Tata Motors- Graduate Engineer Trainee

Name: Devesh Parashar Aman

Q1. Which company you have been placed in and what’s your job description?

>> I’ve been placed at Tata Motors. And my job description is GET (Graduate Engineer Trainee). I will be on a probation period of one year and after that I will be posted at a managerial position based upon my performance in the first year. My position can be in sales, in plant operation or in research based upon my performance in the first year

Q2. How was the recruitment process of your company?

>> It started with a written test which comprised of four sections: aptitude, electrical core, English and Hindi. Basics of electronics engineering, good questions on electrical and aptitude were there in the technical round. And the Hindi round was just only there to see if the person can read, write Hindi.

Q3. Can you give some important tips to go through the interview process?

>> For giving an interview the most important thing is that you have to first clear the technical round and for that your knowledge in electrical should be very good. You must have a very good practice of aptitude also. There are many websites where you can find aptitude questions. Also, you can find websites that provide aptitude questions related to particular companies and you can go there and practice those questions.

You should have at least average skill set of English. And the interview part is totally dependent upon you. The interviewer is there to select you and you need to have a mindset just like that. You should try to be the driver of your interview. You can drag your interview the way you want.

Q4. How did you discover that “this particular sector” is suitable for you? How did you carry forward in this?

>> In the first year I was not very clear about whether I will go towards the core or towards the coding sector. It was quite vague in the first year. In the second year I got selected in team Aveon and from there onwards I got a very keen interest in electric vehicles and also towards the core electrical subject. My friends also had a very deep knowledge about electrical subject so we used to keep discussing problems. That way we developed a very good interest in core electrical subjects.

From the second year onwards, I was clear I had to go in core. On the theory part I can say that college was very helpful. There were a few professors which were really good in our department (EEE), they definitely helped me in getting my basics very clear. But I would give major credit to the work that I have done for my club. I had the privilege to apply my core knowledge in the club (Aveon), this helped me a lot.

Q5. How early one should start preparing for internships and how important an internship is? From when did you start preparing for interviews and placements?

>> The companies will be visiting your campus from the fifth semester. Aptitude is common in all the companies and depending upon which company you are choosing to apply for, the interview will be different. You can start as early as in 2nd year depending upon your interest and for the 2-month internship it is not very tough. Also, if you are interested in companies that do not come to our campus, you can go to their website and find out the process for off-campus internships/placements.

I started preparing for my internship after the placement session started and what we used to do is make a group of some students and we used to do some mock interviews. This helped us in improving our communication skills.

Q6.What are your future plans? Would you like to go for higher studies?

>> I had a plan that if I would don’t get any placement, I would definitely go for GATE exam, but now I have dropped that plan. So, currently I will join the company and for better career options I will look inside the company. I don’t have any plan for further studies. My goal was getting a very good placement which I got. Now when I am in Tata motors, I will try to improve my position there itself.

Q7. Tell us something about your college life and experiences. Were you the part of any club or society throughout your college life and how did they help you?

>> First two years were really great experience-wise because there were many events like Pantheon that I managed. This helped me in many areas of personal development such as public speaking, administering different works. There was free time which I used to explore my options as a career. First year was kind of chill but from 2nd year onwards the students need to balance studies as well as other non-academic activities. I was part of EEESOC and Team Aveon in which I had to work on multiple projects which in turn helped me to gain the knowledge and skill to work in an actual job which will ultimately gave me an edge over other co-workers.

Q8. Many of the students have interest in both core and software, what would you suggest to them?

>> From my perspective you have to be clear and focused from 2nd year onwards in which field you have interest and will work in future. If you focus on both core and software, it will be pointless for you as you will find yourself in dilemma again and again. Also, it will be very tough to handle both at the same time. In the end you will be jack of both, king of none. Explore every area possible and find your passion. Find in which domain you have interest in.

Q9. What is your advice to the juniors who want to get placed in the field you’ve chosen?

>> First of all you ought to have good core knowledge as electrical core is the heart and soul of this field and you should have good management skills also because once you go in this field you will have to eventually manage a team sooner or later.

As I am placed in an automotive company, you should have a sound knowledge in automotive engineering also, you can narrow down on which type of vehicle you want to work in combustion engines or electric vehicles. An idea of the field will definitely will help you to move further in the sector.

Q10. Apart from a good CGPA, what are the other skills required in cracking the interviews of core companies?

>> Apart from a good CGPA you should have good communication skills and the skill of driving the interview towards your strengths instead of your weaknesses is also important. You should not behave in a manner which conveys your personality as over smart or arrogant, if the interviewer is trying to correct you or add something on any topic you should be polite and accept the feedback.

Q11. How much important are LinkedIn reaches? Who should I mostly reach out to?

>> LinkedIn is the best tool for connecting to professional people if you are trying for a job by off-campus in any field. Let’s say you are trying to find internships off campus then you have to contact HRs of different companies whom you can either message or send an email. So, if you want to have more advantage and opportunity you should definitely use LinkedIn.

Q12.Which topics/subjects are important for the electrical core jobs?

>> From 3rd year power system, control system, electrical machines, power electronics are important. And the basics like basics electronics, network theory, etc. will also help.