Chartered Accountant is India’s most prestigious career option, and cracking it makes you unique in your social circle. After clearing one of the toughest exams, it is time to explore career options.
To support their journey, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India has established a committee known as the Committee for Members in Industry & Business. The purpose of forming this body is to connect newly minted Chartered Accountants with companies looking to recruit.
The body organizes campus placement twice a year, and if you want to get your dream job as a CA, you should learn how to prepare for the CA campus interview.
Before learning tips and steps to crack the CA campus interview, let’s go through the types, stages of the interview and negotiate for the best salary package.
Types and stages of CA Campus Interview
Types
Campus interviews are of multiple types, and you should make yourself comfortable with all types to avoid any surprises on the final day.
Stress Interviews: Employers check and observe your decision-making capacity in tense situations and projects. They ask questions to irritate or be angry; it is vital to keep calm and respond logically.
Do not get angry or aggressive; you will lose the chance of selection.
Behavioral interview: Employers want to know about your mental attitude and communication skills through behavioral interview. Therefore, they ask relevant questions such as experience during working on a project or office, etc.
Be honest and describe the relevant points. Keep it short and appealing. These types of questions need preparation, and you should practice before the final day.
Panel interview: Several people interview you at once in a panel discussion. Ensure eye contact with everyone. When someone asks a question, look towards them and try to make eye contact with everyone present in the room.
Stages of interviews
Mostly, CA campus interviews consist of three rounds. Those are Group discussion, Human resources round, and technical round.
Points to be taken into consideration for preparing each of the three stages.
Group Discussion
- Listen to the topic, initial remarks properly
- Think about your points and ideas before sharing them in the group
- Once started, don’t stagger or express confusion. Confidence and clarity of thoughts are the keys.
- Put forth your ideas in short and effective sentences
- Eye contact while speaking and listening with group members
HR Round
Prepare answers for questions like why you are interested in our company, why you are suitable for the job etc. Attend mock interviews, watch videos and prepare for the final day.
Technical round
If you have studied well for the CA exam, clearing the technical round should be a piece of cake. Then, revise accountancy, tax, audit, etc., brush recent changes and amendments in company law, tax laws, and others.
Salary negotiation
Though salary is fixed with most companies, you can negotiate a little during the campus interview. It is pretty standard, and don’t feel hesitant in talking about more salary. But remember not to push too much if the company and perks are promising.
These are three stages of the CA campus interview, and to know further about how to prepare for the CA campus interview, let go through dos and don’ts during the campus interview.
Things to do for preparing the CA campus interview
It is not advisable to take anything casual during preparation for the campus interview. You should prepare for a good appearance, revise technical knowledge, appealing personality, etc., to excel on the final day and get the dream company as a Chartered Accountant.
Appearance
Employers want to see the etiquette and dressing sense of the candidates. These are the crucial determining factors for the candidacy. If you want to excel in the interview process, work on these two.
The best way to perform best in the interview is to develop good formal and professional habits in daily life. Therefore, some of the points to be prepared for the final day are formal shirts and trousers, preferable white shirts and black or dark color trousers for men, whereas decent clothing with basic make-up.
Be friendly on the premises and, if possible, talk to other interviewees.
Work on communication skills
Verbal and non-verbal communications are essential for the workplace. In addition, irrespective of job role, you need to communicate with fellow staff, clients, vendors, sponsors, etc.
Your communication skills should be evident in group discussions, face-to-face interviews, and before panelists. To prepare, form a group of friends and discuss weekly, bi-weekly, or as per agreed terms with consensus. Watch group discussion and panel discussion videos online to learn how to present better in an interview.
Practice and be confident
The technical round needs specific details related to your study. Employers will ask for job role-related solutions and give the exact, logical, and relevant solutions. So, practice as per job role.
Before appearing for the CA campus interview, do thorough research about the company and critical people. This will help you in the face-to-face interview.
These are essential tips and steps to learn how to prepare for the CA campus interview. Before concluding, let’s go through a note of information about campus placement held in 2020.
About CA Campus placement
Because of increased financial concerns, online business activities, demand for Cas has been increased a lot in recent years by domestic and international companies. As a result, there has been an increase of 37 percent in CA job demand. In 2020, the average annual salary offered was 8.91 lakh.
Total 133 companies participated, and major placements were done from IT, banking, financial services, CA firms, etc.
ICAI organized a virtual CA campus interview for the first time due to a covid-led pandemic in 2020. The placement is held twice a year: February-March and August-September. Due to the pandemic for the first time in history, CA campus placement occurred only once in 2020.
