To prepare anything first we should have a clear idea of what we have to prepare and then how to prepare. Then only we can efficiently devote our time and similarly, this rule is applicable for campus placement.
Depending upon your college and companies there can be different rounds but we are dividing it into some general rounds.
So, let’s explore the answer of How to prepare for Campus Placement For CSE/IT Students. One thing if you are from other branches like Electrical, civil, mechanical and want to place in IT companies then also the process is the same.
I’m assuming that you are in the 1st/2nd year then you shouldn’t make the mistakes by wasting the time that you have but if you are in the 3rd/4th year then you need to speed up the process.
So, in this article first, we will understand the campus placement procedure after that we will be knowing how to prepare for it. This is for service and product-based both IT companies. Just for product-based companies, you need to sharpen your skills more.
First, know the different rounds of the campus placement
- Aptitude round
- Coding round
- Group Discussion
- Technical round
- HR round
1. Aptitude round
So, basically in this round, you will get some logical reasoning, quantitative, data interpretation, and Verbal ability questions. You can say the companies keep the round for filtering the crowd. Some people neglect this round but you shouldn’t because many students get rejected in this round.
But there is nothing to fear and more likely you will clear the round if you practice a lot. 1-2 months of preparation would be enough for this round.
2. Coding round
In this coding round, you will be given 3-4 coding questions that candidates have to solve in a given time. One thing you must keep in mind is that the code should be optimized as much as it can be. Your basics should be clear. The language you will choose will not matter. You can choose any language like java/c++/python etc.
3. Group Discussion
Some companies keep this round and some just skip it. In this round, you will be tested on your communication skills. Whoever conducts the group discussion will give a topic and you have to discuss that topic along with other candidates.
In this process, they would see how well you express your thoughts on a topic and also listen to others and understand them.
4. Technical round
In this round interviewer can ask you anything related to technical skills. Data structure & algorithm is a crucial part here. Except this, you need to master one language because they directly ask you which language you code most. Apart from this coding part, you need to cover other subjects like DBMS, OS, CN, etc.
5. HR round
Some students take for granted this round and think that they will be selected for the job for sure if they pass technical and coding rounds. But this is not the actual scenario, many students often get rejected in this round even after clearing all the rounds.
The round is very simple, the interviewer will ask you about yourself, your hobbies, and about their companies. They can give you some situations and will tell you to justify that situation. Communication and confidence is the main key here.
How to prepare for Campus Placement For CSE/IT Students
So, now we all know the process of campus placement, what are the rounds, what type of questions or situations you would face, etc. Now the next question is how to prepare basically, your preparation process or schedule would vary depending upon the time you have.
If you are in the second year of your engineering then you should start preparation from now. We often see students ask how to prepare for placements CSE in 2 months. But it’s not a piece of cake to crack product-based companies without having any previous core subjects knowledge.
May you clear some good companies in a short time but your basics of all core subjects like data structure and algorithm, programming language, and other cs subjects like DBMS, CN, OS, etc should be clear. English and communication skills are also equally important. Confidence and hard work are key for any job.
If you are in your 3rd or final year then you need to make a proper road map or schedule and should do smart work, break your monthly goals into daily goals. Study selectively and be the master of any language, any cs subject, and topic of ds & algo because sometimes interviewers ask you questions from your favorite subject or topic of ds & algo only.
You need to learn these things to crack these rounds
- Programming language
- Data structure & algorithms
- Competitive coding
- Other CS subject (DBMS, OS, CN, etc)
- Aptitude
- puzzles
- English & communication skills
How to prepare for:
1. Quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning, and verbal ability for Aptitude Test:
We can break the aptitude round into three parts which are quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning, and verbal ability. For quantitative aptitude, you will get some general math problems like simple compound interest, Numbers, Time, speed and distance, Probability, permutation, and combination that you can prepare from R.S Aggarwal and be regular with Indiabix.com.
For logical reasoning some of the questions are asked from blood relations, seating arrangement, series completion, etc and practice is the important key here. Try to reduce your solving time for these questions.
For verbal ability, you need to have a good command of the English language. There you will be asked questions like fill-in-the-blanks, grammatical questions, etc. Reading daily newspapers, different books and practicing can help you to crack the section easily.
2. Competitive Coding for the Coding round:
Step 1: To crack this round first pick any of these languages c, c++, java, or python and be the master of one language. You don’t need to learn all languages because here language is just a way to implement your logic. No company will ask you to code in a specific language.
(Note: The companies will give you some options and among them, you can choose anyone to code)
The thing you have to remember is that your code should be compiled at a given time. That’s why many students choose c++ as it’s the fastest language and best for competitive coding.
So, pick any one language and clear all the basics then go to the advanced part.
Step 2: After learning one language, learn the basics of data structure and algorithms like arrays, link list, stack, queue, tree, hashing, sorting, searching, etc. you can learn from many websites but one of the trusted placement preparation sites for engineering students is geeksforgeek.
Step 3: After knowing the basics of data structure & algorithm and coding, jump into competitive coding. This will help you to build your problem-solving skills and help you to code and think faster. There are many websites where you can practice. Some of the common sites are Leetcode, hackerrank, codeforces, and codechef.
You can start with hackerrank or Leetcode and move to any other sites. Try to stick into 1-2 sites and solve all basic to advance questions.
Sharpen your skills, learn new advanced data structures & algorithms with time, and do practice, practice, and practice.
I hope that will definitely help you to crack any coding round.
3. DS & Algo and other Core subjects for Technical round:
For the technical round, you should be very good at one language and data structure & algorithms. Except for the language, you have to learn DBMS, OS, CN, OOPs, etc.
At Least become the master of your favorite topic and subject because sometimes the interviewer just asks you what is your favourite subject (like OS, DBMS, etc), which topic you know very well in ds & algo.
Once you say, you know OS or DBMS or other subjects very well then be prepared to answer questions related to that topic, and similarly like if you say you know linked list very well then you should be very good at the linked list. (for example)
So you can take online courses on these subjects.
You should be familiar with current technology trends like cloud computing, machine learning, AI, Cryptocurrency, Big data, etc. You don’t need to master all of these things but again your basic knowledge of practical application should be clear.
4. English and Communication Skills for Group discussion and HR round:
For both, group discussion and HR round you need to be fluent in English and communication. So just try to improve your vocabulary, grammar, and listening and speaking ability.
For group discussion, you can study some case studies of different companies before some days of the placement and try to be in the culture of news, current trends from starting. So reading the daily newspaper will help you a lot.
For the HR round, you should prepare some famous questions like
- Tell me something about yourself
- What’s your strength and weakness?
- Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
- Tell me about your Ideal person
- Why should we hire you? etc.
Your body language and confidence play a major role here. Also, do some study about the company before going for a placement. Read about sections on their site and see what’s their annual turnover, origin, the technology they use, etc. It will also give you an idea about what to prepare for the company because more or like they will ask from the technology they use.
5. Internship & Projects
When the job market is already saturated then to keep yourself apart from the crowd, you should do at least 1-2 internships in some reputed companies. It will give you good exposure and practical knowledge of what you learn throughout your academics. You might also get a pre-placement offer if you can show your skills and learning ability.
Also to stand out from the competition do 1-2 good projects (which is necessary) in any technology like Big Data, Blockchain, Machine learning, Artificial Intelligence, Android, and Web development.
Just give 2 hours per day to any of these technologies and after a certain time, you can do some good projects.
6. Resume:
Don’t make your resume with more than 2 pages, as fresher companies don’t expect from you everything. Be honest about whatever you write in it because the interviewer will ask you about everything from your resume. Like projects, skills, internships, etc. If you think that they will not understand then remember they take many interviews of many candidates like you. So, if the interviewer catches any lie then you will surely get rejected.
Do some internships, projects, and certifications on different skills and it will definitely pay you. If you participate in any coding competition or other tech competition, soft skills then also you can add it.
[ Also Checkout: Why Every College Should Conduct Career Counseling For Students? ]
Additional tips and tricks for placement preparation:
- Maintain a good CGPA: You easily heard that marks aren’t important for engineering students but it’s partially a myth. Because the first criteria to sit on a product-based company’s placement will be more or less 75%. So, maintain a good CGPA.
- Give importance to your college subjects: If you are a fresher then do give importance to your core subjects like data structure & algorithm, DBMS, operating systems, computer networking, OOPs, etc throughout all semester. If you study earlier these subjects, the pressure will be less during placement.
- Mock interviews: We know the pressure and tension of placement interviews. You can take some mock interviews to be familiar with interviews.
- Jack of all trades, master of none: There is nothing wrong to learn new technologies and different languages. But you need to understand as a fresher company doesn’t expect everything. So if you have limited time then just focus on one language and 1-2 projects (like web development).
- Learn C language: Irrespective of any language that you choose, you must learn C language because companies often ask questions on C programming. Some mobile apps can help you to practice.
- Do coding daily: Practice and smart work are the main things in preparation for anything. So do code daily and participate in different coding competitions.
- Make network: Make connections with your seniors who are serious about their placement or crack the companies. Take advice from them. You can also make connections on LinkedIn. It will help you to get an internship through their referral.
I hope, now you will get the answer to How to prepare for Campus Placement For CSE/IT Students. But if you still have some doubts then comment below.
