Interaction on Technical Skill Development

1.      Effect of Covid-19 on jobs and skill?

I believe the current situation is pushing the companies to shift to cloud and rely more on technologies to stay connected.

Moreover, by the time you guys join the work force the situation will improve.

2.      How internship will be helpful?

Internship provides you with an exposure of working in a corporate environment. It also adds on to your experience, and gives you the opportunity to work on projects which are industry intensive

3.      How does a LinkedIn Profile help?

It helps you to build a network, showcase your work and project to like-minded people. Also, it will help you to find internships.

Also, it would help the recruiters to get to know you more beforehand, in case of a skype interview.

4.      How to stand out from others, and have a great profile?

There are a few things which you can do to stand out. Firstly, built some personal projects in the field of latest technologies. This portraits your willingness to learn new things and solve a business problem.

Secondly, you should look forward to develop your skills by doing online courses on platforms like coursera and udemy.

5.      Is it necessary to be a part of club or chapter?

Being, a part of a club or chapter helps you t built your social skills. But, it hardly gives you any added advantage during the placement process.

6.      Project to do based on profile of the company?

There is no hard and fast rule on the projects you want to pursue.

If you are looking for a role as Software Developer you should do some projects in the field of Web Development and App- Development.

Some, of the companies look to hire for a role of analyst. It would be beneficial if do some projects in the field of machine learning.

But, don’t stick to the above rigidly. You should be experimenting and playing around with new technologies, and fields you like,

7.      CGPA cut-off, and rounds?

Most of the company have a cut-off of 8.0, but to clear the cut-off of most of the companies, a cgpa of 8.5 is considered to be safe.

In general, most of the companies have an online test as a first round. Some companies have a Group Discussion following it. Some of the product based companies have a written round too.

This is followed by 2 technical rounds and 1 HR round. So, there are around 4 to 5 rounds.

8.      Placement or higher studies or both?

What, I suggest is to stick to any one plan. Both, the process require some time. In case you plan for higher studies you need to write a few Test like TOEFL, GRE and prepare your LOR, and SOP.

Also, situation may arise where you get a job offer and you plan to pursue higher studies. You might have to stick to job offer, as the college when rescind the offer, and you will face issues regarding your SOP and LOR.

9.      When should you start preparing for GATE?

I never prepared for GATE, but have seen my friends preparing for it. The best time to prepare for GATE is to start 12-14 months before the exam. The syllabus for GATE is vast. Also, preparing for the exam early gives you an edge if you wish to apply for Core Companies.

10.  Courses you should take as PE, UE?

Courses like Data Structures and Algorithm, and Operating System could be taken as Elective Courses. You may wish to take DBMS as a university Elective.

11.  Does CGPA or certification an upper hand?

The CGPA or certification does not give huge advantage. In, case of CGPA it helps you to clear the cut-off.

But, yes Certification do create an impact, if you have in-depth knowledge and answer the question on the subject.

12.  Competitive Coding?

Competitive Programming and Placement go hand in hand! If you want to prepare for a product based company then Competitive programming is a must to do.

If you are preparing for service based company, it will be better to focus on OOPS, aptitude + a bit of competitive as well.

The first step is to choose a language preferably a Java or C++. Start coding on sites like Leetcode and Hackerrank. As, you practice more and more problems, you will built an in-depth knowledge of Data Structures and algorithm.

You can refer to Cracking the Coding Interview, by Gayle Laakmann. Also, there are some great youtubers like Nick White, Kevin Naugton and Aditya Verma.

13.  Focus on which Language?

C++ and Java are the languages who should focus on. Choose any one of them. If you are starting out from the basic refer to Tim Buchalka and Abdul Bari for Java and C++ respectively.

14.  Job opportunity for ECE core? Highest Package by an ECE company?

The job opportunity in ECE companies are relatively less as compared to IT companies. The roles are usually around Telecommunications & Networking and Analog and Digital Communications.

You must have proficiency in the ECE Core subjects if you wish to pursue a career in these field.

Companies like CISCO and Texas Instruments offered the highest package during our placement. Other top companies include Dell, Schneider, HPE and Samsung.

15.  What is the placement process like (companies/roles)?

If you want to prepare for a product based company then Competitive programming is a must to do.

If you are preparing for service based company, it will be better to focus on OOPS, aptitude and a bit of competitive as well.

Round 1 is an online test.

In case of product based company, who have a MCQ section and Coding Round.

MCQ question are usually on OOPS concept, Data Structures and Algorithm, Operating System and DBMS.

The Coding question is based on one of the Data Structure, and algorithms like Dynamic Programming.

Some companies do recruit in the field of Business Analyst, Data Analyst and Management Roles.

In this case, you need be good in quantitative aptitude, statistics and a have proficiency in SQL(Structured Query Language).

16.  Your Placement Experience?

The journey was not so smooth. I had my ups and down. I was rejected by 4 companies before I got my first job offer, a month later I got a Super Dream Offer, and got placed in a Product Based Company.

So, during this time I tried to keep myself motivated and learn from my previous failures. I tried to do a lot more of competitive coding, and work on aptitude questions.

17.  How to get a Research Internship?

There are openings for the above position in a lot of IITs and NITs. The process is not easy, as you need to read a lot of research papers and work around the clock, to assist the professor. But, it would surely help if you want to pursue a Master degree.

18.  Opportunity in Master for ECE Core?

Some of the fields that have evolved in the field of ECE are Internet of Things, and 5G technologies. These are some of the fields which are relatively new. You can look to explore these subjects.

19.  Research Paper published how it helps?

I have never published a Research Paper so I am not aware about the whole process. It surely helps with your Masters, at it helps you to enhance your profile. But, it does not really affect the placement.

20.  Importance of Project?

It is as important as your CGPA.

This portraits your willingness to learn new things and solve a business problem. If you built a project from scratch, you are able to explain even the minute details, and the challenges that you faced and how you overcame it.

Being an ECE graduate a few projects in the field of latest Technologies gives you an edge over others. I suggest you to make at least two personal project.

21.  Paid Internship for 3rd Years?

There are two ways in which you can get a paid internship.

One of the ways, is through on Campus as top Product Based Companies such as Microsoft, Visa and Amazon come during the sixth semester.

The other way is to connect to people on LinkedIn and apply for the job openings.

22.  Backlog effect?

You should clear your backlogs before the placement process. It is advisable to clear them before the Sixth Semester. So, a backlog in past does not affect your placement.

23.  Management jobs opportunity?

Companies do offer roles in the management field. Top consultancy companies like Deloitte, PWC and Banking Sector such as Bank of America have the online test purely based on Aptitude.

Also, you have a few trading companies such as Future First, and Axella, which come for the role of Day Traders.

But, if you are looking for a management role you still need to work on some good projects, and have good soft skills and social skills.

24.  Advice to previous self?

I was never aware of the placement process, so I needed to review my strategy regularly. I should have started early, talk to my seniors who have gone through the process.

Secondly, I used to get scared and intimidated by the thought of talking to a recruiter, so it did take some time to settle my nerves.

25.  Tips for the ones in the final year?

Have faith and believe in yourself. The placement process last over a year. Keep grinding and improving yourself daily. All, that will matter in spite of all the failures you have faced is that “Yes”.