Two Panjab University engineering students land ₹41L jobs with Microsoft

Shivank Bali and Tarun Khullar, both 21, are computer science engineering students of the University Institute of Engineering and Technology and will work as software development engineers

For the first time, Microsoft has recruited two students from the University Institute of Engineering and Technology of Panjab University. They have been offered ₹41 lakh annual package, the highest in the institute’s history.

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Shivank Bali and Tarun Khullar, both 21, are computer science engineering students and will work as software development engineers. The two appeared in an all-India online test in January and were offered internships by Microsoft. Based on their performance, the company offered them a permanent job.

Last year, the highest package offered at the UIET was just ₹16 lakh, and it stood at ₹20 lakh in 2017. 

Shivank, who is from Himachal Pradesh and son of a bank employee, said: “It was not easy to get through the test, but with the support of the faculty members it became easier for us. I dedicate my achievement to my family for all their support. His classmate Tarun is from Ambala Cantt. 

This is also the first time that Amazon has recruited students from UIET. With an annual package of ₹30 lakh, the online giant has recruited two students — Gurpreet Singh, who is a student of information technology, and Rahul Bafila, who is a computer science engineering student.

A son of a teacher, Rahul of Uttarakhand said: “My father has always been an inspiration for me. He has struggled a lot because he did not have many resources.” In future, he wants to work on a startup and become a job creator.

The average annual packages at the UIET have also witnessed a rise from ₹5.5 lakh in 2018 to ₹7 lakh this year. The institute’s good performance in the National Institute Ranking Framework rankings is seen as one of the reasons. This year, it stood at 54th spot among the top 100 engineering institutes of the country, up from 59 last year.

“There are multiple factors behind the improvement in the rankings. One of them is the public perception, which we think has improved,” said placement cell in-charge Sarabhjeet Singh.

Besides Microsoft and Amazon, other big firms that visited the UIET for the first time for placements are Electrowaves Electronics, Saint Gobain, Bharti Airtel and Goldman Sachs. The students have also been placed in Deloitte, KPMG, New Sigma, Bechtel and Infosys besides other companies.