How to get hired
Most mechanical freshers get their first job through one of four doors. Try at least two at the same time, because each one has its own calendar.
Campus GET intakes
Graduate Engineer Trainee programmes are the classic start: a year (sometimes two) of rotation through shop floor, quality and maintenance, then confirmation as "Engineer" or "Assistant Engineer". Large manufacturers, EPC companies and auto-component groups pick GETs mainly from campus in the July to December placement season. The test is usually aptitude plus core mechanical (strength of materials, thermodynamics, manufacturing processes, machine drawing), followed by a technical interview that goes deep into your final-year project. If your project was copied, it shows in five minutes.
Read the bond clause before you sign. Many GET offers carry a service agreement for one to three years with a stated amount you repay if you leave early. Our article on job bonds and training bonds explains what is reasonable and what courts tend to enforce.
Off-campus and the second-tier college problem
If your college gets few core companies, you are not out. Mid-size manufacturers, OEM dealers, HVAC and pump companies, and staffing firms hiring for plants recruit off campus all year. Watch off-campus drives and apply to the company's own career page, not to a "consultant" who wants a registration fee. Paste any such message into our job check tool.
NATS graduate apprenticeship
A one-year apprenticeship under the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme is a real route into plants that don't hire freshers directly. You register on the NATS portal and apply to listed establishments. From 1 April 2026 the minimum stipend is ₹12,300 a month for graduate apprentices and ₹10,900 for diploma apprentices, with the government paying half of the minimum through DBT. Check the portal for the pass-out window that applies to you; it is a one-time opportunity per person.
GATE and PSUs, in brief
Several PSUs shortlist mechanical engineers on GATE scores. GATE 2027 is run by IIT Madras with exam days in February 2027. Each PSU sets its own cut-off, age limit and bond in its notice, and the window opens soon after GATE results. Prepare for it seriously or not at all: half-hearted GATE prep tends to cost you the campus season too.
Diploma holders
Diploma (polytechnic) engineers enter as DETs, junior engineers or supervisors, and many complete a B.Tech through lateral entry while working. See our diploma engineer guide.
Picking your first lane
If you like machines and quick problems, maintenance. If you like numbers and standards, quality. If you like drawings and software, design. If you like people and travel, service. Each has its own guide: production supervision, quality, maintenance, design and CAE. Switching between production, quality and maintenance in the first three years is easy; switching into design later is harder because design teams want a portfolio.
Carry to every interview: degree and semester marksheets, a one-page project summary with a photo or drawing, your NATS certificate if you have one, and Aadhaar and PAN.
Plant life and where the pay moves
New GETs usually work general shift during training and then join the shift roster: morning, afternoon and night, rotating weekly. Plants are often 30 to 60 km out of the city (Chakan, Manesar, Sriperumbudur, Hosur, Sanand), with company buses. Sundays can go during month-end dispatch pressure.
A common ladder: GET, Engineer, Senior Engineer, Assistant Manager, Deputy Manager, Manager. The first two years pay modestly. The jump usually comes at the first switch after three to four years, or when you move from a supplier to an OEM, or into a role tied to a certification (IATF auditor, NDT Level II, CAE specialist). Engineers who learn SAP and can read a P&L of their own line move into plant management faster than those who stay purely technical.