Navigating the Job Market during COVID-19

September 26, 2020: TSAN hosted its first online event – ‘Navigating the Job Market during COVID-19’, with an intention to equip students with the resources and experiences of the Alumni class of 2020, who were successful in getting jobs in the Telecommunications Industry during this pandemic. TSAN is grateful to panelists – Mr. Adhitya Kalidas, Mr. Aniket Bulbule, Mr. Riteek Kumar Singh, Ms. Sujitha Sekar Rajan, and Ms. Surbhi Samra, for offering insights into their professional lives. The panelists currently work at leading companies in the field of Wireless, Cloud, Software, and Networking. There were questions asked based on their job hunting experiences. Here is a summary of their responses:

 

Should we tailor-fit our resumes based on different job positions? 

 

There were mixed opinions with an agreeable verdict that although it is strenuous to create a resume for every job, you should make sure to include keywords that fit the job description (for example, mention projects with keywords like MIMO, DAS for wireless positions). Keywords will allow your resume to pass through the filters set by the recruiters. Keeping the body of your resume intact and making edits based on the relevance to the job that you want to apply to; would be an efficient way to go about it.

 

Is there a hiring freeze going on in companies?

 

Major companies are actively looking for candidates. All the panelists received jobs between March and April. There was an initial hiring slump in March; however, all major companies were still actively hiring was the general presumption. 

 

When and where do we start applying to jobs? 

 

This will depend on you. Applying sooner will improve your chances of being noticed; however, make sure you do your research thoroughly; edit and spell check your cover letter and resume before submitting them. Make sure you network with people on LinkedIn, as the platform works as an interactive version of your resume. Getting referrals from employees in the company will make you stand out from the other applicants. Keep on the lookout for job postings on LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and official company websites. 

Do your research on the companies that you aim for (at least 30-50 companies, this depends on your field of interest). Connect with the employees and recruiters, and ask them about the company’s work structure, culture, and work-life balance. This will help you understand if the job position is fit for you.

 

Were there any resources used while preparing for interviews?

 

Ms. Surbhi was kind enough to share resources that she used while preparing for her interviews that were beyond the course material. Here is a list of her resources:

 

Books from the UMD library (Available as eBook) 

  1. OFDM for wireless communication systems by Ramjee Prasad  
  2. LTE Advance - a practical systems approach to understanding the 3GPP LTE Releases 10 and 11 radio access technologies by Sassan Ahmadi

 

For quick referencing http://www.sharetechnote.com/

 

Online Resources:

  1. http://www.dspguide.com/pdfbook.htmhttps://www.programiz.com/dsa (Good source for Data Structures and Algorithms, as they have graphical representations)
  2. https://github.com/iteachmachines/Free-Computer-Science-University/blob/master/README.md - List of Open Source courses in Computer Science. 

 

The participants had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the panelists in breakout rooms for additional questions. UMD offers resources for students during COVID-19 - https://eng.umd.edu/careers/students/covid-19 (Click on the link to know more). 


Stay tuned for more events from TSAN!

 Snapshots from the event: