How To Prepare For Placements | Gokul’s Journey To Colgate Palmolive
Colgate Palmolive has been in business for over 200 years, adding credence to the fact that they are the best in its field. Another unique aspect of this company is that they care a lot for their employees. Bagging an offer letter from such a coveted company is something that will keep me motivated for years to come. For a marketing student like me, being offered a job in sales is something special. One needs to bring out the dormant ‘Self’ into the arena of sales where every day is a series of talking and convincing. So I made sure to put all it takes to make my journey to Colgate Palmolive a success.
I think instead of making strategies for D-day one should focus on the journey to your goal. The preparation that is undertaken reflects during D-day. What throttles you to success from the rest of the candidates is the amount of time that is spent on preparing. As Thomas Edison has rightly said that success is 99 percent perspiration and 1 percent inspiration.
The Selection Process for Colgate Palmolive
The selection process was a tedious task and the tense waiting period before the interview, oblivious of what was going to be asked, was a daunting experience. Here is an account of my journey to Colgate Palmolive.
The selection process consisted of 4 rounds:
- Online Aptitude Test
- Group Discussion
- HR Interview
- Technical Round Interview
Tips for Aptitude and GD Rounds
Preparation for GD and online aptitude test started at the beginning of the placement season at our college. I used to spend 2-3 hours on average preparing for the aptitude test. Both were the elimination rounds, from what started as a pool campus drive of approximately 400 students, the final interview had somewhere near 50 students. Following are some key points that I followed meticulously to pass these two rounds, which may be helpful for some:
- Rely only on one book: It is a common mistake to end up buying several books to practice aptitude. It is very difficult for students to adapt to the perspective of the authors in each book, so relying on a single book can solve your problem with quantitative.
- Check GD topics: Keep adding to your list of GDs by regularly consulting the Internet. Currently, the Budget 2020 can be a topic, and the change in the income tax slabs and its impact on the current economic slowdown can be another. Check for common topics as well, like cryptocurrency, AI in sales (if it’s a sales job), Marketing Vs Sales, etc.
- Stay tuned: Read the news daily! The economic slowdown in India, Budget 2020, the Trade war between the US and China, the possibility of World War III, etc., are some of the topics that keep hitting the media headline from time to time, so stay updated.
How to Crack the HR and Technical Interview?
The interview was a 2 phase process. The first was the HR interview where your resume is skimmed and all your work is questioned. Remember that you are responsible for whatever you have written on your resume, so be prepared for it. The HR round had questions regarding my strengths and weaknesses. To elaborate on my strength and weaknesses I was asked to state real-life examples and situations.
The final and the most important question was “Do you have any questions to ask?". Never let this question go unattended. Have something related to the role offered or updates on the company.
The second phase was a technical round. Since I belong to marketing and sales, the questions revolved majorly around the given job description. Remember, the job description contains a lot of information. Ensure that you go through it. Questions relating to the industry can also be expected, for instance, Colgate Palmolive belongs to the FMCG industry, so questions regarding any problems faced by the industry can be expected. My interview had questions about the industry, distribution channels, retail outlets, etc.
Key Areas of Focus
For every success story, there are several sleepless nights of preparation. Here is the summary of the strategy of my journey to Colgate Palmolive:
- Make your resume your bible.
- Skim through YouTube channels to get a birds-eye view of approaching basic questions.
- Always be updated with the given job description and read the news that aligns with it.
- Learn about the company - History, news updates, vision, mission, and policies.
- Rely on a single good book for the aptitude test.
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