IIFT Interview Experience MBA (2015-17)

Name :- Ashish Mishra (B.Tech, CSE, Fresher)

Date :- 02.02.2015 (Morning Slot)

Venue :- IIFT Kolkata.

Going into the first GDPI Process of the MBA Season, I was filled with nervousness and anxiety. Reached the Venue well in time. Friends do keep an Identity card along (PAN, Driving License, Passport, Voter Id) and all the documents.

We were seated in the Conference Room. A total of 30 people were called in the slot with 10 candidates in each group.

The professors came in at 9 AM Sharp and spoke about the the whole process. WAT was to start from 9:10 AM.

WAT :- "Eliminating Female foeticide in India". Wrote some good points raised issues like dowry, compared the states with best and worst gender ratios and how do they differ in socio-economic development, female literacy lingers at approx 65% while male literacy is at 85% , increasing focus on girl education, "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" project.
Duration :-  (20 minutes)
Overall satisfied with my essay.

GD :- "India will surpass China's growth rate : Mirage or reality"

Everybody got 1 minute to speak individually at the beginning before it was open for group discussion for another 20 minutes. It was an engrossing discussion with no fish market scenario. Chipped in with 6-7 points in between. It was getting better for me :)
Duration :- (1*10+20)

PI :- 3 Panelists, P1 and P2 were Professors while P3 was an IAS Officer.

There was a problem initially they mistook me for another guy who was absent and was slotted to come before me. Told them about it and then they came out with my CV Form. They needed time to scan the form so my PI began.

P2 :- Tell me about yourself.
Me :- Spoke for about 30-40 seconds when P1 cut in.

P1 :- Your scores fell in XIIth and again rose in Graduation. What happened.

Me :- Told, was focusing more on JEE Preparation and admitted my immaturity and spoke about improvements made in Grad and justified it well.

P1 :- Tell me why IIFT

Me :- Told convincingly

P2 :- Why IB.

Me :- Told about the value addition that Internationally oriented subjects provide alongwith the regular subjects. I had mentioned Finance as my interest hence told them that apart from regular Finance IIFT (IB) Course offers International Finance which is something that no other degree provides. They looked convinced.

P3 :- Your father is a lawyer, tell me where does he practise.

Me :- Calcutta High Court

P3 :- Who is the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court

Me :- Told and also added she is the first woman CJI of CHC. (Luckily I had asked a friend Nitin to search for her name just 5 minutes prior to the interview on his phone).

P3 :- Who is the Chief Justice of India.

Me :- Told.

P1 :- What kind of cases does your father deal with? (Had written my father as my inspiration for pursuing IB)

Me :- He deals with NPA related assets and their recovery for Banks.

P2 :- What is NPA?

Me :- The professor gave me a strange look but I was prepared for this, answered and explained it to the detail, he said Good (First of many in the interview :))

P3 :- What is the process of debt recovery?

Me :- Sir after declaration of NPA for an account legal proceedings are initiated and a Suit is filed in the DRT. (I knew everything in detail because I had worked closely with my father around 3-4 years back on many cases doing all the paperwork).

P1 :- What is DRT?

Me :- Debt Recovery Tribunal which are special fast track courts set for this very purpose. (Good! Again :) )

P3 :- After a matter is settled at DRT without a favourable judgement what is the next step.

Me :- It is sent to the DRAT.

P3 :- What does it stand for.

Me :- I did not know that and hence told. P3 asked me to guess and helped me to arrive at the answer.

P3 :- What is SARFAESI Act.

Me :- I do not know the full form of the acronym but it is an Act which is used in DRT in cases where Debt Recovery is to be done. He told me the Full form and asked me the year, I knew that (2002).

P3 :- Tell me what is the thin line between confidence and over confidence (I had written it in my weakness)

Me :- Answered, was prepared for this. P1 and P2 nodded and looked satisfied.

P3 :- So you are a student and a Part time QA Faculty and also a business Quizzer?

Me :- Yes Sir.

P3 :- Who is the MD of Tata Group

Me :- Sir they do not have an MD but a Chairman and Cyrus Mistry who was previously with Shapoorji Palonji is the current Chairman and Boss. P3 (Very Good!).

P3 :- Who is the MD of L & T?

Me :- I cannot recall his name at the moment.

They informed that the interview was over. It lasted not more than 7 minutes. No questions on acads, project, internship though I was quite prepared for those. The interview did not last very long which is why I feel a bit anxious about the PI. Hoping for the best.

Whether I convert it on not will be a story for some other day. All the Best to the rest of the candidates.

My Advice :- Know yourself well, be thorough with your CV form and read everything about the person who inspired you to pursue a career in BM. Some people were asked questions on current affairs like NITI Aayog, Swach  Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana so prepare well. People with work-ex had questions on their company, CEO, type of work, etc. Some Freshers also had questions from their academics and Final Year Project.

TIPS FOR GD/PI

SOME TIPS FOR FRESHERS TO CRACK THE GD-PI

Hi Guys,

Sandipan Deb, SCMHRD MBA(HR) Batch of 2012-14, FRESHER 
Graduation:- B.Tech in ECE from Heritage Institute of Technolgy, Kolkata

Since the admissions process at SCMHRD and overall Symbiosis has changed to a centralized admissions process this time onwards, so this post doesn't focus on SCMHRD's admissions process in particular. When I converted SCMHRD 2 years back, the admissions process was not particularly congenial for freshers to convert in the first list and it is a known fact that over the years, people with work-experience are preferred in top B-schools and also during MBA placements. So, I would just share some tips, only for freshers, to confidently approach the MBA admissions season.

For Group Discussion:-
1. Reading newspapers is a must - Economic Times/Business Line, TOI/Hindu. Not only will it make you aware of the present happenings of the nation but also give you enough perspectives which can be put to use in topic-based Group Discussions. Evaluators like numbers and remember quoting numbers and facts and figures in your point will make it all the more credible. So be it about India's GDP growth or FDI policy or some branding strategy of an FMCG, quoting examples along with names would definitely earn you a brownie point.
Eg:-
a) Imagine you are given a topic on AAP - a paradigm shift in Indian politics. Merely quoting that India is in a state of disarray under UPA rule is too generic. Instead if you put in numbers and facts, not only will it strengthen your argument but will also make the evaluator know that this person is well read and well informed.
b) Imagine a Case Discussion where employees are facing problems with their manager OR a company is struggling to maintain it's market position, you quote some employee motivation practice of any organization OR some turnaround strategy of a major FMCG in recent times and the impact of your point will rise manifold.

2. Your communication skills (written and verbal) has to be very good. By communication, I do not mean fancy English words but clear, concise English sentences with no grammatical errors.

3. Your body language has to be perfect. Fidgeting with pens and/or notepads, constantly moving in chairs, facial expressions on not being allowed to speak or when cut by someone is a strict NO.

Remember that a Group Discussion is a simulation of the team meetings which you will have in plenty once you join an organization. And through this exercise, they are evaluating how well you can behave in teams, how easily you can communicate your view-point to the team, how wide and deep you can think about the topic/case in hand and also whether you are being able to earn respect from your team members that they bother to listen to your view-point and use it in the GD.

For Interviews:-
1. Knowing whatever you have filled in your CV is non-negotiable. You are committing a fatal mistake in case you don't know about a single keyword in your CV. My final placements interview at L&T revolved entirely about cricket. This doesn't mean that they are fooling around, they just want to know whether you have written the truth. So every activity you have done in your life, know them in and out. It should be like if you have been the General Secretary of the Student Body in your college and they ask you about it, you should be able to speak non-stop for at least 15 minutes (subject to no interruption from the interviewer)
2. Know your graduation subject and the recent trends in your discipline. This just shows your seriousness about your engineering. Never portray that you did not want to do engineering and are trying to run away from it. This not only shows your casual approach to life but also lack of decision-making ability.
3. If you have been selected for a particular specialization (say finance at SPJIMR or HR at XLRI), know why you want to take up that discipline. Know the recent trends in finance (at least in Indian context). This again will show that you are serious about that discipline. One tricky question for those opting to do HR is Why HR? It will haunt you till your final placements. So here, knowing what happens in the discipline will help you align your answer more to the actual happenings. Answers to such questions should ideally consist of your thought process towards taking up the specialization + how you think you will be able to add value to the specialization through your skillsets.
4. For questions asking you to describe a situation where you showed XYZ quality, mention situations which actually happened. In case you haven't faced such situation, tell the truth frankly. The risk of making up a situation is that in case they delve deeper, you might be caught on the wrong foot.
5. And the most important part, believe in yourself and your abilities. When I went for GD-PI at SCMHRD (it was incidentally the only call I had), people told me that it is impossible, SCMHRD always takes people with work-ex. In my GD panel of 6 people, I was the only fresher and none of the other 5 made it. 

MBA is a profession where your expertise and skills count for nothing if you don't have self-confidence. Trust me, over the next two years, you will need self-confidence in plenty. So prepare well and give it your bestest shot irrespective of the fact whether you have 1 call or 15 calls.

May luck be with you and you get the B-school of your dreams.

For any queries, feel free to reach out to me through FB or drop me a mail at sandipan_deb@scmhrd.edu

Interview Experience - IIFT

IIFT #1

Name  :- Saquib Hasnain

Profile –
10th – 89.8%
12th – 88%
Grad – 8.34/10
Work Ex – 2 years in teaching

Name of the college – Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

Topic of the essay – Role of Nuclear Energy in India's Energy security
You will be given a single sheet and 20 minutes to write down the essay. The panel had told us clearly that there would be evaluating us on the content of the essay and the logical thought flow. And they are not interested in people who just use bombastic words or flowery language.

Group Discussion – Social networking sites disconnect rather than connect people.

There were 10 members in our group. First of all, everyone was given 2minutes to speak on the topic and then the floor was open for discussion for about 25-30minutes

Since the topic was so easy, everybody wanted to speak on it and sometimes the discussion turned into a fish market. I tried not to be a part of the fish market. During those 25-30minutes I could enter only once in the discussion. I was taking down all the important points that were being discussed, just in case if we are asked to summarise.
Luckily when the discussion ended, I was given the chances to summarise and give my final opinion on the topic.

Interview –

In my interview panel there were three members.(2 men and 1 woman - she teaches Managerial Accounting in IIFT in the first trimester)

When I had entered, the first they told me was that my handwriting is good.

The second question took me by surprise – they asked me to till which trust or who owns Heritage Institute of Technology ( this is the college where I did my engg. ).

After that they asked me the following questions –

1. Questions related to work experience – why teaching, what are your learnings from teaching, what are your expectations from your student.

2. Questions on my short term and long term goals – I had mentioned that I was interested in a particular specialization, so that asked me questions related to that.

3. I had mentioned about my dad in the question about who inspired you to do Business management – so they asked about my dad (his qualification, what kind of business, how he does it). They asked me to tell some of the reason for my dad’s success in the business.

4. They asked me whether risk should be taken in business or not and whether my dad took it?

5. Then questions related to team building and leadership skills were asked. I had mentioned about a competition that I had taken part in. So they asked me how did I manage my team, were there any conflicts, how do handle them?

6. Lastly they asked me why International Business and how is that related to the goals that I had mentioned in my 5 year, 15 year objectives.

IIFT #2

IIFT Essay-GD-PI experience:

Date: Feb 2nd, 2010Time: 9:30 AMVenue: Coffee Board, Bangalore
IIFT written score: 38.21
Essay:The entire process started bang on time at 9: 30 with the essay. The topic was "Discuss measures ti improve food security in India". Started with a background, Green Revolution etc...then included some points such as proper distribution channnels and the role of Government. All in all, it was ok but in hindsight, I could have done much better.
Group Discussion:The topic was: Should reality shows involving children be banned?There was 10 guys in the group(no girl). As is the case with all IIFT GDs, 1 min was each person to give an introduction. I gave a small background of the topic and stressed on the role of parents and how they should not pressurize their kids into anything. Also, I highlighted on the importance of knowledgable shows like KBC junior etc.
The discussion then continued for 20 minutes. Points ranged from-parents trying to live their dream through their children, need for a body to keep a check on the way kids are treated. I poked my head two or three times only but made valid points. I actively listened to the rest of the discussion. I just hope the 2 professors(a lady and a Gentleman) took notice. At the end, all of us had to summarize the discussion. A satisfactory GD in the end...
Personal Interview:
There were 3 Gentlemen in the panel. One looked like a corporate guy(P1 ), he had that look and was wearing a blazer. The second one(P2) spoke less and was mainly observing and taking a note of whatever I spoke. The third one(P3) asked most of the questions, he looked like a Professor in IIFT. All 3 of them had photocopies of the CV form we had sent by post earlier.
P1: Tell me something about yourselfMe: Blah blahh...started with schooling, college, job description, was about to talk about passions, and P3 stopped me midway.P3: So you are from an Army background, so what do you have to say about the Avadhesh Prakash controversy?Me: Gave my point of view, views on clean image, and the effect it can have on the men you command...some funda...P1: So, IBM huh? How many offices are there in Bangalore? What kind of business units reside in each of them?Me: told in detail...also told in brief about my sector and the customer I support.P1: So you are from IBM GBS?Me: Yes sirP3: I quote from your form the answer for the question: Career Objectives? You have written "I want to become a successful manager who could be a role model.....etc etc." This answer sounds a little too...Me: Moralistic...I understand sir. Actually, this is more like the kind of professional I intend to become. But as far as career is concerned, I want to do something in the field of sports...to be associated with...(was interrupted by P2)P2: How do you think the condition of sports can be improved in our country?Me: Gave an example of "Apollo Foundation" and their work in Tennis, lans to produce a Grand Slam champion by 2018.P2: Ok, leave Tennis and Cricket, do you think Private partners will be willing to invest in other sports?Me: Of course sir, India is a huge country and has a huge potential. With proper publicity and awareness, and economic security, we can become a great sporting naion. Gave the example of Olympics...India won 3 medals...etc.. Private sector will be willing to invest if they see an opportunity.P1: There is a steep decline in your marks from 10th to 12th and then engineering. Why?
Me: Explained that how Pune University has a strict marking regime. About 12th, told them that I concentrated on my entrance exams...mentioned that in 10th, I was one of the country toppers.
P1: In the question 'last books you have read', you have written "The Fourth Estate". Can you tell me something about it?Me: Explained them...a summary, Power struggle between 2 individuals for the largest media empire etc. etc.P1: What do you think about the current state of media in our country?Me: Explained how media has a big role to play, and how some channels fudge news...etc etc..P3: How do you think it can be improved?Me: Explained how some channels need to learn something from others..P3: Please elaborate..Me: Praised NDTV news channels...P3 didn't look too happyP3 and P1 discussed how at times, even NDTV crossed the line...how Times Now started out as a good channel...I just listened and nodded...P1 to P3: Anything else..? P3 said noI thanked all of them and left...a pretty chilled out interview I felt, any thoughts guys?? Hope they saw something in me