VTU streamlines placement procedure

Online aptitude test tailor-made for individual companies and roles

The Central Placement Cell of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has introduced an online aptitude test for screening candidates eligible to sit in interviews for specific roles in companies.

The test is tailor-made to suit the requirements of individual companies as and when they want to fill a certain number of posts, thereby serving as a platform to connect the right students with the right profiles in companies.

“The test is company-specific and depends on the job role and expected aptitude for it. It includes technical and reasoning questions that are completely designed for selecting candidates as per the guidelines of a company. For example, for companies in the IT domain, questions will focus on the knowhow in IT industry. In the present year, Infosys wants to complete its recruitment to around 1,000 plus posts by February and so we have to make sure that the correct students get placed. Recruitment is a continuous process,” said Geo D’Silva, placement officer at VTU.

The centralised placement process for the final year students passing out in 2015, began in November 2014 and since then as many as 28,000 students from the current and previous years have taken the test. Also, as many as 15 companies such as IBM and TCS have participated in the recruitment drive. This is the first time that the online aptitude test has been introduced for recruitment.

Widened scope
Placements usually took place at the level of individual colleges, with companies visiting a few high profile colleges. However, the centralised placement process that VTU started in the academic year 2013-14 has ensured that students from all colleges under the University, get an opportunity of securing jobs in renowned companies.

In 2013-14, the centralised placement process saw footfalls of around 44,000 and the participation of 104 companies.

Ultimately, about 5,388 students got placed, said D’Silva. “Also, this way companies need not travel to individual colleges for recruitments and instead can go only to a few specific locations where interviews for the selected candidates have been scheduled,” he added.

Dr K E Prakash, Registrar of VTU said: “While the centralised placement makes sure that students from even rural colleges get selected in big companies, the online test has also been very beneficial for companies in terms of the quality of talent they get,” he said.