A joint effort by the Placement Office and student representatives saw a session conducted on August 3rd to apprise final year students of the rules and regulations regarding the placement process. Although the concerned secretary from the student council was not present due to unavoidable commitments (a point mentioned repeatedly by the speakers), the presentation went on smoothly at a jam-packed CLT.
Dr. N Ramesh Babu, Advisor, Placement and Training, kicked off proceedings. “According to companies coming in, the technical ability of students has been falling for the last couple of years,” he remarked. He advised students to brush up their fundamentals, choose which companies to sit for wisely and accordingly go through the process. All information regarding placements will be made available at the placement office (HSB), where students can get in touch with the counsellors. He related instances of companies calling students, who had already been made an offer from elsewhere, to conduct interviews separately off-campus, which is a blatant violation of rules and puts off other companies. Certain firms require the student to go through an additional degree abroad and guarantee to work for them for a minimum time period, something which should be given due thought beforehand. He also recommended that students applying for further studies keep companies informed, to avoid confusion later in case the job offer is not accepted.
A few changes have been made in the rules after discussions with the Academic Affairs Secretary and Branch Councillors. “Maintain decorum through the process and keep up the name of the institute,” he concluded.
Next on the stage was Dr. Nagarajan, Deputy Registrar, Placement Office. A presentation was made covering the following:
Pre-Placement Talks (PPTs) :
“PPTs by companies detail the profiles available, compensation and other important information… Attendance will be taken and being present is a must to be eligible to apply for the respective companies,” he said. In case of genuine medical reasons for being unable to attend, the BC may be informed. The PPT schedule will be uploaded on the placement website in due course. “Don’t leave PPTs in the middle if a CGPA cutoff is revealed – companies feel bad otherwise. Voice your opinion on the matter and attempt to get it reduced if possible,” he quipped.
Important dates :
8th – 10th August: Registration (except MS/PhDs) (intimation by BCs/placement office)
11th, 12th, 15th August: Biometric registration by students
16th August: PPTs begin
10th – 12th October: Registration for MS and PhD
24th August: Last date to submit filled in registration form and fee
30th October: 15th November: Final date-wise and sector-wise split up of companies visiting
December 1st: Placements begin. Two sessions per day; 8am-4pm and 5pm-10pm (timings subject to change)
Students are advised to check the placement website regularly for deadlines to upload resumes for various companies once the process begins. Placement Registration number must be included in all resumes.
Statistics :
(To view the full statistics for Placements 2011-12, click here)
A total of 861 students (constituting 70% of those registered) were placed in 2011-12, an institute record. “The target this year should be 1000 students or 80% of those registered,” he said. MBAs showed the best numbers, with a near 100% placement every year. Noticeable was the fact that although non-core companies gave larger pay packets, they were much smaller in number and recruited lesser students when compared to core companies. While the CGPA vs pay package graph for undergraduates/duals was almost perfectly linear, the same for PGs showed an unexpected jump in the 6-7 CGPA range, causing a flutter among the audience present. However this could be an aberration due to the lesser number of students in that range.
More companies for MA students are in the pipeline this time round. Dr. Nagarajan also remarked that a lot more enthusiasm was required from the MsC batches. “Please give us the opportunity to see you at the interviews. Last year there was a company looking for mathematics graduates, and a couple of students had to be dragged from the hostel to attend. MS Scholars can talk to the required authorities if they are interested in sitting for companies [that haven’t listed them].”
Eligibility :
Students with backlogs in four or more courses are deemed ineligible to register. However if they manage to reduce this to three or less in the ongoing semester through supplementary exams and the like, they could still register later. Re-registration is dealt with on a case-by-case basis – for instance, depending on extensions or if a student has lost his/her job. While a no-objection certificate is required for MS/PhD students from their guides to register, sponsored postgraduates are not allowed at all.
Pre-Placement Offers: PPOs have been de-linked from the placement process. Students with PPOs (granted through an internship) are allowed to register for placements, unless they have already accepted the offer. If so, they should immediately inform the placement office and de-register themselves from the process. Not doing so will “attract retribution”.
Dress Code :
Before placements begin (for PPTs and other): Shirt/T-shirt with collar, full pant, polished sandals/shoes, no chappals
For placements: Full shirt with trousers, polished shoes. Ties/blazers are secondary and not compulsory.
Other information :
The CGPA taken into consideration is the one up to 6th semester for B.Techs and up to 8th semester for duals. Students after receiving an offer are ineligible to go ahead in the process with immediate effect. If a student receives more than one offer on the same day, he/she should decide and inform the placement office by noon the next day as to which one they will be accepting.
“Pass any information you may have regarding companies to your BCs. Issues, if any, will be raised during our meetings with the student representatives,” Dr. Nagarajan reassured. He advised students not to apply in places where they did not meet the eligibility criteria, and to avoid extending the joining date for a company without valid reasons. Absenteeism at any point in the process would lead to debarring of the student from all future placement processes in the institute.
The Branch Councillor of the Engineering Design Department concluded the session by introducing the student members of the placement team and answering doubts posed.
Editor’s note: The information given here is subject to change by the placement team. Please contact your BC/placement office/faculty representative of your department for further details or clarifications.
