TCS Joining Date 2009 ...

All that freshers who got placed last year are concerned about now is their joining date. Offer letter has been already provided early this year. It has been just a few days since our semester exams ended. Results are soon to be declared within a few days. Me and my friends who got in TCS are all waiting when we will be contacted for our medical tests, a routine followed by TCS every year. Things are looking pretty good with respect to financial condition of TCS as they recently recruited about 250 freshers from the 2010 batch for their Cincinnati branch. It’s a matter of time now till we get our medical tests done and get our joining letters. From various communities and discussions by TCSers it seems joining won’t be before September or October 2009. Till then it’s time to do something like revising old stuffs and learning new stuffs with renewed vigor and energy, as it’s entirely up to us how we utilize our time now. Many of us are enjoying merrily playing cricket and football matches and having the time of their life, a fresh beginning, a transition period, a never-before-experienced phase between our academic and professional careers. Really looking forward to utilize this time in really creative useful positive way for personal growth!

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TCS Offer Letter 2009

Finally got my offer letter after eagerly waiting for about about the last two months since I started hearing many colleges have been getting their offer letters. I went to Puri, Orissa on the 19th of March and returned today morning after giving puja and praying to Jagannath. Then I went to college for a test. Later while I was enjoying with my friends (as one of my friends who ranked 87 in GATE was giving us a treat), I got the sms of an email from TCS regarding the offer letter. Our joy knew no bounds :D … An extremely memorable moment for all of us. What a coincidence! I was forced to accept the fact that Lord Jagannath’s blessings on me has had immediate effect! :) I knew TCS treats its employees extremely well and being so kind on the freshers no doubt added another feather in its cap amidst this recession. Looking forward to dedicate my life to this company!!! Jai Ho TCS !!

Experience during TCS campusing

Its been quite a while since I cracked TCS this year on the 19th of Feb. But I have been longing to share the wonderful experience that I went through during that time, and here it is. It was really unique. I never really did anything special for it except for revising a few subjects of previous semesters. After spending 15 years in South Point, I was more than a bit confident that my communication skill wouldn't be a problem. So it all came down to brushing up my soft skills, revising subjects from old semesters and practising quantitave aptitude and reasoning from R.S.Agarwal, the very popular book amongst all engineering students.

The preparation started from about the end of 5th semester. Unlike other sem-breaks, this was different. Rigorous practice of previous year’s papers was an integral part. Popular sites like freshersworld.com and mytcs.webs.com were really of good use. It’s really a continuous process. One really can’t change overnight and be a master in solving the aptitude and reasoning problems. Continuously revising RDBMS and C programs, I really forgot to listen to Enrique Iglesias and Suman Chattopadhyay. However, the process went on and on and on for the next 2 months. We were told campussing would start on mid-Feb. Near about the end of Jan, I got a mail from our placement cell that TCS is going to come any day from the 14th-16th !! Being my dream company, I was really charged up for it. Its always a unique feeling when facing something new for the first time in life. Around 12th or 13th we were informed that the D-day was 14th. Dressed in extreme formals for the first time in our lives, we all went to the specified venue, a different college, with my CV and all required mark sheets and documents at 9am. They gave a presentation on TCS. Really informative. Then batch by batch we were led to the computer lab of that college, where we gave our aptitude test online. Our batch was called up at about 4.30pm. The given 90 minutes passed in a flash, steadily answering question after question. There was no negative marking. After the test, we all went to hall and sat there waiting for our results to be declared. Our TPO came with the list and read out the names, and it was really a good feeling to hear my name being called out. After that we all were given a form to fill up, where we provided all our educational and residential details. The sirs from TCS who were there were extremely helpful to clarify all our doubts, I guess everybody from TCS are like them. Finally, after submitting the form we all left. A slight sense of victory, a feeling of slight success I felt, when I thought that I’ve cleared the first hurdle of my first attempt at a test in the outside world. But it was only the initial round. The next round of interview was to be held 2 days later, on the 17th, in our college, from 9am.

The 2 days were spent on revising some portions of C, Java, RDBMS and specially focusing on how to answer interview questions, how to handle myself during an interview. My dad provided me some very useful tips, I also got to know a lot of useful things from Google Search regarding the desired etiquettes. Finally, on 17th morning, one of the most memorable mornings of my life, I went to college. All of us were equally nervous, or confident, both we can say. We all waited in our 2nd floor classrooms while the interviews were held in the 1st floor classrooms by many panels, consisting of 2 persons in each panel, and 4 panels in a room in the 4 corners. We were called one-by-one. After being called, we briefly waited outside the interview rooms before being called in again. It was a peculiar feeling. It was not tension, it was not confidence, but it was also not normal. Something I fail to describe miserably every time someone asks me. It was 1.50pm. Finally I was called into the room by a sir who carried a list of all the names. Game on !!

I was greeted by a firm handshake by one of the sirs. I wished him “Good Morning", instantly realizing my mistake, I wished the other sir sitting beside him a “Good Afternoon”. What a beginning. But I managed to put it behind me the next moment. The sir who greeted me asked my name and brought out the form which I have filled up last day, there he saw my personal details, residential details and finally while looking at my educational details, he seemed to be pretty impressed when he saw I have spent 15 years in South Point and said “Why you want to join TCS? Why don’t you go for MBA, or higher studies when you have so high marks throughout?” I really answered from my heart that TCS had been my dream company and it would really be a privilege to be a part of the TCS family, so renowned for its work-culture. Unlike many other new companies, this company it has its own heritage which I really admire. He was really friendly and seemed pleased. After that he asked me a few questions on cardinality and 3NF. Satisfied with my answers, he asked the other sir to take care of me and went for a brief walk. This sir asked me about threads and processes, life cycle of threads and to mention the function of the methods. I answered fine. Next he asked me the order of bubble sort and difference between malloc and calloc. After that, he asked me the from Java the concepts of inheritance and interface, multiple inheritance, the life cycle of applet and synchronization. As he did not have any expression on his face, I could not understand whether he was happy or not, though I was very much satisfied with my answers. Then the other sir, who has already returned in the meantime, asked me what would I do if I had no work to do at office but still had to come. I thought for a second and said I could learn something from other departments, some thing I don't know, which will help my career as well help my company in a broader sense. Then he asked what would I do if I saw someone completely neglecting his work. I said I would try to provide him encouragement to work. He asked me what if the person is extremely reluctant to work, hates to work, what would I do then? I said I might help him a little to do his work if I get time after finishing my own. “Both of you are getting the same package of 3 lacs, why would you do his work?” To this I paused for a bit longer, and replied it’s my nature sir. He seemed satisfied. Then he asked me what would I do if your family members fell extremely ill, and your boss is extremely strict to provide you with any leave. I said I would ask my relatives and friends to manage the initial situation until I get a leave. He said no, the situation is such that you yourself have to come and you get no leave. I thought and said I would request my boss explaining him the priority of my request for leave. He said no, your boss won’t listen to anything. I was bowled out on that. I kept silent. Each second seemed like an eternity. Finally he broke the silence, asked me whether I am relocatable anywhere, whether I had any eyesight problem and finally whether I had any problem joining as a Software Testing Engineer. I had little idea which was better among various software engineering posts, but I said I would do my best to put up a performance up to his expectations, which I really felt. Happy with that, he asked me a bit more detailed about where I stay. After That, he said “Thank you, Rahul.” and reached out his hand for a handshake. After shaking and thanking him, I reached out my hand to the other sir for shaking (something which I later learned I shouldn’t have done, as he should have done that) and he also shook and I thanked him and finally left the room.

Phew! What an experience. All my friends were really excited, each one discussing about their own experiences, some were sad, some were happy with their performance. I was satisfied. I returned home and shared all that happened with my parents. I felt I have done my best and would make it. But I really didn’t depend on it so much that it would break my heart if I didn’t make it. That’s me always. We’re not sure when the result would be declared. So a day passed. Next day, on 19th, I heard our results would be declared. I kept checking my mails all morning. But seeing no mails till about 12.30pm, I took a break and went about. One of my friends called me at about 1.10pm, asking me about his result. He said results were out at 1pm. I suddenly had my heart in my mouth, something that seldom happens to me. I found a mail in my Inbox from the placement cell of our college containing a list of names who has cleared the selection process. Bingo !! I found my name in it. My dream has come true. This would certainly be one of the most memorable mornings of my life, with the rejoicing that followed.