Placement Story: Amazon
Aditya & Mobashshir’s Campus Placement Experiences at Manipal
We spoke to Aditya Mohapatra and Mobashshir Javed, two Mechanical Engineering students, from the Batch of 2020. Aditya’s time at college was filled with numerous extracurricular activities along with a determined focus and plan for placements that helped him secure a role at Amazon India. Aditya’s indomitable spirit to hone his managerial skills and a keen interest in public speaking made him the General Secretary of Leaders of Tomorrow. He believes that his engagement in these various activities and events at college played a significant role in his selection process. Meanwhile, Mobashshir’s time in Manipal was nothing short of amazing and eventful. He was actively engaged in The Rotaract Club of Manipal from the first year. Being a social activist, he was an active member in organising the Kerala Relief Fund drive in Manipal and was involved in several social activities during his college life. He now works at Amazon as an Operations Manager intern. Let’s hear from Aditya and Mobashshir about their journey to one of the biggest e-commerce firms in the country.
Interviewer: Hello! It’s great to be talking to the two of you today. Starting, tell us about your time in Manipal.
Aditya: I’m a Mechanical Engineering student from the Batch of 2020, and before I joined college, I was both excited and a bit sceptical about Manipal as there were a lot of options going around at the time. But the four years that I spent in Manipal profoundly changed my perspective on a few elements in my life. I had this urge to be involved in various extracurricular activities. I started with becoming a part of the student clubs, Leaders of Tomorrow, and Aaina Dramatics, where I could experiment with my love for public speaking and film making. I have also actively participated in Revels and have been a part of the Anchoring team. It was a phenomenal experience of indulging in these various activities and events that taught me plenty of things at college that I simply cannot put into words. To summarise it all, I joined college with a bottle full of knowledge and came out with an ocean of it!
Mobashshir: I am from the Mechanical branch as well. I was part of a few clubs, Rotaract from the beginning till my third year and ASME for a year. I also took part in the college fests, both Revels and TechTatva under the category of Vigilance at all levels of responsibilities, from volunteering to a Category head. I was also involved in social work and helping the community, like organizing the Kerala relief fund with Rotaract & Lions Club and helping with the local Manipal masjid.
Interviewer: When did you start seriously preparing for placements? Tell us a bit about the placement process and what a student should keep in mind or something that we can learn from any mistakes that you might have made.
Aditya: I started preparing in the summer after my sixth semester. When it comes to placements, the very first step that you should take is deciding if you want to join a core or a non-core company, it will make the process a whole lot easier. It is important to take mock tests at regular intervals and also ensure that you hone your speaking skills, learn to answer confidently, and initiate a conversation in Group Discussions and Personal Interviews as it will be a crucial factor in the selection process. YouTube is the best teacher here!
Most of the companies have a basic format of selection, a written test, and an Interview that may comprise multiple rounds. There are two ways to go about placements depending on your preference of Core or Non-Core companies. For the Core companies, utilizing your summer break to revise the previous semester syllabus becomes very important as the questions will be asked from almost all the semesters. It won’t be necessary to be thorough with all topics but to be aware of the general or the most important chapters. I would suggest giving weekly mock tests of around 20–30 questions each from any website for branch wise mock tests. I found indiabix.com very useful for my preparation. For Quantitative and Verbal Reasoning, practising questions from any GRE/GMAT book will be helpful as the placement tests are relatively easier than the questions that you would be solving in these books. For the Non-Core companies, the weekly mock tests and practice from the GRE/GMAT material along with working on your soft skills will be helpful.
Mobashshir: I started gearing up for placements at the beginning of my seventh semester. I began by practising the aptitude questions and learning SQL, as it is relevant to most of the companies. For the Core companies, I was revising the subject, Strength of Materials (SOM), which is considered a critical subject for Mechanical placements. The core engineering companies most often have less vacancy, and competition while the non-core jobs have better vacancies and a good package. There are very few core mechanical companies that come to our campus for placements. Further, due to my health issues in the previous year, my studies of the core Mechanical subjects had been affected, and I had less time. So, I prepared for the aptitude test. Another important thing to take care of was the CV that was sent to companies. It plays an important role during the initial selection and interview. You must be able to properly justify and account for every role that has been put on the resume. The dream companies that I selected were Maruti Suzuki, GSMO and ZS. The basic process starts with the Online Test, followed by JAM (Just a Minute) or Group Discussion, and ends with an interview. JAM is a form of extempore, wherein we are given a minute to think about specific topics and speak for 5 to 6 minutes on the topic.
Interviewer: How was the Amazon placement process, and what according to you is the most challenging phase of the placement?
Aditya: Amazon’s placement process consisted of three stages, an online test (OT) followed by two personal interviews. The online test had basic aptitude and verbal questions that weren’t much of a struggle, but the interviews, however, can be challenging. You have to carefully listen to what is being asked in your interviews, take a moment, and then answer. For example, I was asked that if A travelled to B in X km/hr and travelled back to A in Y km/hr, what is the average velocity of A? Be careful to not fall under the trap of calculating as the answer will be zero. They did not ask for average speed! Be very confident of your answers and talk extensively about how your co-curricular activities in college and internships have helped you develop a certain set of skills that you can implant as an Operations Manager. Almost 80% of my interview was talking about my time at Leaders of Tomorrow, and that played a major role in the selection process.
Mobashshir: The entire process was quite smooth for me. I was able to clear the OT, and that boosted my confidence for the interview rounds. The good thing was that the results were to be announced once everyone was interviewed. About 60 students cleared the OT, the first round of interview was a mix of technical and HR to test your compatibility with the company and experience in the field. The second round was more tedious. As the profile was of an Operations Manager, the questions mainly focused on the experience in management roles. They dwelt deep into every experience I had and ensured that I could thoroughly justify all that I had mentioned in my resume.
Interviewer: What is your current profile/job description, and how has your experience with the company been so far? Any perks of being associated with Amazon?
Aditya: Currently, I am working as an Operations Management intern at one of the Fulfilment Centres (FC) of Amazon. I am in the Inbound Department, where I manage and control the incoming inventory sent by various vendors and sellers who sell via Amazon and maintain the productivity and quality metrics of the FC. Amazon is a very fast-paced organization. You get the opportunity to learn something new every day, learn to make quick decisions, and develop the ability to handle situations under pressure. You will have to put in more hours of work, but the pay would definitely be a perk!
Mobashshir: I am also working as an Operations Management intern. The regular working hours are 8:30 am to 7 pm on all weekdays. My primary responsibility is to smoothen operations at the warehouse and increase the efficiency of everyday tasks. The end delivery to customers of every Amazon order is handled in the warehouse, from product packaging to setting outbound shipments.
Interviewer: What is the most valuable asset on your CV according to you? What tips would you give to the readers on profile building, networking, and upskilling yourself for such managerial roles?
Aditya: I would say your CV doesn’t necessarily have to be strong on both academic and extracurricular activities. Always highlight your achievements in your CV, be it club events or Internships. Keep it short and to the point. While you have the time, take up a few online courses that could be both core or non-core based. My suggestion would be to take up a course in ‘Advanced Excel’ as I feel that it will be used in 80% of jobs and would be a great addition to your CV. I would also suggest creating a strong profile on LinkedIn and start connecting with existing employees of the companies that you plan to be a part of in the future.
Mobashshir: I think that the CGPA criterion is a must to get through the initial stage. Any variation in GPA through the semesters is noted, and your skillset is thoroughly questioned. A common question for every work experience and internships is about the issues that you overcame and your learning from them. If you have done an internship, you are expected to explain why you are not going to the same company. Some interviewers tend to ask in detail about any such previous companies. You have to carefully answer these questions without undermining your working capability. Everything that you mention on your CV is important and adds value to your profile. For instance, the residential address that you specify in your application has an effect as well, as the company will take your permanent residence into consideration, while deciding your salary, in terms of how far you will have to move.
Interviewer: What role did your branch play during the placements process and how helpful were the technical internships/training for your growth?
Aditya: My previous internships were with Tata Steel and Tata Motors, both of which helped me understand how a process is managed from start to end and the different productivity and quality metrics employed to maintain consistent flow in a manufacturing unit. Being a Mechanical engineering student, my academic syllabus didn’t help much apart from one subject, Project Management. I extensively spoke about my internships and my club activities to divert the panel’s focus from my academics, and that worked.
Mobashshir: With my Mechanical branch, I had opted for Business Management as my Program Elective, the subjects through which I learned the various aspects of management. I have also done my internship at Tata Steel which helped me understand the technical aspects of manufacturing. The internship at MECON Ltd. was also an enriching experience that helped me understand the theoretical concepts taught practically.
Interviewer: Any additional tips that you would like to give to the readers?
Mobashshir: I can tell you what not to do. Do not panic during the exam as it can significantly affect your performance. During the GD, speaking up would seem difficult, and others might seem more confident. This could make you doubt yourself, but it’s necessary to speak what you know and portray your best. For the interview, you have to showcase that you are a value addition to the company. I would also advise you to not skip the company presentations. A few companies tend to ask from there during the interview, as you should have knowledge about the background of the company. It’s also imperative to remember that when a company rejects you, it doesn’t imply that you are not worth it. From my personal experience and also of my seniors, sometimes the company might feel that you are overqualified and you would leave soon for a better role or that the work culture doesn’t match your personality. A lot of factors can lead to rejection, so don’t lose hope because of rejections.
Aditya: I would just like to add that the placement preparation has a simple process — you set a goal, make a plan, keep practicing and time your questions. Don’t get upset if you do not perform well in the initial OTs. Your takeaway from every failed OT/Interview will benefit you in the next one. Just stay calm and take it easy. Take a deep breath before you start any OT. Imagine as if you are speaking to a new friend while you are in an interview. Present your learning from co-curricular activities and academics like a story to the interviewer. Don’t panic! Believe in yourself, you are gonna do just fine.
You can connect with Aditya and Mobashshir on LinkedIn.
Interviewer: Manan Shah (Vice President, Corporate Outreach and Finance)
Writers: Armaan Charania, Harsh Raj, Pratyusha M (Associates)
Editor: Yash Banka (Vice President, External Relations)
