"Do Not Worry About Your First Job" Says Tanuj Tdot' Jhunjhunwala - Chennai36

11/21/2014
Do not worry about your first job says Tanuj Tdot Jhunjhunwala | Chennai36
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Do not worry about your first job says Tanuj Tdot

Jhunjhunwala
November 17, 2014
Career, The Placement Guru
2014, CFI, Godavari,Mechanical
Engineering, Shaastra
Tanuj Tdot Jhunjhunwala is a 2014 Dual Degree Batch Mechanical Engineer (Product
design). Known for his passion for Technology, he was an integral part of CFI throughout
http://chennai36.iitm.ac.in/do-not-worry-about-your-first-job-says-tanuj-tdot-jhunjhunwala/
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his Insti life. He was the Events Core of

Shaastra 2013 and further led Shaastra to
its biggest ever edition in 2014 in his
capacity as the Institute Co-Curricular Affairs
Secretary. Currently working as a Manager
at Tata Motors ERC, he describes his nature
of work and placement experiences below
How was your placement experience?
Overall
my
placement
experience
was
comparatively relaxed as I was only applying for FMCG and Core Mechanical companies.
I had made up my mind that I wasnt interested to App or apply for an MBA or for a noncore company at that moment in life. So my target was set for only core mechanical
companies and thus I prepared accordingly for placements. Unfortunately, that year only a
few good mechanical core companies showed up for placements.
Tell us more about your Personal interviews?
ITC :- Interview questions were very basic like Tell about yourself, What have you done
in insti that you are proud of? and so on. They asked me a few technical questions on my
internship and a project. Resume preparation is really useful here. Later on some HR
questions like If I ask someone outside about you, what will they say?. The interview
went pretty well. My second interview happened with some senior employees of ITC. It
was a stress interview about my life goals and the career path I would like to take up and
if ITC would be the right place for me. I stuck to my values and what I want to do. Finally I
wasnt selected because they felt I might not stay in the company for long. Overall to
crack this company you need a strong resume that has projects, PoRs and everything
else that shows you have worked hard.
Rolls Royce :- They had a test the previous day which had basic mechanical core
questions. I was shortlisted for the final interviews. They had shortlisted only 5 people for
PIs. Their technical round went on for about 1.5 hrs. They had some technical case
studies in the interview, some sectional engineering drawings in which they ask you to
find out some parameters. I had prepared basic aircraft engines, turbo engines, heat
cycles etc. for this. I couldnt answer many questions as it was pretty difficult to figure out
those drawings. There were a few basic HR questions asked too. The second round was
a presentation we had to give to them highlighting our skills, projects, work done, why we
want to join RR and so on. It was a behavioral PPT. I had put all the PoRs, projects,
competitions with pictures in this ppt. I put my skills, what I am good at and so on. After all
these rounds they ended up taking only 1 person for the Aero profile. I strongly advise all
mechanical students to prepare really well for the technical interview.
GE :- They asked mechanical core questions especially from Strength of Materials. It went
deeper into Failure theories and Stress-Strain curves. There were no questions asked
from the resume. They look for people with proper core fundaes. I think I shouldnt have
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put my PoRs for this company. They thought I had an FMCG profile.
Tata Motors :- My interview started with core questions. Basic Stress-Strain, Material
questions were asked. Since it is an automobile company, some projects/information on
core automobiles fundaes will surely help. Questions like Brake disc and brake pad,
which will heat up more or Which is more ductile casting or forging were asked. The HR
asked a few questions too One incident when .. They didnt really look at my
resume.
Why did you choose this area of work?
I chose core mechanical because I have been passionate about this from a while. My
internships have been in automotive assembly lines, production lines, Automotive R&D
and an international exposure on the production line. These experiences made me realize
that I would like to pursue something similar at the moment. Also the tech projects done in
insti (as part of Shaastra, CFI, coursework, DDP) helped me realize the same.
This decision was all based on my experiences in life at that moment which I knew would
change overtime. Moving from core to non-core is possible but vice versa is harder. So
even if I didnt like core I could move to non-core (after an MBA maybe) or opt for higher
education in life later. That is how my thinking went about before placements.
What are the job profiles offered by Tata Motors ?
Tata Motors ERC (Engineering research centre) has 4 verticals namely Commercial
vehicles (Bus/trucks/mini trucks), Passenger vehicles (Compact, hatchbacks, sedans,
UVs and SUVs), Vehicle attributes (Crash testing, NVH, climate control and so on) and
Engines. You will be allotted the vertical based on your preferences and available
vacancies.
They recruit IITians for the post of Manager. The first 6 months is a training period where
you undergo 3 months rotation in 2 different departments. This is like an internship where
you get to work on 2 small R&D projects. This helps in getting used to the
company/departments, the work style and then deciding on the final department you
would like to work in after the rotations. After which you assist on a major project the
company is working on and coordinate all the activates related to your department.
Simply put, what does your work involve doing?
I am currently undergoing my first rotation in the Passenger vehicle segment in the
Cockpit and Console team that takes care of design and development of the dashboard
of a car. My job is to coordinate the prototyping (with vendors outside Tata Motors) and
testing (climate/vibration/crash) of the dashboard. The dashboard parts are then reengineered based on the feedback received after the testing and they undergo the same
process until the finalized cockpit is as per company targets and requirements related to
cost/safety/aesthetics and so on.
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Shaastra 2014 Core Team

What has your experience at Tata Motors been like?
My experience till now has been decent. Have been here for only 2 and half months
(which involved 1 month of induction) so havent really done a lot. Tata motors ERC is one
of the best rated Indian Automotive R&Ds. There are a lot of people working across
different departments on one single vehicle, thus getting work done/processed/approved
is challenging and requires perseverance and patience.
What does Tata motors look for in its potential employees? Interview tips?
Tata Motors has been investing a lot on R&D over the past years as they have a strategy
to launch a lot of vehicles in the next few years. They are looking for people who would
stay long in the company, with a blend of core engineering knowledge and people
management skills. So I would recommend students to revise up on their courses well
before the interviews. In some IITs they only asked resume based questions while in
others in was pure technical interview. So prepare for both well.
What advice would you give to students sitting for placements?
Everyone knows about the Dos and Donts for interviews/GDs etc.
I would just like to tell that do not worry about your first job. No one knows (at that point)
where they want to work at. Its all a gut feeling based on some information you have from
ppts/interests/seniors/past experiences etc. You are just applying to companies you feel
you might like to work at. Sit through it, enjoy the experience, and get placed. After joining
and working for a while you will realize what you would like to do in life. You will see
people with different experiences and qualifications around you which will make you
realize your life goals. Many people stay in their first job for long, many switch through
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companies within months. Its all an experiment. And without this experiment you honestly
cannot realize what you want. You do not have any major responsibilities (financially) with
your first job which gives you the freedom to take risks. If you hate your first job, you now
know what you didnt like for sure and thats not a gut feeling anymore, its an experience.
How has Insti helped you with your work?
Insti has prepared me well for the corporate world. Having worked with Shaastra and CFI
a lot, I am happy to say that our team structures and working is pretty much similar to
corporate life. Right from making ppts, budgeting, presenting to higher ups, doing course
projects, taking initiatives and so on, insti slowly and steadily prepares you (occasionally
allowing you to make mistakes) for life. The co-curricular activities help you realize your
interests. The PoRs give you enough authority and platform to learn and take
responsibilities and risks at a small scale but with that experience you can boom steadily
in corporate life. CGPA is important for the shortlist. No matter how long your resume is
the first screening is by CGPA alone.
Any last words of advice to juniors?
Campus placements may decide your first job. Its just an assured chance to get a job.
There are huge opportunities apart from campus placements. On Placement day its also
about luck. Not only your luck but your co-applicants luck and the recruitment teams luck
(who shouldnt miss their flight to reach in time for your interview J). Your dream company
can ditch campus placements one night before your so-waited interview or an MNC can
show up on Day 20 with a 20+ lakh package. The tension/pressure you take before
placements is just not worth it.
All the best to all
Related Posts:
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advanced level of
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Interview preparation
The Placement Guru:
matters a lot says
The Best of Both

Worlds at HUL
Placement Guru : Shiva
Placement Guru :
Sai at ITC Ltd.
Mukesh Kela at Flipkart
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11/21/2014

Do not worry about your first job says Tanuj Tdot

Career, The Placement Guru

2014, CFI, Godavari,Mechanical

his Insti life. He was the Events Core of

Shaastra 2014 Core Team

The Placement Guru:

matters a lot says

The Best of Both

Placement Guru : Shiva

Sai at ITC Ltd.

Mukesh Kela at Flipkart

Type the characters above (CAPTCHA Code)

A Message to the Readers

2. Interviews are just conversations, not tests says SriramTrikutam

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