The day before a campus interview is very important. There are a lot of blogs over the internet which talks about how to prepare for campus interview but there is almost none which talks about the day before campus interview.

Aim of this blog:



This blog will share some best practice that you may follow on the day before campus placement. This blog is intended for technical placements and may not appeal for MBA's placements.

Please be aware that you would need to prepare for the campus interview way earlier and not on a day before campus placements.

We provide five things you may check out on the day before campus interview and conclude with a rough sketch of the campus day especially on what is a PPT.

1. Check the company website:



Google up the company site and move to the sections about us and careers. These sections are generally found on the top of the website. Make a pen paper note of the below points for the company as -



About us:

Do: What the company does to earn money (revenue source), Which sector it belongs(Manufacturing, IT services etc), How many locations they have offices, What is the employee strength, Top clients if mentioned, Key services/products, future plans.

It is also a good idea to read Glass door reviews and check the Linkedin profile of the company. While reading online reviews of the company stick to reviews from earlier years freshers and ignore the reviews from lateral/experienced hires.

Please bear in mind that almost no company unless very new or small will have a 100% positive review. Go with the median range reviews here.

Do not: Fill your mind with garbage values which you do not really understand much

Do not: Fill your mind with garbage values which you do not really understand much. Example - Memorise profit before tax for a company, memorise mission and vision of the company etc.

Career section:

Do: Organisation career chart, Key aspects of working for that company, interviews of present employees, Pictures of office outbounds (Picture gives a visual image of the work culture).

Do not: Check out sections for senior experienced positions, Try to push yourself to understand the career section. Bear in mind that career section is not just meant for fresher's information.

2. Utilities check:



By utilities we mean here the common stuff you would need next day for the placements. Keep ready the below items in addition to anything requested by your college or company.

Resume copy (at least 3 copies) & Do not use photocopies of your resume

Pen and pencils. Aptitude tests often need pencil or black colour pen

Photo ID card ready

Admit card if needed

Most campus written test do not allow electronic watches and calculators so make sure you do not carry one by mistake.Check with college if needed

Keeping these things checked a day before may avoid the last minute panic or borrowing before placements.

3. Food, sleep & Relax:



Avoid rich food, sleep on time and do not indulge in anything that is not routine for you and may disturb you the next day. Relax in a way that suits you like playing a light indoor game, chatting with friends, listening to music etc. Make sure to sleep on time so that you feel rejuvenated the next day.

Avoid a party or any get together the night before placement. Avoid any eye taxing activities like watching movies or playing a computer game for long.

4. Revise/reflect:



Revise/reflect key things as below which will keep you confident the next day:

Your introduction,

Your favourite subject,

Read your own resume,

Hobbies,

Your short term plan professionally,

Something interesting about you which is not mentioned in your resume,

Key formulas for aptitude test & key areas from your branch

Latest news and current affairs (Don't over do this and stick to headlines news)

Some companies believe that a formal dress is a must for interviews and some believe that dress code is not mandatory

5. Dress:



Make sure you know what are you expected to wear the next day in terms of formal wear versus informal wear. If you do not sure ask placement cell and if they are not sure as well go with formals. The tie may or may not be needed so please check on that as well. Some companies believe that a formal dress is a must for interviews and some believe that dress code is not mandatory.

Go always with the company dress code in this case. Your dress should be ironed and clean. Avoid bright colours as Red, Green, Blue. Keep your shoes polished. Take care of grooming as applicable for you. Avoid to look lousy and strive to look professional.

What happens on the campus day generally?

Campus interview starts with an event called as PPT - Pre-placement talks. In some cases, PPT is done a week before the campus day but mostly this is done on the day on the campus interview.

In PPT company representative fundamentally tries to woo the students to appear for the exams. They provide an idea of how is it like working in the company, interviews of some employees, audio/video presentation of the office locations etc. The last part talks about salary, service bonds (if applicable) and career progression. Some may end the PPT with a Question and Answer sessions. Some may also throw in some goodies like pen drive and tee shirt at end of PPT.

Campus interview starts with an event called as PPT - Pre-placement talks. In some cases, PPT is done a week before the campus day but mostly this is done on the day on the campus interview

Make sure you attend the PPT as it will give you an idea of what the job is all about. If anytime you feel that you don't like the job then consider moving out gracefully.

Example : You are a CSE final year student and the company is actually offering 'technical sales' and you only want to move as a software engineer, You are a final year Chemical engineer and the job involves fieldwork in villages for analysis of chemicals in fertilisers and you are not cool about it. In such cases when you are sure that there is a mismatch and you have other options than attending a PPT will save time for you.

Post PPT the students move for a written test which is generally a mix of technical paper and aptitude. Some may divide the exam is slots and some may not. Some companies may shortlist earlier especially if they have come to campus for a lower headcount and move directly to technical interviews. But in most cases, you would need to wait for the results of the written test and if you have cleared the written test you move for technical and HR rounds.

So we hope this blog was helpful on how to stay focussed on the last day of the campus and also some key events that happens on the day of placement. All the best to our readers. If you like this blog and think it was helpful please share the link on social media and give us a thumbs up.



