How to ace your campus placements

Born and brought up in Vrindavan, Sonali G completed her B.Com (Honours) in 2018 from GLA University, Mathura. The 25-year-old is currently pursuing MBA (HR & Operations) from Apeejay School of Management (ASM), Dwarka. She says, “At ASM, every student gets ample opportunities to explore their untapped potential. The placement cell included proactively supportive mentors who were available round-the-clock to help each student to achieve the best job opportunity in the in-campus drive. Back to back mock group discussions and personal interviews were organised to prepare students for their final day. This resulted in 100% placement even during the pandemic.” 

That’s what led Sonali to get hired as HR Management Trainee (L&D) by LOTS Wholesales Solutions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Siam Makro Public Company Limited, with a handsome pay package. In an interview, she shares tips on how a candidate can ace a campus placement.

Research about the company: Read up on the company’s history, mission, vision, future goals, financial standing, etc. Go through the profile thoroughly before applying for the role. Doing this helps candidates to prepare better and recruiters also prefer candidates who can fit into their organisation’s values. Moreover, candidates can also identify if the company is the right fit for him/her.

Highlight relevant skill sets: Never display bogus skills or achievements, it might land you into unwanted situations and you might get blacklisted from further campus placements. Therefore, it’s important to bring to light relevant competencies during the selection process. You stand a better chance of being preferred for a job if your skill sets match the job portfolio well. Hence, first understand what the role and responsibility is, analyse your potential and see if it fulfills the requirement and bring it up in the discussion with the prospective employer. The key is to think before you make a point during an interview.

Preparation must start from day one of college:  Start preparing from day one. There’s no overnight success mantra to achieve something. Create an analysis chart for yourself. Analyse your weaker areas and start working on them to help you through the process. Practice a lot of mock tests, interviews and group discussions. These help you build confidence as well as bring clarity to your thoughts. Keep yourself updated with the current affairs. A candidate must also be willing to participate in every academic and non-academic activity. These will help in nurturing various skills for the future.

Showcase your willingness to learn on the go : Recruiters don’t expect freshers to know the solutions to all the problems that arise in the corporate world. They are looking out for candidates who showcase willingness to learn in the process and possess the ability to find solutions to a given problem. Recruiters value this capability as it showcases not only strong fundamentals, but also the ability to find solutions to problems. Recruiters also appreciate honesty. Finally, it’s really important to be genuine. Do not get apprehensive and make errors.