Campus placement is the dream of the hundred thousands student
going through the various courses all over the India. I have also been
one of them.
My story about the campus placement has
been very interesting and full of events. Whenever someone ask about my
campus placement, i usually smile and think about the chain of events
that i went through on the day of my placement.
I know,
till now, you have started thinking what exactly has happened that day
which distinguishes my story from the rest of students :-) you will get
to know soon.
It is the last exam of my fourth
semester. Most of my friends are planning to stay in the hostel for
preparation of the campus interviews, writing the technical and aptitude
exams of the companies. They are very sure on this but i was still in
the dilemma to go home or stay back in the hostel.
I
have always been very confusing personality ... go or not go ... :-)
Sometimes, i feel, there much be more options in life. Here is the
perfect example.
Two months ago, HCL Tech came to the
campus, i was hundred percent sure that i don't want to write exam for
HCL but i did, and after the exam being so tough, i got selected for the
group discussion, next round.
I had always been so shy
to speak in the groups at that point of time of my life and on top of
that, group discussions, omg. But somehow, i prepared myself to go
through all this.
Unfortunately, i couldn't reach on
time for group discussion and that's the reason, i was thrown out of the
technical interview from the gate itself. My name was not in the list
of the people for the next round. I was crying so much even when i was
so sure that i don't want to work for HCL.
Hey, No need
to think hard here.Reason was not that i couldn't be selected, in fact,
i couldn't get a chance to make an attempt to go ahead and try my
capabilities. One of my room mate told me that everyone gets their best
and something else is waiting for me.
Back flash....
:-) Finally i decided i will go home. I took all the material to study
in two months of vacations at home and prepare for the campus selection.
But
mai to mai hun, i spent all my time taking tutions and doing other
stuff than studying. Also, my mother was ill during whole of my
vacations and i was left over with no choice than taking care of her. It
was only 10 days remaining when the companies were beginning to start
for the campus selection. My sister suggested me to go back to the
campus and start preparing.
When i arrived to the
hostel, what a view !!! Everyone was so seriously indulged in studies
and most of them had spent their entire vacations at the hostel, i
caught my nerve for few minutes by looking at everyone and myself.
I took a day to adjust myself at the hostel again and unpack all my stuff.
I
was lying on my bed in night and in-spite of studying, i was still
thinking. What ? How to start and what to study. It could be anything
which the company may ask. How do i know what to prepare, it is
definitely not going to be same like my regular exams ...
Imagine me ? I am crazy .. right ?
I
was still not studying but getting inspired from everyone. I was
helping others in various subjects i had expertise on. I didn't know
what to prepare but I knew what i have studied in past 2 years and if
anyone ask me anything related i can explain.
I revised few stuff from past 2 years of my regular course material.
TCS was supposed to be the first company at the campus in the coming
days, girls had taken out the interview question set for the past few
years and crammed it over days.
On 26th of June, TCS
was expected to come, But, to our surprise, IBM arrived in the afternoon
the same day and started conducting the written test. TCS arrived in
the campus in the evening of same day. My Dean, Mrs. Rekha Govil, she
was such a smart and intelligent lady, she didn't let any of the company
know that there are one more company at the campus that day.
Written
test was conducted in batches by IBM and i cleared the exam. Soon after
results were declared for the written test, Technical interview had
started in multiple panels. Name can also be helpful when process is
alphabetically conducted. They had given us some form to fill up and
soon after written test and my name was announced for the technical
interview shortly.
Butterflies were flying in my stomach with a lot of excitement and nervousness at the same time.
I
was standing outside the room where i was called up for the technical
round, door was closed shut. I was felling nervous. I prayed to God to
help me and give me strength to face the first interview of my life. I
reminded myself that i want the offer letter, it has always been my
dream and i have to get through the recruitment process, so i didn't
have one single doubt about it.
I took a deep breath and
went inside the room. I said hello to the interviewer and smiled, that
smile itself gave me enough strength to stay there for another half an
hour.
My stomach was bursting like a fireball in the
empty space. I was asked to wait. I didn't know what to do, i was almost
shivering with fear and excitement.
I was lucky
enough to be called for the HR round as the first candidate in that
particular interviewer panel. I was interviewed for approximately 45
minutes, including both technical and HR questions. I was quite relaxed
and smiling in the interview as if i am talking to one of my friend. Wow
!!! Results were not going to be announced until next morning, so i
came back to the hostel and slept.
Interviews were held
up to 2 AM in morning and results were declared around 4 AM. I got up by
6, it was raining so i asked the girls to check my results as well who
were going to the institute till the time i get ready.
Few
of them got selected and in their own placement excitement, they forgot
to check my name in the list and when i asked them , they told me that i
could not get through the interviews :-(
I was
shocked, depressed with this announcement that i am not selected. There
was many reasons to it. I couldn't get a job even after being
interviewed more than 1 hr 15 minutes, how can it be ? If i wasn't
supposed to select then they would have told me earlier, which can not
be done, i know.
Now it is the last batch for the online
exams of TCS starting from 9 A.M. and i was not mentally prepared for
giving any more interviews now or write any technical exams. But i have
to, what other choice do i have ? Every minutes till 9 was passing so
slow and with disappointment that i started loosing my nerve. For TCS i
had left everything on destiny now.
I got ready and
reached to the institute for the written test. There were few minutes
left so i thought to give a glance on the list of students who have got
selected in the IBM campus placement with the least interest. To my
surprise, my name was listed there in the selected list of students. I
couldn't believe this. There was no time to loose, everyone asked me to
get my documents from the hostel.
aisa lagta hai story yahan khatam ho gayi, nahi.... :-)
I
was the last student to enter the room where all the students who were
placed in IBM were assembled. One person had a list in his hands and was
annoucing the name of the selected students. And what ? He didn't
announce my name. I almost started crying because now i had missed the
TCS written test as well. I bowed my head with disappointment. I had
lost the battel. When my friends had already told me that i could not
get the placement in IBM , why i didnt believe them ?
I
wanted to ask the interview panel about this confusion but i had to
wait until the 49th student was announced. As soon as he was done with
the list, i stood up and asked them, "my name is there in the list of
selected students on the notice board but had not been announced so I am
selected or not ?"
:-) they glanced through the list and smiled. "You are selected madam. "
Everyone in the room smiled at me and i felt so much relaxed on my achievement that finally i made it. :-)
Interview
process itself was not difficult to attain but these 3 hours of my life
were full of events and confusion . I was driving in 2 boats, IBM and
TCS, ek baar idhar, ek baar udhar. I have never been in a more confusing
situation that this in my life... :-)
Many of you may have more interesting story about your first interview or campus placement, views are welcome :-)