Digitization an emerging trend in campus placements

Digitization is a new trend in the ongoing campus placements at engineering colleges in the state where most of the companies are recruiting students through online test instead of visiting the campus physically.

Though some of the companies are visiting the campuses for recruitment purpose, they are not conducting pen, paper or one-on-one interviews with students.

Majority of them are opting for online mode for conducting the test and also interviews using Skype.

According to placement officers and recruitment in charge of the companies, this switching from offline to online mode is saving money for companies and also helping to test the digital knowledge of students.

Latest trend

Explaining this, Dr Savitha Rani M, director, placements and training at M S Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bengaluru, said, “Digitization is the latest trend in the placements which we are witnessing this year.

Hiring strategies of the companies have changed. Instead of visiting the campus by coming all the way from countries like the United States, Dubai, Canada and Australia, the companies are preferring the digital mode of recruitment.”

“As technology is available in all colleges, companies even prefer to go for Skype interviews in place of personal round. The pen paper mode of test no more exists and students have to take online tests during recruitment drives,” she added.

Placement officers are even mentioning that switching to digital mode of recruitment is saving time for the companies and it is also a cost factor.

Reducing cost

Prof Guru Venkatesh M N, placement head at Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru, said, “This trend is reducing the cost for the companies. Instead of spending an entire day in the campus with human resource they are now completing the process sitting at their location using Skype. With this, companies are even giving Hakathon and coding challenges to students while hiring.”

Meanwhile, colleges are preparing students to face the new trend. As explained by Dr Savitha Rani M, “Expectations from companies are high, communication skill plays a major role in this digitize mode. So, we give special training for students and also conduct mock placements during the vacation to prepare them for the reality.”

Computer-based tests

Dr Sridhar K S, dean, placement and training at PES University, Bengaluru, said, “We prepare our students well in advance to face the recruitment, specially to face online tests. All our internal assessments are computer-based tests from the beginning which is helping our students to face the current digital trend in placements. We even conduct pre-placement drives inviting experts from outside and also using inhouse experts.”

Even students are happy with the emerging trend. “It is comfortable to attend Skype interview rather sitting in front of the recruiters in person. I attended two such interviews in the ongoing process,” said a 7th semester student of Dayanand Sagar College of Engineering.