Campus Recruitment Drives- What to prepare and How to prepare?

Proper planning for placements will help a lot in improving your chances for getting placed. Identify your strong points and weaknesses and plan accordingly. Preparation should start well ahead of the placement dates, and 6 months time will be more than enough.

There are many facets that are to be considered for preparing for placements. The preparation should constitute: improving technical capabilities, increasing the general aptitude, developing good communication skills and mental preparation.

Technical Capabilities:

Long before placements start, you should have clearly identified your areas of interest and specialization. There is more possibility that the interviewers will ask questions in those areas.

As far as technical capabilities are concerned, it’s more a long-term preparation. You can go through the textbooks of the concerned subjects once again and know the subject better. Don't mug-up; this is not for your semester exams. Concentrate more on concepts than data; employees prefer good thinkers to RAMs.

A wide knowledge in all the fields concerned with computer science is a very big advantage. Data Structures and Algorithms, Computer Networks, Operating Systems, DBMS are very important areas in Computer Science. Knowledge in these areas will be a big advantage, even if your area of interest/specialization doesn't happen to be one of these subjects.

Non-computer science students need to be strong in their areas of graduation. Still knowledge of computers and C language is very much desirable.

If you don't know C language basics, start learning C immediately. Knowledge of C language is a must and almost all the IT companies test C aptitude. C++, Java and UNIX aptitude will be an added advantage. It is worthwhile investing lot of time improving your aptitude in these areas; they are here to stay in IT field for a long time.

General Aptitude:

Good skills in general aptitude is a must to pass the written test, and sometimes in interview also general aptitude skills are tested. You can perform better if you prepare well for improving the aptitude. Both short and long term preparation shall be useful. Know the shortcuts for answering these questions since time is an important factor in answering these questions. Now lets look at few tips on solving the general aptitude questions.

- Each one of you will have your own positive and negative aspects in problem solving. First identify your gray areas and work on them assiduously.

- The two most important attributes when we go for any aptitude test is speed and accuracy. One without the other is meaningless.

- Remember that it is almost humanly impossible to solve all the problems in the stipulated time because it will then reflect poorly on the standard of the question paper being set and no company will ever allow that. So don't be in too much of a hurry to answer all the questions and in the process make some stupid errors.

- Reasoning ability is more important and not our mathematical skills. Almost 95% of our problems do not require too much of a mathematical intellect on our part.

- When you sit in for a test try to identify those problems that take more time to solve. Remember that all the questions carry equal marks and it doesn't make sense for us to solve one problem in say 30 seconds and another in, say 3 minutes. Skip such questions in the beginning and come back to them later if and when you have time.

Communication Skills:

Having good oral communication skills is a must for success in the personal interview. It’s enough that you are able to communicate your ideas effectively without any inhibitions in English.

English is a language in which you can achieve a considerable fluency in a short time span. This requires a conscious effort on your part, and thus, a good command over the English language can be achieved. Make it a point that you speak in English with your friends and ask them to point out the mistakes you commit while you speak.

Mental Preparation

Mental preparation plays a vital role in the placements. We should have the confidence that we can get placed. This is the basic and most important point to be noted. Build a positive self-image and project the best in you.

Interview Questions

Q1 Tell me about yourself.

Q2 What are your greatest strengths? 

 
Q3 What are your greatest weaknesses? 

 
Q4Tell me about something you did – or failed to do – that you now feel a little ashamed of .
 

Q5 Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position?
 

 Q6 The “Silent Treatment” 
 

Q7 Why should I hire you? 
 

Q8 Aren’t you overqualified for this position?
 

Q9Where do you see yourself five years from now?
 

Q10 Describe your ideal company, location and job.
 

Q11 Why do you want to work at our company?
 

Q12 What are your career options right now? 
 

Q13Why have you been out of work so long?
 

Q14 Tell me honestly about the strong points and weak points of your boss (company, 

management team, etc.)
 

Q15 What good books have you read lately?
 

Q16Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.
 

Q17 What are your outside interest? 
 

Q17The “Fatal Flaw” question
 

Q19 How do you feel about reporting to a younger person (minority, woman, etc)? 
 

Q20 On confidential matters

 
Q21 Would you lie for the company? 
 
Q22Looking back, what would you do differently in your life?
 
Q23 Could you have done better in your last job?
 
Q24 Can you work under pressure?
 
Q25What makes you angry?
 
Q26 Why aren’t you earning more money at this stage of your career?
 
Q27Who has inspired you in your life and why?
 
Q28 What was the toughest decision you ever had to make?
 
Q29 Tell me about the most boring job you’ve ever had.
 
Q30 Have you been absent from work more than a few days in any previous position? 
 
Q31What changes would you make if you came on board?
 
Q32 I’m concerned that you don’t have as much experience as we’d like in 
 
Q33 How do you feel about working nights and weekends? 
 
Q34 Are you willing to relocate or travel? 
 
Q35 Do you have the stomach to fire people? Have you had experience firing many people?. 
 
Q36Why have you had so many jobs?
 
Q37 What do you see as the proper role/mission of a good (job title you’re seeking); a good 
manager; an executive in serving the community; a leading company in our industry; etc
 
Q38 What would you say to your boss if he’s crazy about an idea, but you think it stinks? 
 
Q39How could you have improved your career progress?
 
Q40 What would you do if a fellow executive on your own corporate level wasn’t pulling 
his/her weight and this was hurting your department? 
 
Q41 You’ve been with your firm a long time. Won’t it be hard switching to a new company?
 
Q42 May I contact your present employer for a reference?
 
Q43 Give me an example of your creativity (analytical skill…managing ability, etc.)
 
Q44 Where could you use some improvement?
 
Q45 What do you worry about?
 
Q46 How many hours a week do you normally work?
 
Q47 What’s the most difficult part of being a (job title)?
 
Q48 The “Hypothetical Problem”
 
Q49 What was the toughest challenge you’ve ever faced? 
 
Q50 Have you consider starting your own business?
 
Q51 What are your goals?
 
Q52 What do you for when you hire people? 
 
Q53 Sell me this stapler…(this pencil…this clock…or some other object on interviewer’s desk).
 
Q54 “The Salary Question” – How much money do you want?
 
Q55 The Illegal Question
 
Q56 The “Secret” Illegal Question 
 
Q57 What was the toughest part of your last job?
 
Q58 How do you define success…and how do you measure up to your own definition?
 
Q59 “The Opinion Question” – What do you think about- Abortion, The President, The 
Death Penalty (or any other controversial subject)?
 
Q60 If you won $10 million lottery, would you still work? 
 
Q61Looking back on your last position, have you done your best work?
 
Q62 Why should I hire you from the outside when I could promote someone from within?
 
Q63 Tell me something negative you’ve heard about our company
 
Q64 On a scale of one to ten, rate me as an interviewer.