INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE AT IIMK #1
NAME: SAYANTAN MANDAL B. E (Electrical)
The interview panel consisted of two members: one from Marketing area (P1), the other from Economics (P2).
Morning 9:15. I entered the room. The panel member from marketing area started even before I took my chair. I saw two bowls on the table, one was full of 5 stars, and the other full of chlor mints.
P1: Well Sayantan, you are 1st for today’s schedule. I hope you didn’t have your breakfast well because of tension and excitement. So before taking your seat, please tell if you are asked to choose between 5 star or chlor mint, which will you choose and why?
Me: (without thinking anything) 5 Star.
P1: Why?
Me: (suddenly something clicked my mind) Sir, Chocolate is something that makes people happy. Chocolates secrete a hormone, I can’t remember the name of the hormone or from which gland it secretes, that’s the same hormone which is secreted when we are happy. And who does not want to be happy!!!
P1: OK. Then take your seat, have one, be happy, then we are starting.
(I took my seat, thanked him and took a 5 star, meanwhile the 2nd panellist started)
P2: Well Sayantan, what’s the name of your meaning?
Me: Mam, Sayantan means the person who was born in the evening.
P2: So, you must have been born in evening!!!
Me: Yes Sir. 8:30 evening. (I lied :P, I was actually born at 8:30 morning)
P2: OK. You are from Kolkata. Which part of Kolkata?
Me: Alipore, mam.
P2: Umm. Alipore. You must be rich.
(I smiled)
P2: OK Sayantan, tell me something about Kolkata which you think most of the Kolkatans don’t know.
(I answered the question very well, focusing on the fact that everybody knows that Job Chernock was the founder of Kolkata, which is actually not not true according a 2003 Kolkata High Court Verdict, and Kolkata doesn’t have any founder)
(The 1st panellist was going through my CV, and suddenly started)
P1: Sayantan, you have written Geography and Indian Railway in the interest column. So, can you please draw the map of India?
(The 2nd panellist also asked simultaneously)
P2: Sayantan, can you please tell how induction motor start?
(I was literally in a perplexed state that which answer should I give first, but the panel members came to my rescue by saying: OK, draw the map, and simultaneously tell how Induction Motor Starts)
Me: Drew and told.
P1: Then locate Kozhikode, Malabar Coast, Vindya Range in the map.
Me: pointed all of them correctly.
P1: A GK question on Geography. Where do the zero degree latitude and zero degree longitude meet?
Me: (Took a pause, visualizing the map of the world and told) it will be somewhere inside the Atlantic.
P1: what is the nearest land.
Me: (told) North Africa. (later checked I was wrong, it would be Central Africa)
P1: OK. I can’t understand why you are so much interested about Indian Railways! Why?
Me: Told something on why I am so much interested about Railways.
P2: OK. We need some information about Indian Railways. Is there any direct train from Kolkata to Kozhikode? If yes, then from where it departs, when, in which day of the week, how much time it takes)
Me: told everything correctly (except the time taken to reach Kozhikode, I told around 42 hours, actually it’s 38 hours)
P2: What is the largest railway station in South India?
(Told Chennai Central)
P1: Well, now please tell me why are leaving the 50k job?
(Told the readymade answer :P)
(They tried to convince me I would face monetary loss if I opt for MBA, but I was also trying to convince them about higher studies and value addition)
P2: OK. Final question, did Career Launcher or TIME told you to get dressed like that?
(Told that yes, they did, but also told that it was my decision too, bla, bla)
Both of them: OK. Thank you Sayantan. All the best!
Me: Thank you Sir!
Interview Experience - IIM Kozhikode #2
Background :- Electrical Engg.
Work-ex : CTS(IT), 5 months
Work-ex : CTS(IT), 5 months
GD topic:Will entry of foreign universities help the education system of India?
Duration of GD :15 min
GD experience:It was okay. A bit chaotic. I gave 2-3 facts and 3-4 points. I wanted to give another 1-2 points but time was up.
Duration of GD :15 min
GD experience:It was okay. A bit chaotic. I gave 2-3 facts and 3-4 points. I wanted to give another 1-2 points but time was up.
WAT topic:Same topic
WAT experience :Given one page. Took some time to jot down my points. But 15 min is too less to write down all the points. I started off nicely but at the end due to lack of time could not conclude.
No. of people in the interview panel:2
WAT experience :Given one page. Took some time to jot down my points. But 15 min is too less to write down all the points. I started off nicely but at the end due to lack of time could not conclude.
No. of people in the interview panel:2
Questions in PI:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. You are almost a fresher and an electrical engineer. I am not an electrical engineer. I have heard that government wants every house to have a solar panel and it can be connected to the grid. How?
3. What is a substation?
4. Why do you require a transformer?
5. Explain the testing bay of motor.
6. What is the rpm of 4 pole machine?
7. How can rpm be measured?
8. rpm of a motor is 1550, explain.
9. What type of language is Java?
10. What is the difference between java and c?
11. what is object oriented language?
12. procedural language?
13. Why should we use java over c?
14. Your hobby is painting, so what type of painting have you done?
15. Layers in painting?
16. Have you heard about Arvind Kejriwal? I think he needs electrical engineer now to tell him what to do. Do you what has he done in Delhi?
17. What is BSES?
18. Do you have any queries? If not you can leave.
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. You are almost a fresher and an electrical engineer. I am not an electrical engineer. I have heard that government wants every house to have a solar panel and it can be connected to the grid. How?
3. What is a substation?
4. Why do you require a transformer?
5. Explain the testing bay of motor.
6. What is the rpm of 4 pole machine?
7. How can rpm be measured?
8. rpm of a motor is 1550, explain.
9. What type of language is Java?
10. What is the difference between java and c?
11. what is object oriented language?
12. procedural language?
13. Why should we use java over c?
14. Your hobby is painting, so what type of painting have you done?
15. Layers in painting?
16. Have you heard about Arvind Kejriwal? I think he needs electrical engineer now to tell him what to do. Do you what has he done in Delhi?
17. What is BSES?
18. Do you have any queries? If not you can leave.
Duration of PI: 15 min
Cheers!
Interview Experience - IIM Kozhikode #3
IIMK Experience- Converted, Currently studying at IIMBProfile :- B.com, CA,CS, X – 93%, XII-96.5%
WAT: On human chessboard every move is possiblePI-
p1 : what have you been doing after graduation?
me : sir i was doing CA, my articleship got over in march 2012,then was looking for placement and entire focus on CAT
P1 Have you completed CA?
ME yes sir,i am a qualified CA & CS
P1 Oh thats a great achievement (to p2 now) probably CAT form doesn’t permit to mention all these so it seemed that she had been doing nothing after grad(to me) its a pleasure to hv u here. Where have you done you aticleship from? me told p1 what do thy do?
me :answered
p1 what was your role? me :answered
p1 Do you think audit is an effective tool?
me depends sir,we need to rely on management representations at times
p1 can you do that every time?
Me: No sir,we need to exercise judgement and have the authority to go for external confirmation,gave an example
p1 can you think of a recent big fraud in indian history
me :The satyam scam p1 What happened? me sir,mr.ramalingam raju was inflating the profits
p2 interrupts Raju or the company?
me Sir,Mr. Raju because in his confession letter addressed to the board
p2 INTERRUPTS AGAIN ok get back to his answer p1 so it was the auditors fault?wasnt it their responsibility?
Me: I wont be able to comment on that ,PWC was involved
p1: you are an accountant but dont wana do accounts?
Me: in the long run,i want my own enterprise of corporate consultancy
p1 what kind of services will it offer?
Me: sir initially i wl hv to start up at the small scale ,the services will remain confined to M&A,underwriting
p1 interrupts do small firms go for m&a?give me an example
me I thought for a while and then said sir, i won’t be able to name them but yes they do go,for instance my father started as a sole proprietor ,expanded into a pvt co. and now going for merger with some other co. because that firm has more goodwill in the market
p1 who was st. thomas?(my school's name) me I don’t know
p2 What is yogah Karmasu kaushalam?(i wrote tht in my form)
me diligence leads to excellence
p2 whats the role of impression mgt in it?
me sorry sir
P2 whats the role of impression mgt in it?
me Impression mgt?
p2 yes
me sorry sir i m not aware
p2: let me put it in a different way,how does impression mgt help in it?
Me: sir may b it means impressing upon the minds,the focus in such a way that they dont get distracted and work to get excellence
p2 started laughing like anything..is it something technical you talked just now,(looking to p1) even he could not understand what you said..ok what is regression?(stats as a subj in CS Foundation)
me Its a statistical tool
p2 interrupted laughing still louder..is it a stat tool?i nevr knew it?(looking at p1) oh god,is it so?I am asking you the meaning of regression
me sorry sir i dont know
p2 OH they didnt teach you the meaning so u didnt bother to know..told a sentence
me: it means degradation
p2 now tell me why is regression analysis so called?
Me: sorry sir,i am not sound with regression
p2 what did you study in labour laws?
me told the names of few acts
p2 year of factories act?
me 1948
p2 r u sure?
me yes sir
p2 do you dance?(mentioned in my accomplishment)
me sir m not professionally trained
p2 do you dance or not?
me yes sir on social ocsns
p2 where did kuchipuri originate?
me i am not sure
p2 which is ur fav form of dance?
me nothing as such,m not pro at any
p2 its a straight questn
me sir,ballet
p2 tell me something about it
me its one of the most graceful dance p2 interrupts which dance isnt graceful
me for example hip-hop,its a street dance,requires lot of boldness and attitude while in ballet the posture needs to be very delicate
p1 ur hobbies? me sir papercraft,i like making cards and gift packing
p1 so you support felling of trees,you are not environmental friendly
me sir i use handmade papers which are recycled form of papers,even if I go to a paper store,the handmade papers look so attractive that I end up buying them
p1 Why dont you make e-cards?
me sir i do make ppt for my long distance friends n relatives
p1 ppt?( started laughing)..ok who was la martiniere?(my schools name)
me: La martiniere was no one.it was claud martin and i went on explaining
p1 you prepared the ans for la martiniere but not for st. thomas..
me: sir its not about the preparation
p1 interrupts who is your fav author
me I dont read a particular author
p1 the last book you read?
me Jonathan Livingston Seagull
p1 author?
me could not recall , sir currently i m reading tuesdays with morrrie by mitch albom
p1 interesting, thats all,any questions for us?
me no sir thanks
p1 thanks we are done
me thank you
TIPS: Stay calm and confident, Be aggressive if necessary, smile is the most important key.
P2 whats the role of impression mgt in it?
me Impression mgt?
p2 yes
me sorry sir i m not aware
p2: let me put it in a different way,how does impression mgt help in it?
Me: sir may b it means impressing upon the minds,the focus in such a way that they dont get distracted and work to get excellence
p2 started laughing like anything..is it something technical you talked just now,(looking to p1) even he could not understand what you said..ok what is regression?(stats as a subj in CS Foundation)
me Its a statistical tool
p2 interrupted laughing still louder..is it a stat tool?i nevr knew it?(looking at p1) oh god,is it so?I am asking you the meaning of regression
me sorry sir i dont know
p2 OH they didnt teach you the meaning so u didnt bother to know..told a sentence
me: it means degradation
p2 now tell me why is regression analysis so called?
Me: sorry sir,i am not sound with regression
p2 what did you study in labour laws?
me told the names of few acts
p2 year of factories act?
me 1948
p2 r u sure?
me yes sir
p2 do you dance?(mentioned in my accomplishment)
me sir m not professionally trained
p2 do you dance or not?
me yes sir on social ocsns
p2 where did kuchipuri originate?
me i am not sure
p2 which is ur fav form of dance?
me nothing as such,m not pro at any
p2 its a straight questn
me sir,ballet
p2 tell me something about it
me its one of the most graceful dance p2 interrupts which dance isnt graceful
me for example hip-hop,its a street dance,requires lot of boldness and attitude while in ballet the posture needs to be very delicate
p1 ur hobbies? me sir papercraft,i like making cards and gift packing
p1 so you support felling of trees,you are not environmental friendly
me sir i use handmade papers which are recycled form of papers,even if I go to a paper store,the handmade papers look so attractive that I end up buying them
p1 Why dont you make e-cards?
me sir i do make ppt for my long distance friends n relatives
p1 ppt?( started laughing)..ok who was la martiniere?(my schools name)
me: La martiniere was no one.it was claud martin and i went on explaining
p1 you prepared the ans for la martiniere but not for st. thomas..
me: sir its not about the preparation
p1 interrupts who is your fav author
me I dont read a particular author
p1 the last book you read?
me Jonathan Livingston Seagull
p1 author?
me could not recall , sir currently i m reading tuesdays with morrrie by mitch albom
p1 interesting, thats all,any questions for us?
me no sir thanks
p1 thanks we are done
me thank you
TIPS: Stay calm and confident, Be aggressive if necessary, smile is the most important key.
Interview Experience - IIM Kozhikode #4
Pradipta Baisya - PGDM, IIMK, Class of 2013Mechanical Engineer, BESU Shibpur, Tata Steel - 44 Months (Plant Operations), E&Y - 4 Months (CDM COnsultancy)Currently, working as Consultant - Strategy & Operations, Deloitte Consulting LLPIIMK Interview Experience:
Processes Involved - Essay & PI
Essay - Abstract Topic (don't remember the topic though)
PI Experience :
Lasted for around less than 10 minutes. Interview was very structured and predictable starting with Introduce Yourself, Why MBA, Why did you leave Tata Steel for EY, Explain CDM Concept (Clean Development Mechanism), Is it sustainable in the long run? Explain a CDM project for steel industry.
The interview concluded with the question which I found very tricky , the Prof asked me - "Seeing your knowledge and passion about energy management, I think you are more suited for PhD, not MBA" - had to handle that diplomatically.
Essay - Abstract Topic (don't remember the topic though)
PI Experience :
Lasted for around less than 10 minutes. Interview was very structured and predictable starting with Introduce Yourself, Why MBA, Why did you leave Tata Steel for EY, Explain CDM Concept (Clean Development Mechanism), Is it sustainable in the long run? Explain a CDM project for steel industry.
The interview concluded with the question which I found very tricky , the Prof asked me - "Seeing your knowledge and passion about energy management, I think you are more suited for PhD, not MBA" - had to handle that diplomatically.
Key Points to be highlighted -
1. I think my work experience (core manufacturing coupled with niche consultancy) played to my favor.
2. As they say first impression matters, I was really very confident while explaining them the concepts of CDM, application of CDM in steel industry etc.
3. Lastly, I handled the question of PhD vs MBA in a polite and diplomatic manner focusing more on the importance of energy management in the business context
2. As they say first impression matters, I was really very confident while explaining them the concepts of CDM, application of CDM in steel industry etc.
3. Lastly, I handled the question of PhD vs MBA in a polite and diplomatic manner focusing more on the importance of energy management in the business context
Word of Advice :
Be very thorough with your work experience related matters, also try to study more about the industry (IT, Steel, Power, Finance etc.) like national policies specific to those industries, growth drivers, recent trends, future outlook, competitive landscape etc. This will help you in handling questions beyond the obvious, earn brownie points and may help you earn an IIM seat.
For any queries, please feel free to reach out to me :
pradipta.mech@gmail.com
pradipta.mech@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment