Campus placement is an entry point for the career ahead. In the last year or semester of college, it is the buzzword in everyone’s education period. Students join groups, attend group discussions, watch tutorials, etc., to crack the placement interview and get into the desired company.
Given its importance for life, it is vital to prepare for the interview systematically. To do so, you need to know how to prepare for a campus placement interview strategically. Therefore, we will discuss the step by step process to prepare for the exam.
Stages of the campus interview
There are broadly five stages of a campus interview, and let’s dig deeper individually in the following paragraphs.
Aptitude tests
Colleges and companies conduct aptitude tests to eliminate casual candidates. Through aptitude tests, they check basic mathematical knowledge, analytical, and reasoning capacity. It shows a logical ability to assess problems and come up with relevant solutions.
To prepare for aptitude tests, work on your analytical skills, observe things from multiple aspects and bring out a positive outcome. Make your primary strong to rack the campus interview. It is essential to segregate yourself from the crowd and be with serious candidates.
Practice a lot. Only doing practice will shine your skills and improve your chances of selection. Attempt aptitude exam papers from previous years and self-assess yourself. Solve the problems with the timer and try to solve the sum within the time limit.
Sections of aptitude test
Quantitative aptitude: this section assesses your hold on numbers. It includes mensuration, trigonometry, arithmetic, statistics, permutation & combination, etc.
Logical reasoning: it checks your observational skills. Companies screen candidates for employees of their organization. They need people with excellent observational skills to work with minute details.
Communication skills
You need better communication skills everywhere from the home, college, to the workplace. You should be clear in conveying messages to fellow teammates, clients, senior management, etc.
Domain-specific interview
Prepare for domain-specific replies after checking the job role.
Make your basics strong, join informative groups, revise your subject and skills specific to the job role. Take feedback in groups and work towards improvising on that section next time.
Group Discussion
Group discussion is a discussion on a topic among five or six candidates. All candidates have to give their opinion and reach a logical conclusion with a consensus. Hiring managers observe and assess candidates based on their performance in the group discussion.
You need to consider the following aspects for preparing group discussion;
- Understand the topic and think it over before putting forth your ideas. Come out with sensible and logical solutions. To do that, develop a habit of analyzing at least one topic a day.
- Analyze a topic from several relevant aspects. Then, make your viewpoint and counter thoughts on probable questions.
- Practice in a group of friends or a coaching center. Listen to everybody with attention without interrupting them.
- Introduce yourself properly and initiate with an idea on the topic with an open-ended question.
- When you are preparing for a campus interview, you must be prepared for the type of the group members, a company in focus, their expectations, etc.
- Group discussion is a conversation to come to a logical conclusion, do not make it an argument or nuisance.
Panel Interview
In a panel interview, key people from the hiring company screen candidates individually. Take it as a personal interview. To begin preparation, watch a mock panel interview on YouTube and Vimeo. Then, attend mock interviews in college and practice with friends.
Take notes of body language, type of questions, reactions of the candidate and interviewer throughout the session, etc. Then, apply those notes while practicing with friends. Finally, check errors and rectify them in the following practice.
Along with the practice of what to do, ensure not to do certain mistakes such as casual or unprofessional body language, non-confident communication skills, insufficient knowledge about the company and job role, inability to present yourself properly, etc.
With frequent mock interviews, minimizing probable mistakes, and feedback, you will be ready for the actual panel interview.
Technical stage
The technical stage is the job role-specific part of the campus interview. It assesses how your skills are going to be helpful for the workplace. They observe value addition if they hire you through practical domain-specific problems and situations. This is crucial to understand how to prepare for a campus placement interview.
You will need to solve the practical problem using job-specific skills and decision-making abilities. To prepare for the technical round, you should do the following;
Check the company’s background, product range, problems it can have in operation. Then, read on Quora and Glassdoor, where you might find employees talking about the target company. It will give you great heads up for preparation.
Practice domain-specific problems such as if you are going for the campus interview for a developer, practice computer coding, language, etc.
Nowadays, the panel discussion is happening via Zoom, Microsoft Meet, etc. So make yourself with these tools and software.
Human Resources Round
After aptitude, technical rounds, it’s time for final evaluation with HR people. Their primary job is to shortlist the most suitable candidate who can fit the given job role and workplace. Next, they ask about yourself, background, hobbies, interests, etc., to make a profile.
Based on the profile, they finalize the candidate for the onboarding. To prepare for the HR round and improve the chances of selection, focus on your strengths. Prepare basic questions about yourself, background, hobbies, etc. Your hobbies and interests should be relevant to the job role applied for.
This is how to prepare for the campus placement interview.
Conclusion
Campus placement interview opens a door for the future. It is the first step towards professional life. Follow the above-given tips stage-wise and attend the interview with confidence. Go in formals, with positive body language, a smile on the face, and confidence in the communication.
