M.A.I.T, I.P. University Yogesh Dua, B. Tech (Mechanical & Automation Engineering) After conducting a lot of interviews with IITians and NITians, we present to you an interview of Yogesh Dua, who bagged a Rs. 8 lakh per annum package in a core mechanical engineering company iCat at OFF-CAMPUS PLACEMENTS. Read on to know what misfits do to become outliers. The Testament: Congratulations Yogesh! How are you feeling? Yogesh: Oh, obviously I am feeling very nice, you know. The placement scenario in our college is not so good as we get an average of around Rs. 3 lakh per annum package during campus placements. And it’s even worse for mechanical engineering students. This year too, only two mechanical companies came for placements, Wind Miller and Apollo Tyres. WM took only 2 students and Apollo had an eligibility criteria of 75% average sem result which filtered most of the students early. I feel blessed. TT: Thats great! Please share your professional journey with us. Yogesh: Well, my 1st year at college was a bit fun-oriented. I socialised a lot, met new people and went to hangout places. From 2nd year, I started working more seriously. I always had a passion of creating something of my own, and that passion never let me stop. I got to know about BAJA (which is a national level All Terrain Vehicle racing competition held in Indore) and joined the SAE-BAJA team of our college. We didn’t win, but because of the passion of creating, I didn’t let disappointment get the better of me, and got involved in BAJA in the coming years too. I was also involved in the SAE Team of our college that went to Japan, though I personally never went there! Times like these change a person, for bitter or better. They don’t feel right at the moment, but count the most. Finally, this year in BAJA, I got placed in iCat through the HR Meet which was organised there. TT: Can you elaborate on this HR Meet you are talking about? Yogesh: Yeah. So what happens is, every year BAJA organises a 2 day event called “HR Meet”. Several companies come to hire some talented engineers there. Some of these companies are big-shots featured in Fortune 500, like the General Motors, which would normally not even look at our college. We were made to select 3 out of 6 companies of our choice and were allowed to sit only for those companies’ interviews. In the “HR Meet”, normal selection criteria is followed. The aptitude test, GD and then the interview. From about a 1000 students, 200 got selected. TT: That is something new. How did your interview go? Yogesh: I found my interview a little funny. Firstly, they conducted my interview entirely in Hindi which was unusual. Secondly, they asked a few questions one of which was “Q. YOU ARE FROM MAHARAJA AGRASEN INSTI OF TECH RIGHT? WHO WAS MAHARAJA AGRASEN? WHAT DID HE DO?” On a more serious note, it was only a small part of what happened. There was a panel of 5 people (2 technical guys and 3 non-technical) who asked questions. They asked both engineering related and extra-curricular related questions. I guess the hard work and time i had invested in my growth paid back. TT: That is some insight. Alright. When you were going for the interview, how much salary-package were you expecting? Yogesh: Actually, on the 1st day of the meet, every company gave a small presentation in which they mentioned beforehand what will be the salary package they would be offering. So it was not much of a surprise. General Motors were offering a package of Rs. 9-10 lakh per annum. TT: What is your job profile? Yogesh: Right now, I am a Graduate Engineer Trainee. That means even I don’t know exactly what I will be doing. But I can tell you the company’s profile. Its based in Manesar, Punjab. Its a core mechanical company that performs tests for security of passengers on vehicles. You must be aware that companies put dummies on the driver seat and crash the car at high speeds to monitor damage and security factors. They deal with that kind of stuff. TT: Sounds interesting. Any message to our readers? Yogesh: To be honest I’m not the best person to give any sort of suggestions. But whatever little success i’ve had, taught me to keep on doing something constructive and keep the spirit alive. Time’s not to be wasted. You will gain experience even if you don’t succeed in the task. One should be involved as much as he/she can be in the activities and events related to his/her branch. You get a lot of exposure, meet new people. You talk to them and even try to convince them at some point which will automatically sharpen your communication skills as well. I was always told by my seniors to prepare for CAT, go for MBA. But I just didn’t connect to it. I followed my passion of creating things and it paid well. TT: Thanks a lot Yogesh. We hope that a lot of people learn from you. Congrats once again! Keep the spirit alive, people. Invest in your growth. Do what you love. Stay inspired!
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 16:30:01 +0000