Rohan Yuttham
Mechanical Engineering
PPO
Bajaj Auto Limited
Interviewed by:
Nikhil Danwani
Internships
PPOs
20th September 2020
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Q
Why PPO?
Any tips for securing a PPO?
Summary of the specifics
Importance of good relations within the company?
Criteria used while handing out PPOs?
How did you stand out among your colleagues?
Policies regarding PPOs?
Totally agreed. In fact, even before getting selected for an internship, I had decided that even though I receive a PPO, I will not accept it and will sit for placements. However, this year was quite different. I received my offer in September, well before the placement season. And no one could predict how the placements were going to be; therefore, it was easy to accept the offer in the middle of a pandemic.
That being said, in a non-pandemic situation there are some other factors.
CTC- Generally, the companies that come during placement season offer similar CTC every year. So, one has the idea of the packages from previous year data. This helps in avoiding unrealistic expectations one may have. Now, if your offered CTC is even little less than the average salary you would expect from past year offers of other companies you might be interested in, I would suggest not to accept the PPO. Have confidence in yourself. You are a good candidate if you have been offered a PPO during your internship.
Work culture and Interest- One should prioritize this above the CTC. Contact your seniors. Not just immediate seniors but also consult with older alumnus who have worked there. Get to know about the work culture, then decide if you can see yourself working in that company.
That being said, in a non-pandemic situation there are some other factors.
CTC- Generally, the companies that come during placement season offer similar CTC every year. So, one has the idea of the packages from previous year data. This helps in avoiding unrealistic expectations one may have. Now, if your offered CTC is even little less than the average salary you would expect from past year offers of other companies you might be interested in, I would suggest not to accept the PPO. Have confidence in yourself. You are a good candidate if you have been offered a PPO during your internship.
Work culture and Interest- One should prioritize this above the CTC. Contact your seniors. Not just immediate seniors but also consult with older alumnus who have worked there. Get to know about the work culture, then decide if you can see yourself working in that company.
Before giving the tips, I will advise that you must aim for a PPO out of your internship irrespective of the company you intern at. Accepting or not is a choice that comes later. But a CV point that says ‘secured PPO at…’ will definitely be helpful during the placement season.
Coming to the suggestions, I would say one always has to be proactive. Do not get involved in any other activities academic or nonacademic for these 2 months. Do not hesitate ever to talk to your supervisor in case of any doubts or problems. Develop good relationships with the management. There will be some group activities both technical and non-technical. Try to take initiatives in them. In the end you have to work in a team and they will assess how good a team player you are.
One last thing. Document your work very well. Look online for technical reports and ppts or ask from your seniors and learn from them. I am sure it does make a very good impact.
Coming to the suggestions, I would say one always has to be proactive. Do not get involved in any other activities academic or nonacademic for these 2 months. Do not hesitate ever to talk to your supervisor in case of any doubts or problems. Develop good relationships with the management. There will be some group activities both technical and non-technical. Try to take initiatives in them. In the end you have to work in a team and they will assess how good a team player you are.
One last thing. Document your work very well. Look online for technical reports and ppts or ask from your seniors and learn from them. I am sure it does make a very good impact.
Interview: There were 4 rounds.
CV shortlisting: There wasn’t any specific criteria mentioned but they shortlisted 40 students from ME and EE.
Technical and aptitude test(60:40): Questions from core courses are asked in the technical section. They further shortlisted 10 or 11 students after the test.
Interview round 1(Technical round): There was just one guy in the interview panel. Questions range from your courses done and the core projects. It is very essential that you drive the interview in your favor. In a limited time the interviewer won’t ask everything you know. You have to answer in such a way that drives the interview to questions of your interest. Prepare the CV well, mention your strong points subtly in your answers which may lead the interviewer to ask the next question from those points.
Very important: The interviewer had asked me two of my favourite subjects and the questions that followed were from those subjects. What you have to do is prepare two relevant courses in advance irrespective of whether they are your favourite or not. Answer them, when asked about their favourite course.
HR round: It was full of generic questions. Try not to improvise a lot. There are online resources; prepare your answers in advance.
Evaluations during internship:
Weekly evaluations: In the first week itself, we were required to define weekly goals. Throughout the week, one needed to be in contact with the project supervisor and at the end of week, he would provide feedback against different parameters in an excel file.
Presentations: There were two presentations; Mid term and final. We had to present the work progress to a panel of technical heads.
Report: At the end of internship we had to submit a work report.
CV shortlisting: There wasn’t any specific criteria mentioned but they shortlisted 40 students from ME and EE.
Technical and aptitude test(60:40): Questions from core courses are asked in the technical section. They further shortlisted 10 or 11 students after the test.
Interview round 1(Technical round): There was just one guy in the interview panel. Questions range from your courses done and the core projects. It is very essential that you drive the interview in your favor. In a limited time the interviewer won’t ask everything you know. You have to answer in such a way that drives the interview to questions of your interest. Prepare the CV well, mention your strong points subtly in your answers which may lead the interviewer to ask the next question from those points.
Very important: The interviewer had asked me two of my favourite subjects and the questions that followed were from those subjects. What you have to do is prepare two relevant courses in advance irrespective of whether they are your favourite or not. Answer them, when asked about their favourite course.
HR round: It was full of generic questions. Try not to improvise a lot. There are online resources; prepare your answers in advance.
Evaluations during internship:
Weekly evaluations: In the first week itself, we were required to define weekly goals. Throughout the week, one needed to be in contact with the project supervisor and at the end of week, he would provide feedback against different parameters in an excel file.
Presentations: There were two presentations; Mid term and final. We had to present the work progress to a panel of technical heads.
Report: At the end of internship we had to submit a work report.
I will say that varies company to company. I have heard that some consulting companies do refer to your seniors. But I doubt any such thing happens in a tech role. Two months of your work is more than enough for the management to assess your candidature.
Ofcourse, the quality of work you deliver is one of the important criterias. I was evaluated twice by a panel of technical heads of the organization. There were weekly evaluations as well(not a presentation). Other than that, one must be culture fit because whichever organisation one works for, the past knowledge may not matter much, rather they will train you for some months before you are put in any significant role. Therefore, they want someone who can be trained easily. In my case, we were closely monitored by a team of HRs. Judging by their involvement, I could deduce that they were keeping a check on aspects such as socialization skills, can an intern take initiatives, lead a non technical project, work in a team etc. These evaluations are not objective like the technical ones and will also not be announced but they are important.
As said earlier, your work matters a lot. All your colleagues will be assigned with more or less similar work. So, if everyone completes their project at the end, where is the difference?
To stand out, you have to take initiatives on your own. For instance, I was required to develop a program for a variety of analyses of engine noise. I did that but with the code, I also developed a computer application to present my work in a more universal fashion. So, a person without knowledge of coding could also access my work.
Other than that, as mentioned earlier, you have to be social. I tried to be actively present in any meetings we had.
To stand out, you have to take initiatives on your own. For instance, I was required to develop a program for a variety of analyses of engine noise. I did that but with the code, I also developed a computer application to present my work in a more universal fashion. So, a person without knowledge of coding could also access my work.
Other than that, as mentioned earlier, you have to be social. I tried to be actively present in any meetings we had.
That also varies from one company to another and is different each year. As for my case, the company had not announced a number. They offered 2 PPOs at IITD out of 4 interns.
>