Human nature is very unpredictable. No matter how intelligent we have become, we still cannot read human minds. Many intelligent people have tried but failed. So, when engineering students reach final year of their courses, reading recruiters’ minds become the most daunting challenge for them. Different theories go round the hostel regarding campus selection process. While some students assert that sound technical knowledge is the main criterion for selection, for few others better command on communication skills is a must for getting through. But, in truth, no one can firmly stand on his assertion.
In my college, placement season is in full swing and every day I hear news of companies visiting the campus and recruiting students. The excitement is at its peak. Students can be easily seen discussing current events, HR round questions and exchanging technical notes. From my personal experience and whatever I have understood from others’ views, I deem myself qualified enough to express my thoughts over the selection process.
The task of selecting students lies generally in the hands of Technical and HR managers. They are expected to remain impartial and above board during the entire process. But, the recruiters generally carry baggage of their personal experience, good or bad, while visiting campuses and the process fails to remain objective. By personal experience I mean ‘the attributes they think successful people should have’. However, one thing is very clear regarding selection: All companies want people with long term prospects and it is reasonable too. Nobody would like to make an investment whose return is not guaranteed. But, sometimes, during this entire trade off between ‘potential’ and ‘stability’, stability gets the upper hand. This case is mostly evident with small and mid size companies although a few large ones also behave in the same way.
Regarding selection methodology, now-a-days, almost all companies use the same technique i.e. written test followed by GD and personal interview. In some companies, each of these rounds is equally important but in many others different rounds carry different weightings. For students moving into final year, it is always helpful to talk to seniors.
In general, cracking written test is the easiest part in the entire process. Group discussion is where most students falter, few good ones too. This problem is largely related to a student’s upbringing. Most of the students of govt. engineering colleges come from rural background. For them, communicating in English becomes Achilles heel. Personal interview, more or less, varies with the interviewee personality. Interviewers judge him on technical as well as non technical parameters. Mentioning extracurricular activities in CV is always helpful. But, remember, if you have not performed them, in that case, you will be exposed easily. Also, it has been observed that an interviewer frames an opinion about the interviewee initially within few minutes and use rest of the time to justify it in his mind. Therefore, it is always important to perform well right from the start.
Although, this selection process is somewhat flawed, it has generally produced satisfactory results. In present world where so much emphasis is on relationship building, people with better personality are more likely to succeed. Personality includes everything right from appearance and dressing sense to communication skills. Even, the way you behave during the entire selection process can be used to assess you. In short, the entire selection process is more complex than it seems and sometimes the lady luck may also be the reason behind selection.
If you want to know more about the selection process, write to me at: shashank273@gmail.com
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