online placements. Online placements are more convenient than offline. I could effectively utilize the time between two tests or two interviews to relax and prepare for the next one. In general, we waste much time discussing or ranting about the previous test instead of preparing for the next. But there was a lack of communication as well. For example, I had an interview scheduled with a company in an evening slot, but the company left early without taking it. Volunteers at OCS could not contact me when the company was leaving as I was busy with other interviews.
Offline interviews are a bit more hectic. One needs to stay on foot, running from one lecture hall to another. It drains out much of your energy and does not give time to think between two interviews. But you have your friends to support you.
Offline interviews are a bit more hectic. One needs to stay on foot, running from one lecture hall to another. It drains out much of your energy and does not give time to think between two interviews. But you have your friends to support you.
I did not prepare for higher studies.
In electrical engineering, all the core subjects taught during the 2nd and 3rd year are essential. Most important of all are Circuit Theory, Physical Electronics, Analog Electronics, Digital Electronics and Computer Architecture. Along with this, it is crucial to have some knowledge of microprocessors and C- programming. Besides core subjects, general aptitude, reasoning and mathematics are an integral part of all the tests. The prepleaf portal provided by OCS team for preparation of general aptitude, the reasoning was beneficial.
I wish you all best of luck. Be sincere in your preparations. Don't ever get demotivated. Just keep in touch with your seniors and friends. They would help you a lot. Just like in JEE, practice many questions. A good source of questions can be previous years GATE and ESE prelims papers or some GATE coaching material. Every core subject is important. Take proper rest before the interviews. Prepare HR questions beforehand for each company. Do some mock interviews with seniors (preferred) or friends. Be formally dressed for interviews, whether online or offline. Your dress shows your sincerity towards the process.
Takeaways
