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T5E’s Placement survey 2021-22 was conducted 28 December 2021 and 5 January 2022 to study the statistics of the Placement season of 2021-22. The survey witnessed a total of 326 responses across the entire graduating class (UG+PG). The respondents spanned across various degrees (albeit disproportional) and departments who appeared for the placement season. Close to 67% of the respondents were UG’s (B.Tech + DD) and the rest were PG’s (MSc+M.Tech+MBA+PhD+MS)
The survey focused on several aspects, such as Preparation, Opinion, Academics and Career, relevant to the placement statistics of respondents. The following charts showcase the general demographics of the survey across students of different degrees and branches.
Demographics
Note: Do glance through the above charts to understand the demographics of the respondents of this survey. These charts are key to explanations regarding the results we got for several questions, which depend heavily on one’s department/degree. PG students are underrepresented as compared to UG and there exist higher numbers of respondents among departments like ME, EE, CS.
In this article, we explore opinions and career aspects of the 2021-22 placement season. For the same, we divide this article into two sections: career and opinion.
CAREER:
In this section, we explore the Career aspect. It revolves around how career and related aspects affect placements.
Undergraduate
Out of all UG respondents, about 5% did not have any internship experience. Around 65% of the respondents placed on Day 1 did only 0 – 2 internships. It reflects that more internships might not directly impact placement. However, in hindsight, more internships are always helpful. Regardless, 56% of the respondents thought that the number of internships matters during placements. One internship, however, is sufficient for a good CTC.
More than 60% of respondents did an industrial internship. Nearly 80% who got placed on Day 1 stated they had done an industrial internship in their pre-final year unlike the rest who did research internships. Those with industrial internships also seem to have gotten a good CTC.
Around 56% of the respondents never took part in any hackathon/competition, and similar results were found for those placed on Day 1. Of those who did, more than 70% of the respondents finished in the top 2 percentile.
Postgraduate
Out of all PG responses, about 37% of respondents had work experience before joining IIT Madras. Of those placed on Day 1, more than 60% had work experience, indicating that experience gives an edge in the package one can get.
Around 40% of the respondents did not do any industrial or research internship. Of the rest, 35% did industrial internships and others did research internships.
Nearly 77% of the respondents never took part in hackathons/competitions. But among the rest, almost more than three-fourths of the respondents finished in the top 2 percentile.
OPINION:
This section gauges the opinion of students on the overall placement process and various policies.
Preparation
Peer learning is the most effective approach, particularly when peers are encouraged to learn and collaborate for problems that require brainstorming. In the weeks leading up to placements, most students are constantly engaged with coursework and PoRs. Peer learning, on that account, makes one more productive. 70% of the respondents rated the importance of peer learning at least 4 out of 5, indicating that peer learning was essential in their experience.
Preparatory material plays a crucial role in any type of competition, since it bridges gaps and equips students with skills not taught in classrooms. Surprisingly, 46% of the respondents did not refer to the materials provided by the placement team. Around 12% of respondents felt that the preparatory material was not sufficient.
CGPA and opportunities
The importance of CGPA in placements is highly arguable but students should, at the least, attempt to fulfil CGPA requirement criteria set by companies. 56% of the respondents have the opinion that a decent CGPA with good extracurriculars are enough for placements. However, 34% felt that CGPA matters a lot since it can lead one to secure a really good job offer. The rest either thought it did not matter or were unsure.
Around 14% of respondents felt that there are enough opportunities in their respective core domains. 56% of the respondents, however, felt that students should start preparing for non-core domains alongside core domains because it provides a better package, and 30% felt that students should prepare for non-core domains because opportunities in core domains are gradually reducing.
Online placement process
A whopping 71% of the respondents did not face any issue at all during online placement sessions. Around 17%, however, faced issues with internet connectivity. A few others faced individual problems, such as tight schedules of placement tests and difficulties in test platform interface.
Despite the placement season of 2021-22 being online, around 80% of the respondents rated that experience 4 and above.
63% of the respondents rated the placement team’s execution 4 and above. The average rating stood at 3.71 out of 5. There is a significant correlation between this and the placement experience. It is observed that the 85% of the respondents who rated their placement experience above 3 out of 5 also rated the placement team’s effectiveness over 3 out of 5.
Over 65% of the respondents who had rated the placement experience as 5 had also rated the placement team 5. This indicates that the placement team played a significant role in the positive placement experience of the respondents.
81% of the respondents rated POCs 4 and above. The average rating stood at 4.2, indicating that POCs were helpful and supportive towards problems faced by the respondents.
Despite the placement season being online, enough opportunities were available in both core and non-core domains. 80% of the respondents were satisfied with the job offer they received.
Anonymous pointers
Several seniors were generous enough to drop advice for pre-final-year students. Here are a few handpicked pointers. You can find each piece of advice offered by them here.
- “Start early. For tech roles, pors are not that important. Be composed in your interviews. Personality matters a lot.”
- “Talk to seniors well beforehand. It gives a good idea of what you should expect from placements and how to make the best use of it. And prepare consistently even if not much, consistency is important to keep you focused on your goal.”
- “Find a good peer group to prepare with and harness your learning style because interviewing is a new skill you’re picking up!”
- “Build 2-3 strong projects that you can explain top to bottom. Focus on your contribution in the project and results. Be strong with fundamentals in whatever profile you’re applying to.”
- “There will be a lot of walkins so you need not worry about not doing well in companies which came at the beginning of placements and gave tough papers.”
Conclusion
- 80% of the respondents were satisfied with the job offer they received.
- 70% of the respondents rated the importance of peer learning at least 4 out of 5,indicating that peer learning was essential in their experience.
- 56% of the respondents have the opinion that a decent CGPA with good extracurriculars are enough for placements. However, 34% felt that CGPA matters a lot since it can lead one to secure a really good job offer.
- A whopping 71% of the respondents did not face any issue at all during online placement sessions. Around 17%, however, faced issues with internet connectivity.
- 46% of the respondents did not refer to the materials provided by the placement team. Around 12% of respondents felt that the preparatory material was not sufficient.
- 86% of the respondents felt that students should prepare for non-core domains.
- UG students who got placed on Day 1 (65%) either had zero or at most two internships. Several internships do not have a strong relationship with the slot in which one is placed.
- Around 78.31% of the UGs placed on Day 1 had an industrial internship.
- Among PG students, work experience affects placement significantly. Less experience seems to have a significant negative impact on the CTC.
This article brings us to the end of the placement survey series of 2021-22. We greatly appreciate the 326 students who participated in this survey, provided insights and offered valuable fundaes and pointers. We also thank you, our reader, if you have made it until here.
