5-step plan on how to ace your campus placements

The 23-year-old is pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) in the field of Marketing and Finance from ASM. Rashi whose father, Vinay Kumar Yadav, is a Senior Operator with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited and mother, Urmila Yadav, a homemaker is all geared up to take up the role of Relationship Manager with ICICI Bank. In an informal chat, Rashi shares golden tips to prepare for campus placement. Read on…

1. Research, research, and research

Start your preparation by researching the companies that will come for campus hiring. For instance, in our first-year itself, students were handed a booklet containing details of the companies that had visited the campus in the last decade or so, roles and salary package offered by them, and details of alumni who have been placed in these companies. Select at least 10-12 companies of your interest and start preparing for them. Read up on the company’s history, culture, values, mission and vision, financial standing, etc. Connect with your seniors and faculty to get an idea about what companies look for in a candidate and prepare accordingly. This will help you in the interview round as recruiters prefer candidates who can fit their organisation’s values and are abreast of the current happenings. Also, familiarise yourself with overall placement policy and rules. For example, we have a rule that states that students who are placed in a company will be permitted to participate in placement drives only for those companies that are offering at least double the salary of what they were offered earlier. So, you need to have a clarity of thought and pick companies accordingly.   

2. Don’t get bogged down by setbacks

Rejection, while not pleasant, can often be viewed as a sign of failure. However, by thinking objectively and taking valuable lessons, candidates can rectify the chinks in their armour. For instance, I couldn’t clear my initial interviews. However, instead of dwelling on disappointments, I took action to remedy my personal shortcomings. Remember, you can turn your mistake into a valuable lesson only if you first admit that you’ve made it.

3. Practice Mock interviews

Practising will help you become more confident and accustomed to the interview process. The simplest way to prepare is to create a list of common interview questions and answer each question out loud. You can record your responses and play them back to yourself. Assess your body language and your answers to the questions to appear more positive, engaging, and approachable.

4. Take your internships seriously

In today’s competitive world, securing a degree is not enough to secure a good job, students need industrial experience, and hence internship plays a crucial role for them. Using your internship experience, you can talk about the skills you have which are relevant for the job. You can also share your accomplishments, achievements or awards if you have ever got. Also, it’s important to tell the interviewer about something that’s not on your resume. I did 4-5 internships, but I didn’t mention on my Resume the one I did at Bandhan Bank Ltd. This allowed me to discuss my additional abilities and strengths that are not mentioned on my resume.

5. Don’t get hassled by tricky questions

Tricky questions are designed to get you to reveal information you may have been trying to conceal. For example, I was asked in the interview, ‘Can you work in sales?’, ‘Are you willing to relocate to smaller towns?’ Never say ‘No’ to such questions. It’s a way of gauging just how flexible and committed a candidate is to the role and the company. Also, invest in a stable internet connection as most of the interviews are conducted online due to Covid. Lastly, build a professional looking LinkedIn profile.