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With major IT recruitment happening from early next week, we expect you to perform well and create an insurmountable record at SASTRA. Following are some useful tips for interview: 1. Dress properly. Formal wear for Boys with plain light shirt (preferably white) and dark trousers. Make sure you look professional - neatly shaven, hair properly dressed, shoes polished, etc. Tie is optional. Girls Decent dressing in salwar/saree and well groomed hair-style. Though you might qualify for the interview, we have the right to stop students from attending the interview if they are found improperly dressed or show up for interview in a clumsy manner.

2. Display positive attitude. Do not be arrogant and tend to be over-confident. Always remain modest and polite. The attitude component is very important and make sure you are honest in accepting things that you dont know and demonstrate your eagerness to learn in the shortest possible time.

3. Communication skills - very very very important. Flawless grammar and diction. You may be asked to express your thoughts on various issues like Anna Hazare & Corruption, Terrorism, 2G Scam, Indo-Us Nuclear Deal, Higher Education system, WikiLeaks, Commonwealth Games, Sub-prime Crisis, About the recruiting company, About yourself, Your career Goals, etc. You will also be tested on your personal attributes through contextual issues cases of ethics, joining the company, interest in higher studies, etc. Be honest and do not give slippery answers that might upset the panel. Avoid stale replies like it depends, its like, i have not really thought about it, etc.

If you are from a rural setting or you have completed your schooling in a nonEnglish medium of instruction, be honest to admit that you have a background that did not provide you enough opportunities to develop your English. Also, make sure you tell them you are committed to improve your communication skills. Be honest on this. Do not try to hide by faking your English accent.

4. Technical interview is to test your elementary C knowledge, with questions like: *What is a pointer? *Difference between C and C ? *Strings and data types. *What is Recursion and Indirect Recursion? *Difference between Unix and Windows? *Difference between Vista and Windows 7? *Write a program for sum of 2 no.s? *Fibanocci Series. *Palindrome No. *Hello World Program *Basics of Data Structure(mainly for computer related branches) *OS,Computer Networks and Software Engineering(mainly for computer related branches) *Sorting and Loops. *RDBMS The whole idea of this interview is to check one's technology awareness and programming concepts awareness. 5. The HR interview questions are based on: Question 1 Tell me about yourself. BEST ANSWER: Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting. Do not waste time in giving a detailed family biography, that you are a final year ECE/EEE/... student of SASTRA, etc. as they know all of these from your application. At the same time you need not skip this. Just make a quick passing reference. If you think you come from a very challenging family background, make sure you mention it. Then jump to your personal strengths. They may be - your programming skills, team work abilities, your desire to be part of a highly ethical conglomerate The TATA Group, your accomplishments, etc. Remember to put all of this in plain simple flawless English. Do not fake your English speaking style. Be natural. Question 2 As a Software professional, what are ur strengths? TRAPS: This question seems like a softball lob, but be prepared. You don't want to come across as egotistical or arrogant. Neither is this a time to be humble. Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest

strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements. You should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM. Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up. As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are: A proven track record as an achiever...especially if your achievements match up with the employer's greatest wants and needs. Intelligence...management "savvy". Honesty...integrity...a decent human being. Good fit with corporate culture...someone to feel comfortable with...a team player who meshes well with interviewer's team. Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor. Good communication skills. Dedication...willingness to walk the extra mile to achieve excellence. Definiteness of purpose...clear goals. Enthusiasm...high level of motivation. Confident...healthy...a leader. Question 3 Why should I hire you? TRAPS: Believe it or not, this is a killer question because so many candidates are unprepared for it. If you stammer or adlib youve blown it. BEST ANSWER: By now you can see how critical it is to apply the overall strategy of uncovering the employers needs before you answer questions. If you know the employers greatest needs and desires, this question will give you a big leg up over other candidates because you will give him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else is likely toreasons tied directly to his needs. Whether your interviewer asks you this question explicitly or not, this is the most important question of your interview because he must answer this question favorably in his own mind before you will be hired. So help him out! Walk through the job profile for which you are going to be recruited Software Developer/Software Associate/ or any entry level designation. Remember that this job requires a set of specific skills and as highlighted in the previous section, pick your most favourite area and your major strength and justify your selection. You may also mention about how SASTRA admits on merit and that you are meritorious to be a student here and TCS also loves candidates who have

undergone the rigours of meritocracy. You may also consider saying the following: From my side, there are strong benefits, as well. Right now, I am on the verge of graduation and I want to work, very much, and the position you have here is exactly what I love to do and am best at. Ill be happy doing this work and thats what matters most to me and my parents who have invested their money, efforts, etc. to see me work for a globally renowned software services company. What more gift than a job at TCS can I give to my parents and teachers? Most important, Im looking to make a long term commitment in my career now and TCS is an organisation that moulds individuals. I also know that if I perform this job with excellence, other opportunities cannot help but open up for me right here. In time, Ill find many other ways to help this company and in so doing, help myself. I really am looking to make a long-term commitment. QUESTION 4 Arent you overqualified for this position? TRAPS: The employer may be concerned that youll grow dissatisfied and leave. BEST ANSWER: As with any objection, dont view this as a sign of imminent defeat. Its an invitation to teach the interviewer a new way to think about this situation, seeing advantages instead of drawbacks. There might be concerns that you are overqualified for this job (especially for toppers) . This means that you will leave your new employer as soon as something better comes your way. Anything you can say to demonstrate the sincerity of your commitment to the employer and reassure him that youre looking to stay for the long-term will help you overcome this objection. Do not admit even if you have interests of pursuing higher education and you would like to work for 2 years only. Nobody likes that answer. Example: I recognize the job market for what it is a marketplace. The IT industry is booming and Like any marketplace, its subject to the laws of supply and demand. So overqualified can be a relative term, depending on how tight the job market is. And right now, its very tight. I understand and accept that. I also believe that there could be very positive benefits for both of us in this match. Theres also the value of all the training and years of experience that TCS will give to me which no other IT major can do (Remember TCS is the largest Indian IT services company). This training and development is definitely more than what you assume I already know best. I dont want to lose on this golden opportunity to learn as learning is a continuous process and I dont believe in being over-qualified at any point of my career. There is always something new

that happens to technology and I have to keep running to stay in the same place. To gain this experience, I dont think I am over-qualified for the job and TCS is the right organisation for a continuous learning process. Question 5 What is your career plan? TRAPS: One reason interviewers ask this question is to see if youre settling for this position, using it merely as a stopover until something better comes along. Or they could be trying to gauge your level of ambition. If youre too specific, i.e., naming the promotions you someday hope to win, youll sound presumptuous. If youre too vague, youll seem rudderless. BEST ANSWER: Reassure your interviewer that youre looking to make a longterm commitmentthat this position entails exactly what youre looking to do and what you do extremely well. As for your future, you believe that if you perform each job at hand with excellence, future opportunities will take care of themselves. Example: I am definitely interested in making a long-term commitment to my next position. Judging by what youve told during the pre-placement talk, its exactly what Im looking for and what I am very well qualified to do. In terms of my future career path, Im confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities will inevitable open up for me. Its always been that way for me with my performance taking care of my growth and Im confident Ill have similar opportunities here. Question 6 What good books have you read recently? Be honest and share whatever is true. If you are not in the habit of reading books, admit it. If yuo are in the habit of reading Newspapers daily, share that. Question 7 What are your outside interests? TRAPS: You want to be a well-rounded, not a drone. But your potential employer would be even more turned off if he suspects that your heavy extracurricular load will interfere with your commitment to your work duties. Just limit your outside capabilities to a couple of them and not more. Remember that your employer is hiring your for what you can do for him, not your family, yourself or outside organizations, no matter how admirable those activities may be.

QUESTION 8:Explain about PROJECT in DETAIL

PROJECT NAME: Software Platform: Hardware Platform: Team Size: Objectives or Requirement Specifications in Brief: Your Role : What U did in the Project: Challenges in Technology: You may narrate about the latest cutting-edge technology like Java or .Net used in the BUILD of your project along with the mention of the corresponding SDLC stage. High Lights: Standard on .Net or Java Project Plan & Standard Process with relevant project Metrics Other Back-end database Features (If any)

For other non-IT branches, share your project details without falling in to a technical trap. Do not show off as if you are very strong in Electrical Machines, IC Engines, etc. Just stay cool and moderate. They are not expecting rocket-science in your project.

Good luck and expecting a lot from this batch.

S.Vaidhyasubramaniam Ph.D., GMP (Harvard) Indian Overseas Bank Chair Professor, School of Management Dean - Planning & Development SASTRA University

Thanjavur - 613 401. Tamilnadu. India Ph: 91 4362 304103 Fax: 91 4362 264120 URL: www.sastra.edu