You Are Hired!!

Let me ask you a question…… what is the first thing that an engineering student thinks of when he reaches the final year of college???? Yup…… job, naukri, joli, dhandha…..well there are many words, but only one motive- the prospect of earning money. What it would be like to get some moolah without any strings attached? Nobody to give details to (not exactly, but for a moment it feels like so)? It always gives us goose bumps. And for us final years, the ordeal started on 31^st October with TCS.

    Now I can only tell you about my experience with the recruitment, but to certain extent we engineers share a common mentality regarding placements. For example- Like when we heard that TCS is coming, everybody (almost) had the same feeling: “TCS is just my backup plan…..I aim for a core industry”, but I tell you, TCS is actually a life saver for most engineers. They come here and recruit people as if they are buying cattle. There is a lore that circulates in engineering colleges that once TCS (it changes with who tells the story, sometimes TCS becomes Infosys) came to a college and announced to the students: “ There is a truck standing outside, anyone with more than 60% aggregate and max 2 backs, board it”. Well, its utter rubbish but it makes a good story. It gives a hope to future engineers that at least TCS will not disappoint them. However, this time the situation almost changed.

  TCS had recruited around 90 people from our college in the previous year which was a small number as compared to other colleges. So this time TCS was given the first slot with the condition that it would at least recruit 200 students from the college. TCS was also asked to accredit the college with a B-grade. Those who don’t know about this grading system, every college in India has a specific grade. Those at the top are the A- grade and successively degrading colleges are graded B, C etc. Ours had a C-grade and so TCS was asked to accredit us to B-grade through a monitoring process (it was actually just an interaction between the TCS officials and the students, they asked some GK questions regarding TCS). The advantage of being a B-grade college? We receive our joining letters faster than the C-grade college students and the top students could attend the interviews directly, no aptitude test for them. Luckily we did get the accreditation. And as the day of the recruitment neared, my anxiety grew louder.

The recruitment was conducted in 2 days and had two phases: A written aptitude test and a series of interviews. The 75% scorers were given a choice to attend the interviews when the rest had their tests or they could attend the interviews the other day like the rest of us. Being the cream of the crop has its advantages. However in reality many of these geniuses were forced to take the interview the first day citing reasons of scarcity of time. Well if you have to interview around 260 students and that too with technical, HR and MR (I didn’t even knew what it meant), one day is seriously not enough. Talking about the test, it was not very tough. Given the fact that every student had at least 20 sample papers of TCS aptitude test patterns and the test was composed mostly of questions from these patterns, it was not very difficult to crack it. I too was one of the lucky ones to get through but alas some of my friends couldn’t make it. Luck does play its role. The next morning came the judgment day.

 I had seen some of my friends take the interview the previous day and hearing their experience had given me some confidence. The moment I entered the interview location (a.k.a auditorium); I started feeling like a sheep. It looked like a production line in a sheep rearing factory. There were four rows of desks, each row having 4 officials. Students seated in front of them attempting to answer their quirky questions, like little sheep being shaved off their wool. Some half shaven sheep sat to my right side in an array of chairs. I was escorted directly to this lady who sat with eyes filled with both boredom and expectation. I was prepared, or at least I thought so. I had donned a tie after 4 years (one of the only two people in the whole crowd). So obviously I was a prime target of both gossip and mockery. But I didn’t mind. My CV was ready with all the necessary certificates in a neat folder. I greeted the lady and took my seat, after that everything went downhill. First, she didn’t want the folder, actually she didn’t even wanted to see the certificates, just the CV. Second, no matter how confident you are, your first interview will be the toughest; cause just being fluent in English won’t help you. The moment the first question is fired, everything in your brain jumbles up.

 As she started asking questions it became difficult for me to read her emotions. Was she angry, happy, disgusted or mocking at my replies, I couldn’t tell? (True mark of an interviewer) She would smile at times and sometimes she would stare at me as if I was the dumbest person she had ever seen. She asked me stuff that I hadn’t even heard during my engineering. I tried to cheer up the situation with a smile but was met with cold eyes and more ridicule. She finally had pity on me and ended the interview. I was then asked to join the group of the half shaven sheep, waiting for the next round of interview. I sat beside one of my friends from EEE and he told me that he had been waiting since noon for his second round of interview; it was 2:30 then. I got a bit more anxious. But to my surprise, I was called within 10 minutes for my HR. The official this time was a mean looking pot bellied man. I was waiting for questions like “Where do you live?” “What are your strengths?” etc, but I was met with more technical questions. This guy certainly looked unhappy with me. He even ended my interview within 10 minutes while other students were questioned for an average of 30. I didn’t know if I was lucky or smitten. I returned to another chair where this other student asked me my branch. He was trying to make logic of why different students were being called at different intervals. His conclusion, TCS wanted the CSE guys first. I thought maybe he was right, and waited anxiously for the next and final round. But as time passed, other student were being called, even those who sat for their second round after me, while I remained fixed on my spot. Even the logic guy was called. As the hours passed, the number of officials decreased and my heart started to sink. I was not the only one who wasn’t called; there were students who hadn’t even gotten to the second round yet. So now, I became the logic guy. My conclusion…… we were out. But as luck plays its role, a few students were called for their final round and I was among them. It was the MR round and it went smoothly. I was asked to wait for the results.

However, after this the twist happened. I didn’t know what happened first, but this is what I heard. As the remaining students were being interviewed, the TCS guys backed out of their words and told the placement cell that they were only taking 130 students as they didn’t find the level of students here par with what they wanted. But our placement cell officer came to our rescue and negotiated with TCS. Actually what I heard was that he told them: “You had pleaded for the first slot and we gave it to you only on the promise that you will take 200 students. I better see that ‘2’ in your final recruitment list.” And all of a sudden the remaining students were interviewed in frenzy, taking 4-5 students together at a time. Students who had been rejected the previous day were being called. Even students who had left after losing hope and waiting for hours were called again. Students came out running, some even in casuals. Everybody tried to help each other. I saw one of my friends exchange his formals with another student so that he can sit in the interview. It ended eventually and all of us stood outside waiting anxiously for the results. Though there were students who had a greater chance of getting placed than the others, but everyone was in silent prayers. At last everyone was called back into the auditorium and the results were announced. I couldn’t believe my ears, I was selected and I did a little jig instantly. As the TCS official finished reading the list, the final count was 200 GEC Thrissur students. The auditorium broke into cheers and claps. Though there were few who weren’t selected, but everyone participated in the celebrations. Handshakes and hugs were being offered everywhere. The loud chants of “party” and “treat” filled the air. Although everyone was terribly tired, I could see faces brightly lit up as they informed their loved ones of the news. I too informed my folks about the placement and at that moment I realized that it was not the prospect of having fun with self earned money that makes it special but the sense of achieving something after 3 years of hard work and the pride and happiness that you sense in your parents voice is what makes it a memorable moment.

A few of my friends didn’t get placed that day but as more companies came in more got placed. And there are still many to come. I too sat in three other placements after that. I was rejected by two companies while the third has called me for an interview at Bangalore. I was not dejected by the rejection; it only gave me confidence to do better the next time. Because that is how it goes. You are never sure if you can clear a hurdle or not, but giving your best to it, that is how you face any challenge.