Notes on being a department placement co-ordinator at IDC, IIT Bombay

01 Dec 2017 Tweet Delhi, India

This post was made to avoid me “replaying” the episodic events of placements to whoever comes in to do groundwork for the post of a Placement Manager. It feels more like interrogation from unknown individuals.

The following is the “job description” for an IDC DPC. I hope that this would change in the future. Students, typically - IDCians and IDC DPCs would get more accountable to the work they signed up for. The point to remember is that everyone has work during those days and giving up on your position does not help in a highly connected system like the placements. It only increases the stress on other members.

The list is (mostly chronological) :

1. Getting students to pay for the placements.
2. Ask them to join the “not-so-useful” google group
3. Help them make resumes and get it verified, iteratively.
4. Collect companies from various sources like:
   • Wishlists
   • Past recruiters
   • Organic converts
   • Internship
   • Engineering JAFS
   • Alumnus
   • CCL
5. Collect preference list from students
6. Get contacts
7. Contact them reiteratively
8. Get them to Register or register them
9. Take JD from them and fill the JAF if HR is unable to do so.
10. Ask them iteratively to send the details for verification
11. Get the JAF verified from EO and EXO
12. Slot the companies
13. Negotiate slots with companies, PM and students
14. Open JAF for students for min 2 days
15. Put up a blog post for the same
16. Push JAF information on Whatsapp and contact some individual students who are not there on these platforms via email and phone
17. Solve student queries regarding JAFS and help them apply for the same
18. Push students to apply as they wont and wait for the last moment
19. Inform companies that the JAF has closed and assist them in downloading the resumes/portfolios
20. Push them to release shortlists, if any
21. Push shortlist on blog.
22. Inform students via Email/Whatsapp/phone calls
23. Get the tasks from companies, if any
24. Push the same on the blog
25. Assist students on logistics
26. Keep reminding late submitters
27. Collect tasks from all students and compile it
28. Send it to HR and push for another shortlist
29. Put the shortlist on blog
30. Inform students again about shortlists vis Whatsapp/ email/ phonecalls
31. Motivate and create hope
32. Keep converting companies and adding JAFS
33. Reopen JAFs if student to job probability falls or if companies want
34. Ask confirmed HRs to fill IRF and arrange/negotiate for logistics
35. co-ordinate with HRs about housing, food and travel
36. Make PPTs happen
37. Teach students how to fill preferences and get them filled
38. Search for SPOCs on the day of placement. Kids you have never met.
39. Get the floor plan made and SPOCs ready to turn up.
40. Mail the details to HRs. The HRs whom we mail often are not the same as visting or they do not check emails. So, text is a better option.
41. Solve queries regarding dress code and conduct
42. Prepare for your own placement and get rejected
43. Reach the venue as SPOCs wont reach on time.
44. Get the internet working
45. Serve water and tell them where tea is.
46. Be a pseudo SPOC for multiple companies till SPOCs turn up
47. Get print outs from control room to stick, if its open. If not, get it opened
48. Distribute kits from HRs
49. After 2 days, people give up. Encourage them to take it more positively
50. Push HRs to do the following:
    • Allow Walkins
    • Take more people
    • Give waitlist of atleast 3 people
51. Ask students to not screw up for their friends
52. Sit for your own placement
53. Convert any last minute companies
54. Prevent Job loss
55. Serve or Ask for lunch
56. Share results with students on Whatsapp/email/phone/placementblog
57. co-ordinate with HRs:
    • to dole out offers
    • upgrade waitlist
    • send them student details repeatedly
58. Prepare lists for phase 2
59. Make all video/audio interview happen if outside placement session
60. Maybe get blamed if students do not perform well in DRS/P3. Counting that as occupational hazard.
61. Phase 2 ?

Suggestions for next year

1. Unification of BDes and MDes placements
2. A CC from IDC + 2-3 DPC. One IC from each should ideally carry on.
3. Better communication with “legacy” companies
4. Process should start early. Team join by April end and Work start by July 1st week
5. Placement phase depends on BDes exchange timing.
6. Best is to intimate companies before Nov about dates and have it ideally before 2nd week of Feb to avoid clashes with M.Des P3 Process
7. Better division of work among all stakeholders- IDC DPCs, PMs, APCs and CCs
8. A small training session for IDCians would be great. It should teach some niceties of interviewing and how not to be gullible.
9. Japanese companies may be interested if, on-boarded early on
10. An improved slotting should be possible to avoid job loss
11. A placement team meet to introduce IDC DPCs/CC the process and people to contact as they usually end up bugging the PMs.
12. Placement Session that educates students about the process and things to say and not to say.
13. A category in type of companies as Design along with RnD/FMCG etc.
14. SPOCs should report on time and send a greeting message whenever they are alloted the company.
15. Automation of a lot of tasks like printing etc can be done from the portal.
16. A separate section on the JAF filling portal for Design as usually companies complain that they cannot find the MDes or what to choose.
17. Consider a paid placement for companies and free/reduced fee for students.
18. Scrap the idea of two phase placements. They do not work as students loose interest, have too much work, DPCs academics get affected and may be scolded and rebuked by authorities.
19. Smoothen the JAF verification process. It takes a lot of time to get JAFs verified.

Best,

Rohit