PSUs or Public Sector Undertakings are the government administered companies of India, either by the central union or the state. The first PSUs were formed in order to take India out of the downgraded economic situation that they were left in after independence. Most of the core industries quintessential to a country’s overall development were lagging behind, like coal, steel, power plants, oil and petroleum and so on. Thus in the first few decades after independence, the booming Indian economy largely depended on the public undertaking of the weak industries and triggering of economic growth as well as employment.
At present, all the three categories of PSUs – Maharatna, Navaratna and Miniratna, under the patronage of the Government of India, offer a great opportunity for employment of fresh graduates or masters candidates. Once or twice a year, the PSUs conduct their recruitment process to fill up several entry-level technical and managerial spots in the organisation. Although each PSU can have their own eligibility criteria, but there are some factors that are common to more or less all of them.
Here are 5 factors that every PSU looks for in the potential candidate:
1. The Age Criteria
The upper limit of recruitment is always mentioned in the application notice, and it usually revolves around age 27 to 33, with some relaxation for the reserved categories. However, it is true that matching with the current trend of hiring young minds, the PSUs look for fresh candidates in many cases. So the nearer an individual is to the lower limit, the better chances they might have. But this depends a lot on the position being hired for. In case of senior positions, the recruiters will certainly look for experience in the field that comes with age.
2. The CGPA of the Candidate’s Engineering Graduation
The semester result of the applying candidate’s graduation course is one of the important aspects that decide the fate of the individual’s recruitment. Most PSUs set the bar at 50% to 60% CGPA as eligibility criteria. It varies a little depending on the category of the candidate, ST/SC/OBC candidates are provided with some flexibility in the procedure. To impress the panel of interviewers, a consistent semester mark sheet with above bar GPA over all the semesters is very much helpful.
Although not absolutely compulsory, if the stream of engineering pursued by the candidate corresponds with the post applied for, it earns the person extra credits with the recruiters. But this also means that the applicant is expected to have thorough knowledge of the subject, and will probably be asked in-depth technical questions to test that.
3. GATE Score
GATE has become a quintessential part of PSU recruitment. Many of the leading PSUs of India like NTPC, ONGC, BHEL, SAIL et cetera hire their employees based on their GATE performance. Every year, following the GATE examination in February-March, the PSUs release their own cut off marks and eligibility criteria for candidates who can apply for PSU jobs based on GATE.
The bar can be set on the basis of GATE marks, which is scored in 100, or GATE score which is given out of 1000. Some PSUs use All India Ranking as well. The candidates need to see what the company wants clearly before applying. The five major engineering branches of GATE – civil, mechanical, electrical, computer – IT, and electronics and communication – all have huge demands in the world of PSU recruitment. The PSU recruiters take GATE as a benchmark for excellence.
4. The Performance of Candidates in Personal Interview and Group Discussion Sessions
Most PSUs rely on GATE score for the selection of candidates and also the score of IES, UPSC exam, while some others conduct their own examination for a more immaculate process. Nevertheless, the GD and the subsequent interview process are there for both. In the PI, the interviewers will see the ability of the candidate for themselves – how much they know about the core subject, what is their approach towards the potential job, and their other soft skills like communication, body language, manner of presentation and so on.
The group discussion is considered as a test to see the how the candidates carry themselves in a team, what role they are playing in a collaborative discussion and what is their contribution in the discussion.
5. Medical Fitness
All PSU candidates have to go through a medical test before being finally hired. A person has to go through tests for eye power and colour blindness, ECG, blood sugar level and haemoglobin count, urine test, BMI, dental x-ray, blood pressure and some more basic ones. One does not have to be in spectacular health, but getting a fit certificate in the medical test is important for the final selection. In some cases, the person is given a period of one month to rectify before terminating the job offer.
