With the ongoing placements season coming to a close, the English Press Club interviewed Reaa Saxena, the Pitching Head of the Placement Unit (PU), to gain some insight on this semester’s placement scenario.

The major highlight of this placement season was the increase in the number of international placements, with companies like Uber, Rubrik, and KPIT making offers. As many companies increased their CTCs (Cost to Company) this year, the average CTC offered by Day One companies shot up to around 35 LPA. Flipkart, which generally recruits in the even semester, opted to visit in the odd semester as well. They offered a package of 26 LPA for the position of Associate Product Manager (APM). With 28 students placed, Intel recruited the highest number of students.

Companies like Samsung Semiconductors, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Intel offered jobs in the Electronics sector, while Nestle, Bajaj Auto, and Maruti Suzuki offered jobs in the Mechanical sector. The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and McKinsey & Company offered consulting roles. One of the biggest successes of the PU this year was getting Dalberg Global Development Advisors – a big name in the industry – who made offers to two students, one from Pilani and Goa campus each. While finance profiles are not offered to students from engineering colleges, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank offered jobs in the Banking sector during this placement season.

Uber offered the highest international package, however, the PU did not reveal the exact figure. On the domestic front, Rubrik offered the highest package, however, none of the students who applied were selected. Of all domestic companies which recruited students, D.E. Shaw offered the highest package, at 47 LPA. According to Reaa, external factors also have a major effect on placements, especially in the core industry. ‘Many companies are reluctant to hire new employees in the period leading up to the 2019 Elections,’ she said.

The PU also organised a dedicated internship season for students in their pre-final year. Last year, a little less than a third of the first-degree students bagged Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs) in their internships, thus reducing the pressure on the PU during the placement season. A majority of PPOs, close to 60%, were from the IT sector.

Talking about the importance of having a decent CGPA, Reaa said that many companies look at the candidate’s resume before meeting them in person. Hence, a good CGPA always gives a good first impression. In case the candidate’s academic performance is not up to the company’s expectations, the initial minutes of the interview are spent justifying the poor academic record, starting off the interview on a bad note. Many Day Zero and Day One companies also have a CGPA cut-off, of 8 or 8.5. Hence, even if students possess the skills required, they are unable to sit for their placements. ‘While a good CGPA never guarantees a dream job, it does provide a good starting point’, she said.