The placd blog

Prep smarter, not harder

Strategy, breakdowns and honest career advice for Indian engineers — written by people who've sat on both sides of the table.

Placements

8 Steps to Crack Campus Placements in 2026

The exact order to prep — aptitude, CS core, DSA, projects — so you walk into your college drive ready.

12 Jun 2026· 9 min

placd

Careers

Service vs Product Companies: Which Should You Target?

Package, work, growth and prep differ a lot. A clear-eyed comparison for Indian engineers.

7 min

System Design

Do Freshers Need System Design? (Mostly No — Here's When Yes)

When the whiteboard round actually shows up for entry-level roles in India, and how much to learn.

6 min

Interviews

How to Pass an AI-Scored Interview Round in 2026 (India Guide)

AI-scored, rubric-graded interview rounds are now common in Indian fresher hiring — here is exactly how to prep and what the algorithm actually measures.

7 min

Placements

TCS NQT 2026 - Coding Round + Interview Roadmap (Last-Mile Prep Plan)

How the TCS NQT 2026 coding round and interviews work, and a last-mile roadmap to clear every section before your NQT sitting.

8 min

Interviews

How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions as a Fresher in 2026 (STAR That Ends With a Number)

Behavioral rounds are now in 80 percent of interviews and AI graders auto-penalise a story with no measurable result — here is the STAR method adapted for freshers with no work experience.

7 min

Interviews

How to Prepare for an AI-Assisted Coding Interview in 2026 (Code Comprehension + Think-Out-Loud)

Top companies are moving the AI assistant inside the interview itself — you now get graded on how you read, direct and correct code, not just the final diff. Here is how to prep for it.

7 min

Interviews

AI Mock Interview With a Real Code Judge: A Full Scored Round in 20 Minutes (2026 India Guide)

Take the free 2-minute readiness check, then prove your code actually runs against real test cases in a full scored mock interview — the step most free prep quietly skips.

8 min

Interviews

HR Interview Questions for Freshers, With Answers (2026 India Guide)

The questions Indian HR rounds actually ask, what each one is really testing, and how to answer it — with worked samples you can adapt to your own projects.

11 min

Careers

Resume for Freshers: How to Make One When You Have No Experience (2026)

A one-page fresher resume that survives a six-second scan and an ATS filter — what to include, what to cut, and how to write project bullets that end in a number.

10 min

Interviews

Does Your AI Mock Interview Actually Run Your Code? The 2026 Checklist

Most AI mock interviews grade how you sounded and never execute a line you wrote. Here is the five-question checklist that separates a transcript grader from a real code judge.

7 min

Careers

AI Engineer Salary in India 2026 vs the Shrinking Entry-Level Funnel: What It Actually Takes to Get Hired

The AI-engineer salary bands making headlines are real — and the entry-level door under them got narrower. What the pay actually looks like by level, why junior openings shrank, and what still gets freshers hired.

8 min

Placements

Mechanical Engineering Interview Questions 2026: Freshers to Design Engineers

How L&T, Tata Motors, Maruti, Bosch and PSU panels interview mechanical engineers, 28 interview questions with answers, and a 4-week plan.

8 min

Placements

Civil Engineering Interview Questions 2026: Site Engineer, Design and AE/JE

What L&T Construction, Tata Projects and Shapoorji ask civil freshers, 28 questions with answers on RCC, IS 456, geotech and site QA/QC, and the government route.

8 min

Placements

Electrical Engineering Interview Questions 2026: Core Companies, DISCOMs and PSUs

How Siemens, ABB, Schneider, PGCIL and NTPC interview electrical engineers, 28 questions with answers on machines, power systems, protection and PLC/SCADA, and a 4-week plan.

8 min

Placements

ECE Interview Questions 2026: VLSI, Embedded and Core PSU Routes

How Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, Intel, Bosch and ISRO interview ECE graduates, 30 questions with answers on digital, analog, signals, embedded C and STA, and a 4-week plan.

9 min

Placements

Chemical Engineering Interview Questions 2026: Reliance GET, IOCL and Process Roles

How Reliance, refiners and gas PSUs interview chemical engineers, 27 questions with answers on mass and heat transfer, CRE, control and HAZOP, and a 4-week plan.

8 min

Placements

Best Placement Preparation Websites in India (2026): An Honest Comparison

No single site covers every round. Here is what PrepInsta, IndiaBix, GeeksforGeeks, LeetCode, takeUforward, FACE Prep, UpcomingEngineer, MADE EASY and placd are each best for, and which two or three to combine for your branch and target.

10 min

Placements

Placement Preparation for Mechanical, Civil, Electrical, ECE and Chemical Students (2026 Guide)

Most placement advice is written for software jobs. This guide is for core branches: how core companies and PSUs hire freshers in 2026, which PSUs still use GATE and which now run their own exam, and a prep plan by branch.

10 min