🏆 NxtWave has an energetic student community of thousands of students who started learning early in college and aspire to build a great career in technology. [] Through these sessions, we aim to engage students on different topics and help them build a better perspective on how these technologies can impact the real-world scenarios.
Duration - 60-70 mins
Technical Recruiter, Microsoft Ex-Subex | Unacademy | Goibibo | Blinkit Ex- NVIDIA | iB Hubs | IIIT Hyderabad Outline draft- 28th April, 2025 Theme- Thoughts from Inside the Interview Room
Podcast Outline
1. Introduction (5 mins)
Welcome students & introduce the theme
Today’s conversation is going to give you a peek inside the hiring world — what really goes on, what stands out, and how you can shape your journey into tech, regardless of your college or degree.
Brief intro about Harshal — from hiring at Microsoft to scaling startup teams at Graphy, Blinkit, and more Mention key takeaways students can expect: standing out, interviews, projects, and the journey without a CS background 🔹 2. Harshal’s Journey: From Electronics engineering to Top Recruiter (5-7 mins)
Harshal, we’d love for you to take us through your journey, how did someone with a background in Electronics end up becoming a top tech recruiter. Was there a particular moment or experience that made you realize this was your space? If you think back, what’s something you did right early on that helped you grow in your career? 🔹 3. Big Tech vs Startup Hiring: How It Really Works (10mins)
You’ve hired across both worlds — Microsoft on one side, Graphy, Unacademy and Blinkit on the other. Can you help our students understand how the hiring process differs between Big Tech and startups? Are there any major differences in what these companies expect from a candidate — in terms of resumes, interviews, mindset? speaker notes- Please share if there’s a story or example where a candidate stood out to you in either of these environments.
Is it true that for every open tech position at Microsoft, recruiters might scan through hundreds of applications for just 5 interview slots? How does someone even get noticed in that crowd? 🔹 4. The Perfect Candidate Blueprint: What Recruiters Notice (15 mins)
For students just starting out, could you share what makes a candidate profile really stand out on paper and in interviews? speaker notes- what genuinely catches a recruiter’s eye, example of a student or candidate whose project or portfolio really impressed you, role of personal projects, open-source contributions, or hackathons, maintain a GitHub or portfolio website
Is it true that sometimes resumes are scanned for just 7–10 seconds before deciding to shortlist or reject. We would love for you to crack down the mantra for a perfect tech resume —- both for freshers and experienced professionals. Many students don’t have internships or great grades — can you how can they still build credibility and show value? 🔹 5. Preparing for Interviews: What Students Should Know (20 mins)
Harshal, can you walk us through what kind of technical rounds are most common these days — like DSA, system design, or real-world tasks — and how candidates are typically evaluated in these rounds? From your perspective, what are interviewers actually looking for — beyond just technical answers? In your experience, what are some of the common reasons students get rejected even after clearing the first couple of rounds — and have you ever had a candidate who didn’t make it through initially, but you saw potential and gave them another chance later on? We get this question from students a lot, what’s a professional way for them to follow up after the interview and do it without overdoing it or hurting their chances? A lot of students struggle with “Tell me about yourself” — can you please share what a good response might sound like? speaker notes- handling tricky behavioral questions or situations where they don’t know an answer, etc
Have you ever had a candidate change your impression just by how they handled one interview round? 🔹 6. Breaking Into Tech Without a CS Degree (6–7 mins)
You’ve had a non-CS path yourself. Can you share how students from non-CS backgrounds can still build strong tech careers today? In your opinion, what matters more — a fancy degree, real skills, or the mindset someone brings? Could you talk about any roles or domains within tech that are more welcoming to students without a traditional CS background? If you were starting today as a student without a CS degree, what exact steps would you take? 🔹 7. Internships, Outreach & Handling Rejections (6 mins)
Getting that first internship is often the hardest part. Could you guide students on how to approach this smartly? There’s a stat that says 70% of open jobs are never even advertised — they’re filled through networks and referrals. Is that true in your experience? speaker notes-Importance of networking, having a LinkedIn Profile, etc
Rejections are tough — especially after multiple interviews. How do you suggest students handle rejection and bounce back stronger? Have you seen someone turn a rejection into a bigger win later on? 🔹 8. What Ifs & Reflective Rapid Fire (5 mins)
If you could go back to college, what’s one thing you’d do differently? If recruiting wasn’t your career — what else could you see yourself doing? What’s one tech hiring myth you’d love to bust forever? What’s something about the hiring process that students completely misunderstand? If you had to summarize your recruitment philosophy in one line — what would that be? 🔹 9. Final Thoughts & Sign-Off (2–3 mins)
Before we close, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to any student who feels underconfident or unsure about their future? Thank you for joining us — this was a fantastic conversation full of practical wisdom! 
NxtWave's Podcast with Harshal Nagar