Sedemac

Role: R&D Engineer (Full-Time)

College: IIT Kharagpur

Interview Date: Not Specified (around 2024-2025 placement season)

Interview Type: On-Campus / Full-Time

Result: Selected

Difficulty: Medium to Hard

Rounds: 4 rounds (Online Assessment, Interview Round 1, Interview Round 2, HR Round)

Topics Asked: Fundamental knowledge in mechanical and electrical domains, aptitude, RC circuits, Fluids (gravity flow concept), Torque and shafts, Mathematical aptitude, Probability (rough code for assigning probability), Electrical resistance arrangement concepts, Mathematical derivations.

Experience:

Asish Pani, a Mechanical Engineering graduate from IIT Kharagpur, was offered the role of R&D Engineer at Sedemac Mechatronics. The selection process was described as longer than usual, involving an online assessment, two rounds of online interviews, and an offline HR round.

Online Assessment: This was a 1.5-hour MCQ-based test. The questions were unique, designed to test fundamental knowledge in mechanical and electrical domains, along with aptitude. Questions were simple with minimal calculations but required a strong grasp of fundamentals.

Interview Round 1: This round was conducted by a senior R&D engineer and was "very different." The interviewer asked the candidate to solve questions on a blank paper and show the process via Zoom. The focus was on the problem-solving process rather than just the final answer. Specific questions included:

• One question from RC circuits.
• One question from Fluids (gravity flow concept).
• One question from the concept of torque and shafts.

This round lasted around 45 minutes.

Interview Round 2: This round was taken by the Lead Engineer of the R&D division and followed a similar process to Round 1. The questions were described as "very unique, not from the regular concepts we study," designed as a mix of mechanical and aptitude questions.

• One question asked to write a rough code for assigning probability.
• Some questions involved mathematical derivations.

In total, this round involved almost 15 subjective questions covering mathematical aptitude, mechanical concepts, probability, rough coding, and electrical resistance arrangement concepts, lasting about 2 hours and 15 minutes.

HR Round: A relatively simple and short round (10 minutes). Simple background questions were asked, including one about the importance of Ethics and Morals in the workplace.

Overall Experience: The process emphasized strong fundamentals and the ability to apply concepts to unique problems. The interviewers focused on the thought process. The candidate found support from friends crucial during the placement process.