Sacrificing family time, hobbies, seniors’ help, working on projects — how IITians prepare for placements

For many, placement preparation begins months in advance. Utkarsh Gupta, a final-year student at IIT Kanpur, recalls how he balanced coursework with rigorous preparation. “I worked on case studies and data analysis projects while keeping up with academic deadlines,” said Gupta. He also completed research projects with professors from Harvard Business School and IIM Ahmedabad to learn data science skills. “I aim to bag a coveted management consulting and product management role to leverage my data science skills to solve real-world problems,” he said.

Projects, mock interviews, and years of hard work

Harika Chittiboina, an IIT Madras alumnus, placed in Accenture in Japan, worked on multiple projects with the professors to get an extra edge. “I never went back home during winter or summer breaks as I was busy pursuing several projects under professors and internships to boost my CV,” she told indianexpress.com. 

Preparation often involves mock interviews and group discussions. Team Pragati from IIT Madras, a student collective, organises sessions where seniors simulate interview scenarios. A student who is sitting for the placement season this year says: “During my mock interview, a senior asked me to present a pitch for my start-up that I had founded. It helped me refine my responses for the actual interview round.” 

One of the most defining aspects of the placement preparation, Dhananjay Kharat, an IIT-B alumnus who works in Tata AIA Life Insurance said, was the mock interviews, particularly those with friend and colleague Akash Srivastava. “Despite knowing the answers, I often struggled to present them. Akash played a crucial role in refining my responses, providing constructive feedback, and helping me build confidence,” he added.

B Saketh who got placed at TVS Motors through IIT recalls his placement journey. “I created five resumes with all the positions of responsibility roles I’ve served in college, my projects, my internships – everything I’ve done and worked on,” he said.

“I referred to my seniors’ resume, and tried to replicate their structure. The editing, rephrasing and making all the work fit in is the most boring thing and needs a lot of patience. We were to submit up to six resumes and I submitted four tailored according to different roles,” he added. “After all the reviewing and feedback from seniors, I finalised the resumes and submitted them,” Saketh said.

Participation in clubs and committees plays a significant role in shaping students’ soft skills. Utkarsh’s involvement in the Dramatics Club at IIT Kanpur honed his public speaking abilities. “Performing street play helped me build confidence,” he says, adding that his leadership role as the general secretary of the Academics and Career Council also gave him insights into teamwork and strategic thinking.

‘Friends and seniors are like family’

The toughest part, said Chittiboina, was managing the fear of failure. “I have had many sleepless nights as people are very competitive here, however, after realising that having the right connections and mentors was crucial, things seemed to fall in place,” she said.

“Seniors and mentors offered insights that were invaluable — whether it was about which companies to target or how to prepare for interviews. This knowledge gave me an edge, but it also highlighted a harsh reality: many talented students miss out on opportunities simply because they don’t know about them. I was determined not to let that happen to me,” she added.

Friends become lifelines during this time. “They supported me through breakdowns, waited outside interview rooms, and conducted mock interviews to help me prepare. Their belief in me kept me going, even when I doubted myself,” she said, adding that some of her friends broke down after their first few interviews, but we kept pushing each other forward.

“The pressure to land a job can feel immense, with some students facing expectations from families back home,” another student from IIT Bombay said, adding that she attended counseling sessions and peer-to-peer guidance to help her navigate the stress.

Rithwik Reddy Narahari, who interned at Nobroker Inc and is now sitting for placements, said his seniors helped him in preparing the CV. “The seniors who are in the entrepreneurship club will send their CV and tell – ‘I wrote my points like this. You can also write it like this’. So seniors are one of the biggest resources in making a CV. Whatever things you do, they would have already done before. So always take their advice on drafting and presenting your CV.”

(This is a part of 5-part series on IIT placements by indianexpress.com. The first part explained why pre-placement offers (PPO) are gaining popularity, and the second part explained the IIT placement process. Third part talks about the forecast of the 2024-25 placement process. The fourth part is from the students’ perspective on how to prepare for placements, and the last part is about start-ups making their way back to IITs. You can find all IIT Placement related stories here)