Hyderabad’s mix of GCCs, product companies and services firms still hires Java developers who can talk through code they wrote. That is different from completing a recorded playlist.
Skills that show up in screens
Core Java, SQL, REST, one frontend or a strong API portfolio, Git history, and the ability to debug out loud. Cloud basics help. AI features on a capstone are increasingly a plus — not a replacement for fundamentals.
Build in public
One e-commerce or internal-tool app with README, architecture notes and a deploy beats ten tutorial clones. Practice walking through login → API → database → UI.
Interview loop
Expect coding rounds plus a project deep-dive. Career Launch at Cognitex is structured prep for that loop — not a placement guarantee.