Deepak Bhardwaz- Future First
Q: Are you satisfied with the company you are placed in or you expected a better company? A: Given my profile, I couldn't have asked for a better company. I was eyeing for Futures First but given the slim chances, I also prepared for high pay Analytics companies. In the end my efforts paid off. Q: Were there any challenges that you faced in the beginning of the placement season? A: I have a relatively low CGPA and it would indeed be really difficult for me to get into one of the limited number of core companies that recruit Electrical Engineers. So I had to concentrate on companies where CGPA is only for the qualifying criterion and wouldn’t play a big role in my selection, the companies which would rather test your skills and recruit you after thorough scrutiny. 3-4 Analytics companies and Futures First were in my mind and the real pressure was to land a package decent enough to fund my masters (Yes, I have plans of pursuing masters some time later). This was my biggest challenge and things worked out well in the end. Q: Were you rejected by any other company? If yes, what could be the possible reasons? A: Yes I was rejected by Microsoft and Mu sigma. Microsoft was a first round exit, where I failed to clear the written round because my coding knowledge wasn't up to the task. In Mu sigma, I cleared the first two written rounds and was rejected after the Group Discussion round. The possible reason I see as to why I wasn’t selected was, I dominated the GD in a way by trying to give it a direction or what I did might have been misinterpreted as trying to take control over GD. Though those weren't my real intentions, on the outset it might have appeared like that which led to my rejection.
Q: How many levels were there in the selections procedure of this company? A: There were four levels: 1) A 5-minute speed arithmetic round 2) A comprehensive aptitude round 3) A PI which asked general HR questions 4) A PI which can be termed as technical, was asked technical questions, analysis of real time markets during product launches, speed math and pressure handling Q: What preparations did you make to get through the written rounds? A: For the first written round, we had to solve 30 questions of speed arithmetic in 5 minutes. On guidelines of our seniors who were already placed in Futures First, I practiced Vedic Math techniques for quick simplification. Two and three digit numbers multiplication techniques would come in handy even for the PI rounds. The aptitude was general aptitude which comprised questions of all sects. Few passages relevant to financial markets were given, although the questions were not related to finance, prior knowledge in this fields would come in handy to save time. Q: What preparations did you make to get through the GD rounds? A: There was no GD round. But for other companies, there were branch GD's which were conducted by the PC's where general topics and abstract topics were discussed with equal weightage. Q: What preparations did you make to get through the Interview rounds?
A: The Interview rounds of Futures First are unpredictable, they don't have a particular pattern and are more based on the spontaneity of the candidate and are built on in which direction he is taking the interview. I have checked the interview experiences of candidates on sites likewww.placementadda.com, through those experiences I gathered the basic technical knowledge necessary to make it through, knowing that the rest of the interview would be strictly pressure handling and I have to be quick on my feet. Q: Any tips or suggestions for the juniors? A: Every company has a written aptitude round, so it would be wise to brush up your aptitude skills and practice with set time. Refer to the interview experiences of various people for a particular company and also practice their technical papers that would surely come in handy. Most importantly be yourself, be calm and confident, things will eventually work out and you will get into a company of your choice. I would like to pass on one important piece of advice my seniors have given me: 'No matter how good you are, if it’s not your day, you are not going to get placed, don't get bogged down by rejections, just wait for the right day which will be your day'. Q: Can you briefly explain your overall experience of the placement season? A: My experience of placement season was short and sweet. I appeared for three companies, in Microsoft, I was rejected because of my lack of preparation. The rejection from Mu sigma came as a shocker and I was briefly low for some time because it was one of the companies I was eyeing for and went in with proper preparation. The third company was Futures First and there ended my placement season on a happy note.