The ABC of (Online) Campus Placements.
The complete roadmap to demystify the Campus Placement process for final, prefinal, sophomore, and freshmen years alike.
Campus placements can be a tough nut to crack, considering the sheer vastness of knowledge that is expected from a candidate, coupled with the ever uncertain factor of luck.
I, as a matter of fact, was fortunate enough to bag a superdream offer within 3 weeks of the commencement of the placement season and since then have been bombarded with doubts, by final years and juniors alike, as to how one should go about the preparation, what to expect in interviews and the resources one should refer for the same.
This blog would be a humble yet extensive attempt to tackle the above predicaments; including the Do’s and Dont’s, personal experiences, important topics, resources, etc.
★ Have substantial command over one object-oriented language.
Choose any one object-oriented programming language, and try to master it as if it were your mother tongue. Knowing the mere basics of 7 languages might not land you anywhere, being proficient in just one, might. Face-to-face interviews, more often than not, involve live coding; where being well versed with the syntax, jargon, and definitions of the language of choice becomes a necessity with no Google to help you debug errors and lookup syntaxes.
C++ and Java happen to be the most common programming languages amidst aspiring developers for problem-solving and DSA. Python, due to its over-simplistic nature, is seen as something anyone can pick up in a short span of time and hence, seldom might be seen with an eye of inferiority by some interviewers, compared to its counterparts.
★ Don't underestimate DSA and Competitive Programming. 💻
Your understanding of diverse technologies and frameworks comes second, your prowess in competitive programming and your mastery over DSA comes first.
- The ‘Why?’
One common question people often have is —
“But if we have to work on domains like - client and server-side development, machine learning, AR/VR, cloud computing, etc. in the corporate world anyway, isn’t the system flawed as it tests the knowledge in an entirely unrelated domain instead of development centric frameworks?”
The straightforward answer to this is — “No”. The system isn’t flawed, it is just ‘standardized’. Just like the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) follows a standard of testing an aspirant's knowledge in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics and not the specific branch of engineering that the candidate is aiming for, DSA has been established as a fundamental benchmark in the software engineering sector, which each candidate is tested against.
An expertise in Data Structures and Algorithms not only gives one an edge in the initial online coding tests but also in the technical interviews, which more often than not is the deciding factor in whether or not the candidate progresses to the subsequent interview rounds.
- The ‘How’?
Dedicating a good 3–4 months solely to data structures and algorithms right before your placement season can do wonders in enhancing your placement prospects by many a fold.
There are abundant resources online for programmers with varying degree of dexterity and command over DSA. Coding Ninjas’ — Data Structures and Algorithms in Java course along with Aditya Verma’s & Abdul Bari’s Youtube channels, were my go to resources for referring, learning, and practicing concepts.
For solving problems, I primarily used Coding Ninjas, along with Leetcode, GeeksforGeeks, and InterviewBit; some other popular platforms include CodeChef, Codeforces, HackerRank, etc. A platform, in the end, is only as good as the level and number of problems on it, and the above names are unfamiliar to none.
As they say, “Problem Solving, like mathematics, often gets better in proportion to the time spent practicing & the standard of problems practiced”, and hence the quality of problems should always be given priority over the sheer number of problems solved. Most coding platforms (including the ones above) often categorize problems based on topics and difficulty level to fulfill this very purpose.
Maintain a GitHub repository to keep track of your daily progress and problems solved across multiple platforms. The darker those green dots get, the more motivated you’ll find yourself. 📗
★ Aptitude goes a long way.
Quantitative aptitude or Quants, has a reputation of being an underrated and neglected section that often leads to one’s undoing during online tests. Most of the companies now boast of incorporating a Quantitative Aptitude section in their programming tests, that carries a substantial, if not equal, weightage to the coding section.
Quants can be daunting primarily because of its sheer vastness, testing both the mathematical and the logical aptitude of the candidate. Though Quants can’t possibly be summed up in a definite list, below are some of the topics that have found themselves in almost every online test I have appeared in —
- Pipes and Cisterns
- Profit and Loss
- Ratio and Proportions
- Work and Wages
- Cube Cutting
- Distance and Speed
- Permutation and Combination
- Probability
- Time and Work
- Arrangements
- Directions
- Blood Relations
- Number and Alphabet Series
IndiaBix has an extensive collection of almost all forms of questions previously asked in numerous examinations and is hands down the best repository online for practicing and mastering Quantitative Aptitude.
★ Never neglect your core subjects.
In the words of Ishaan Ohri —
“You cannot become a coder overnight, but you can sure ameliorate the knowledge of your core subjects the night before your interview.”
If DSA is the gold medalist when it comes to the degree of importance during placements, Core subjects are hands down the runners-up; and hence something one can’t afford to neglect, especially in technical interviews and online rounds.
Some of the most commonly asked core subjects along with their subsequent difficulty level are —
- OOPs- (intermediate)
- Operating Systems- (intermediate)
- Database Management Systems (DBMS)- (intermediate)
- Network and Communication- (basic)
- Internet and Web Programming- (basic)
- Software Engineering- (basic)
An in-depth knowledge of just the definitions and grassroot level concepts of the above subjects would give you a cushion to fall back on, in case you are unable to solve/code a question, in a face-to-face interview, to perfection.
InterviewBit has an extensive compilation of 100+ interview questions spanning across all major subjects; and is something I’d highly recommend one to look into, to brush up the basics in a short span of time (say, the night before the interview 😏 ).
★ Make an impactful first impression. 👼
No matter how many rounds of interviews a company might have, what the company profile might be, what role they may be hiring for, etc. A common question that often arises irrespective of the nature of the interview (technical or non-technical) is —
“Tell me something about yourself”.
The interviewer, more often than not, expects more than just a mere recitation of your CV/ Resume. Shed some light yourself as an individual, as a professional, your USP, and what you bring to the table. The more it’s dissimilar to your resume, the better.
Often a 1.5–2 minute long introduction covering all fronts (not just technical) is enough to do the trick, gives you a hell lot of self-confidence, and often dictates the entire vibe of the interview ahead. Hence, make sure your first impression (ie. the answer to this question) is a lofty and enduring one.
★ Believe in SQL supremacy. 🙏
“TechStacks are temporary, Databases are permanent.”
React replaced HTML, NodeJS replaced PHP, Flutter replaced Android Studio, Python replaced R. Technologies and frameworks change by the second, the only commodity unalterable is, the data they act on.
Independent of the company type (Product or Sevice based), or the role they are hiring for (Web/App Dev, Analyst, SDE, ML/DL Engineer, etc.), chances are you will be working with data and hence, databases, at some point or another. Companies, more often than not, prefer candidates with prior knowledge of database concepts, writing meaningful queries, performing joins and CRUD operations, etc.
To test a candidate’s prior knowledge, SQL questions are either included in the online test itself or asked in face-to-face technical interviews. In my case too, after the coding questions, I was asked to write three SQL queries ranging from retrieval to assigning keys to performing joins and normalizations.
In the end, getting the SQL queries right was what ruled the outcome of the technical interview in my favor. Therefore, one cannot afford to underestimate the vitality of SQL and DBMS.
★ Have a bulletproof resume. 📃🔫
A common misconception people usually have is believing that the sheer scope of the technical interview is too vast. It is not. Most employers don’t expect freshers to be omniscient. But, what they do expect from the candidate is to be thorough with just one or two pages of information; ie. your Resume.
“CGPA will get you shortlisted, DSA will get you to the interviews, Resume will get you the offer.”
Often a one or two-page document with subdivisions like — Education, Work Experience, Positions of Responsibility, Organizations, Projects, Achievements, Certificates, etc. usually does suffice. Most of the companies have a resume-specific technical interview round that is mostly Projects and Internships centric, although the scope of the same is decided by the contents of your Resume. Hence, one wants to make sure that no subdivision (especially Projects and Work Experience) has been left blank.
- Projects 📔
Probably the only phase in the campus recruitment process where your development skills have a chance to shine. Include 4–5 of your personal projects which you are absolutely thorough with, questions on projects are often along the lines of— ‘What have you built?’ , ‘Why?’, ‘What problem does it solve?’, tech stacks used, etc.
- Work Experience 👷
Having a couple of internships under your belt shows that you are somewhat familiar with working in an industrial/corporate environment and gives you an edge over your counterparts. Questions regarding Work Experience often revolve around the company profile, your role, the project you worked on, your individual contributions, and the technical & soft skills acquired during the tenure of the internship.
Lastly, making a resume that is aesthetically pleasing to look at, and at the same time drives home all the necessary information, is quite a time-consuming task in itself. Novoresume offers a wide range of templates and intuitive designs to choose from and would top the charts as far as personal recommendations for online resume makers go.
★ Confidence Counts 😎
Being underconfident and being nervous, though often used interchangeably, are two entirely different things, especially in the context of an interview.
“At times you can afford to be underprepared, but not under confident.”
The role you are applying for will most likely require you to be decisive and confident so that you can take initiative and get things done. Often Managerial and HR interviews are conducted not to check your knowledge, but your confidence level in situational-based questions and how you react to the pressure of a panel of interviewers.
You should enter every interview with a level of confidence that reflects your ability to perform effectively in the job. If it's an in-person interview, your body language speaks volumes about your confidence levels, in online mode, your way of maintaining eye contact and speech patterns are the prime indicators. Showing confidence is a sign that you trust yourself and your trust in yourself is critical because it can lead your interviewer to show trust in you.
So calm your fidgeting, maintain natural and steady eye contact, dawn a smile, and don’t let nervousness get the better of you. 💪
★ Have a Mentor. 🎓
The campus placement process is something that varies starkly across campuses, with the Training and Placement Office (TPO) being the governing body and formulating the rules and procedures one must adhere to.
Being in touch with a senior from your own institution, who has attended the placement process, keeps you aware of the protocols and procedures specific to your campus, the past placement records, the DOs & Don’ts, etc.
After all,
“Its better to learn from experience than from mistakes.”
★ Take everything in your stride. 🙌
“Until it’s my turn, I will keep clapping for others happily.”
Last, but not least (probably the most important), don’t get dishearted. Campus placements can be draining at times, especially when you feel your efforts are not yielding fruit. Remember that you will have enough opportunities to prove your mettle, and comparisons, only lead to self-doubts. It’s natural to feel a sense of desolation after every rejection, whilst watching your peers getting placed, but that time and energy, are better channeled elsewhere, especially during the placement season.
I, for myself, didn’t even get shortlisted for 10+ companies and was rejected post the coding round in half a dozen others. Take every rejection as a learning experience rather than a shortcoming; sometimes, it's just not your day.
Lastly, summing it all up for each year. ✨
- Final Years — keep your hopes high and try to do your level best in each and every online test, keep yourself updated by participating in rated contests to check your time management skills during actual placement tests. Dedicate equal time to both coding and core subjects.
- Pre-Final Years — work on your problem-solving skills (DSA) and try to undertake a few internships if possible, to add weight to your resume.
- Sophomores — work on learning, exploring, and mastering different development frameworks and domains by building projects.
- Freshers— For now, just focus on your academics and maintaining a good enough CGPA.
If you have stuck around for so long till the very end, I'm sure you’re as familiar with the on-campus recruitment process as I am, without actually attending it. 😅
Let me know your thoughts in the replies if you feel that I missed out on something. Share it amidst your circles so that it reaches the people who might find it helpful.
Do drop some claps 👏 (and maybe a follow 👼) if you found the article informative; and may you ace the placement season. ✌️
