XAT - 99.77, GK - 9.25, WAT - Average (My Perception)
Profile - 81, 71, 67 (With 1 Year Gap after school) .... 21 Months work Ex in IT. (Basically the Worst profile out there)
GD Topic - Union Budget 2015 - Enumerate its pluses & minuses.
Discussion was very civil and everyone had ample time. However our points got repetitive & the discussion was cut short w/o letting anyone conclude.
PI -
I could recognize 1 of the panelists as Professor Soumendra Bagchi.
There was 1 female professor (I'll refer her as P2) and 2 male professors (Professor Bagchi & P3)
Panel was very polite and receptive but getting them to smile was very difficult.
Below Questions were asked :-
Professor Bagchi:
What did you do during your year gap ? No reasons, just what did you do ?
Why MBA when you are working on cloud which is 'IN' at the moment ?
You will get leadership roles in due time. Why MBA for that ?
Mention the evaluation steps you took while deciding between MBA & Continue you current path ?
What is ROI ? How do you calculate it ? (explained, but fumbled a bit)
(Panel seemed unimpressed by any of my responses to above questions)
You Had Manufacturing Process as a a subject ? What all did you do in it ?
What type of welding did you use ? (Didn't know this one)
Differentiate between C & PASCAL ? Which is Easy ? (Explained, but didn't know too much about Pascal)
Mention the names of cloud service providers in the US & Europe.
My CAT score & other calls that I had received.
In 1 sentence, state if you think Budget 2015 is okay or not okay ? Reason ?
P3:
Is their any significance to the color of the turban you are wearing today ?
Difference between Firm & Industry ? Are Bajaj & Maruti, firms or industries ?
What is WTO ? Where are its headquarters ? What does it do ?
When did India join WTO ? (Didnt know)
What are the main points of the current 5 year plan (Didnt know)
Who formulates it ?
Is there any meaning to the word NITI AAYOG ? (I said Niti means Policy)
Are u sure NITI is not an abbreviation ? (No Sir, but I am not 100% sure if my answer is correct. Turns out NITI - National institute for transforming India.)
Which ministry formulates budget ? Who is the Finance Minister ?
P2: (Mostly went through my Documents)
What states make up the North East of India ?
What is the capital of Meghalaya ?
Lastly, Professor Bagchi asked my how my relationship with my manager was ? What kind of a person he was ?
Other than the questions I have specified I didnt know, all my answers were correct (Have rechecked too)
I tried my best not to get flustered during PI, remain calm and smile ... & according to me I succeeded in it too.
heard from somewhere and also read on PG that those who had their interviews rescheduled are facing problems, like their names not being there on the list, their profiles not there with the panelists etc.
i have a rescheduled interview to appear in. help seniors!
Gd topic: Extra-curricular activities act as distraction to students
Gd description in short : 8/11 people turned up. Nice discussion, everyone contributed. The panelists stopped us when they felt the discussion was getting repetitive (though I disagree). Lasted for about 15 mins
Professors' description in brief: P1 (male), P2 (male) and P3(Female). I could identify P2 as Prof Soumendra N. Bagchi.
PI Experience: I was the last one to be interviewed for the day.
P1: Hmm you work as a QA Analyst. Could you elaborate your profile?
Me: Explained.
P1: Who are your clients?
Me: Most clients are from manufacturing sector. Like Cummins, volvo etc
P1: How long has your company been in India?
Me: About 6 years.
P1: Where is your company located?
Me: It's located in Gurgaon
P1: How do you commute?
Me: By car, sir
P2: Which car do you drive?
Me: Alto, 2007 model
P2: How much is its engine capacity?
Me: 800 cc
P2: Is it exactly 800cc? or is it less or more?
Me: I am not sure sir. I guess it's less
P2: Have you never read its RC?
Me: haven't read it sir
P3: What do you do when you don't work?
Me: Told about the hobbies.
P3: Tell something about insurance bill that has been passed recently? What was the debate around?
Me: Told. Some discussion around the issues related to it.
P1: Do you love your job?
Me: Yes sir, of course
P1: Then why don't you continue with it?
Me: Tried to explain how the role does not change much in my profile.
P2 (cutting in-between): So why don't you switch? To Infosys for example
Me: Sir, the projects would change, the role of QA remains the same more or less.
P2: okay...That's all.
Any other info that you wish to share that might be of importance/relevance : I felt that the panelists were really drained out by the time my turn came (around 4:35 pm). That's the reason why I think they seemed a little disinterested and didn't grill me on anything.
Other major achievements : XII grade School math topper, Highest percentile in gulf region for ACER english exam
Any achievement / USP of yours: The past 2 years have been the most challenging.
Group Discussion topic: Trade unions help boost productivity
GD description: Only 4 out of the 10 people showed up and we took about 20 minutes (one person showed up late and he was asked to join GD with the afternoon group). All of us started with strong points but soon settled into an easy conversation and worked out a consensus.
Professor's description in brief: 1: Prof. M. Srimannarayana (HRM), 2: Prof. S. George (Organizational behavior), 3: Unknown prof
Prof 2: Praveen explain to me your philosophy for life.
Me: explained about what I believed and how I viewed my life.
Prof 2: tell us about your family and share something special about your father. (That stunned me for a bit but that was the theme for the remainder of the PI. They stunned me all along and grilled me prof 1 went through every aspect of what I answered)
Prof 1: If I make a statement that you wasted two years of your life at TFI and now are trying to make up for it. How will you reply?
Me: Explained how TFI benefited me and how I reached decision to do HRM.
Prof 1: If I make a statement that you are applying to this college as a last resort. How would you respond?
Me: I Explained that though I was not interested in many other colleges I would still be looking for a job in HR elsewhere.
Prof 1: Who is this (person who significantly shaped my life)? Tell me more about her.
Me: Replied as best as I could.
Now here was the twister in the PI
Prof 1: Praveen in your application you did not apply to BM instead gave global MBA as a preference. Why did you not apply to BM? And did you know global MBA has 5 years work ex required?
Me: Started to explain how I did not bother which other course I applied to but stopped in between because I realized that I had applied to BM but not reaching the cutoff. So I bring it up and then Prof 1 practically shoves the paper in my face saying," See right here. You have applied to Global MBA," So I decided not to verify and said that it did not matter to me which other course I applied for either Global MBA or BM because I wanted to focus and only wanted HRM and I believed that Global MBA required 3 years work ex.
(Turns out I did apply for BM and not Global MBA)
Prof 3: Okay Praveen you mentioned you don't like working under someone's thumb. Can you elaborate?
Me: Explained how I meant that I liked looking at the forest rather than the trees. So I elaborated on how I preferred having a supervisory or managerial role.
Prof 2: You may leave.
Me: Thank you sir.
Prof 2: If you have anything else to say you can do so now.
Me: Actually sir I do have something to say. I would like to elaborate on how I reached my decision that XL is the perfect b - school for my future.
Prof 1: I think you have explained all that and there is nothing more to say.
Me: But sir there is more that I haven't explained.
Prof 1: But you have already.. Okay go on.
Me: (Sat down again) Explained how the philosophy of the college matched with my personal philosophy and how I admired the transparency shown in the admission process with regards to the answer papers.
Here is my advice to the aspirants: The panel was hell bent on proving or disproving something with regards to my candidature. Just keep it cool and answer with confidence and honesty.
It is a highly unpredictable interview but the panel knows what exactly they are looking for in each candidate. So every question is an opportunity. Honesty is the best course in my opinion.
ONE MORE THING: For the GD out of 4 of us I was the only one with a notepad. As soon as I mentioned that I had a notepad I saw Prof 1 write down something. So it might be useful carrying a notepad. Shows that you are prepared.
Were you asked questions by all the three panelist? In my interview the third one did not ask me any question even when offered to by the other panelist.
Request you to move your queries to the Call Getters thread. Let this one remain exclusively for GD-PI experiences alone. So that it is easier for the next yr candidates to go thro' it.
That awkward moment when you are being grilled by your interviewers over classical music and you have some annual function preparations going on just behind the building with 'party yuhin chalegi' playing at full volume. Yaar ek toh interview mein lagi padi hai aur yeh log party aur bhi lambi chalane ki baat kar rhe hain. (14th March morning session, YWCA,Delhi)
GD topic: Globalization
is good for workers and their rights.
GD: Only 9/10 people showed up and the discussion lasted for 20 mins. The focus was majorly on
Globalization so I tried to bring the focus back to the core of impact on workers and their rights, a couple
of times. Group didn't reach a consensus but were all inclined towards the ill effects
of globalization on workers' rights. All three profs, were making notes about
the discussion quite diligently.
Professor's description in brief: P1(L): Finance Prof. P2(M): GM
Prof P3(R): Marketing prof
Personal Interview experience:
P2 came
in the waiting hall, and escorted me to the interview room.
I handed my Certificates file over to P1, and a docket of my
recent achievements, including an interview in a newsletter, on the top of the
stack.
He starts smiling, and shows to P3- "See he has brought so many
nice things to show you!" - All smile. Me contemplating, if it was sarcasm or
an appreciation.
P3: So Devansh, Did you have your breakfast?
Me: No, sir. I woke up around 7:30, so quickly got ready and
came to the venue by 8:30.
P3: Oh, did u come from far?
Me: No, I'm staying here in a hotel in CP, came to Delhi for the
interview.
P3: Okay. Where did you come from?
Me: Mumbai sir. (I had my SP interview the day before, couldn't
tell that to the prof.)
P3: So why did you not give your interview in Mumbai?
Me: Sir, I would have but when we first filled the form I gave
the preference as Delhi. And when the calls came in, we were not given an
option to give the preference again, so I had to come to Delhi to give the
interview.
P3: Ohh Okay. So Tell me Devansh, How was the GD?
Me: (I gave it a thought: PAUSE) GD was good sir. There were
many opinions and perspectives about the topic. It was a rich experience with
everyone chipping in with their points, and it was a learning experience. Although
we could have reached a consensus, since the topic demanded us of providing a definite
viewpoint.
P3: What according to you could have been better in the GD?
Me: I think that we could have focused more on Rights of the
workers. We digressed a few times, which I tried to bring back (all profs nod
in unison) and stick to the topic.
P3: You made a point regarding (some point in the GD, which I did
not make).
Me: No sir, I didn't make that point. (Prof strikes something
out from the GD sheet he had). I made a point regarding Solar Panels and how it
is effecting our industry.
P3: okay, tell me how?
Me: Told about the US dumping old technology in India, and Indian indigenous industries are suffering because of that.etc etc. Therefore,
globalization is affecting some Indian industries.
P3: Do you think people had better points than you had in the GD?
Me: Yes, sir.
P3: (Amazed at my response!!) They HAD better points???
Me: Yes, sir, a few points were better than mine.
P3 Does something on the sheet again.
Meanwhile P1 had read my documents file and handed it over to
P3. P2 still staring.
P1: So Devansh , you had this subject in your Graduation, Mobile
Communications.
Me: Yes sir I had.
P1: So tell me how many towers are required to detect the location
of a single mobile phone?
Me: (I did not recollect any such thing being taught and so answered honestly) No
sir, I can't recall.
Asks one more question, I replied the same.
P1: You don't remember BST, MST, anything?(asks very politely)
Me: No sir can't recall.
P1: okay. No problem( in a comforting tone). Do you remember
Standard Deviation?
Me: Yes Sir.
P1: You have this paper and pen in front of you. Take as much
time as you need, use the paper and pen, and give us an application of standard
deviation as an HR Manager.
Me: (while hovering the pen over the paper) Sir I can tell you
an example of SD. I read a case about Dominos in USA, where workers showed
deviation from their expected job duties.
On listening to the case, P2 sat back, shook his head in
affirmation and relaxed. Seemed he was privy of the case too.
P1: But this is an outlier example, tell us something more
specific.
Me: I start hovering again on the paper
P1: okay probably its been long, when u studied this. Do you
know what is mean and Median?
ME: Yes sir I do.
P1: use the paper and pen, tell us what is Mean and Median,
there definition and one application of each as an HR Manager.
ME: (while writing on the paper) Sir, Mean is a simple average.(P1
Nods).
P3 interjects: Average of what?
Me: Sir, average of the data set at hand. P3 nods. And median is
the middle value when this data set is sorted in ascending order.
P1: okay you know what is mean and median. Now one application
of each.
Me: (After drawing and writing a few things on paper) Sir mean
can be used in Talent Acquisition and median can be used while deciding compensation
and benefits.
Suppose we have 20 teams in our organization. We ask each team
for their employee requirements, some give 8 some give 3 etc etc. We find a mean
of around 4-5. So we would have to hire 80- 100 people. More specifically
around 90.
Suppose we hire from different categories of institutes. Cat A,
B, C, D. and we have a median salary in mind, say 8 lakhs. So we can decide
packages below 8 lakhs in cat C, D and above 8 lakhs in A,B. so that we hire
talent within our estimated budget.
Median is a better example of showing how good an institute is
doing in terms of placements or how good packages are from a company, but not
mean, because median value actually gives the number of people above and below
that value, but not mean.
P1: Yeah yeah. Ok Okay!
P3: How Globalization is actually affecting the rights of the
workers.
Me: Sir, I read an article a few days ago, it gave an example of
a worker in unorganized sector, who was made to work for 12 hours a day. Now a
normal working day, is for 8 hours(All nod) and while he should be getting an
overtime for 4 hours he is working but he is not. This is happening because,
the owner of the establishment is maximizing the use of the machinery and
labor, because he has to compete with products from international market,
virtue globalization, and consequently the rights of the workers are being exploited.
P2: Devansh, 31 months in IT, tell us one day, that you would
like to remove from your life.
Me: started narrating an incident.
P2: Cuts me short, you have only 30 secs
I replied in short, and (me and my team on stage) were
subjected to a lot of jeering.
P2: Just because you were subjected to a lot of jeering you want
to remove that from your life.
Me: Umm, sir it was the most embarrassing moment, and nothing
else of that sort happened so I would like to remove that.
P2: Okay.(sits back)
P1: So you are a Competent Leader(Toastmasters). Tell one
quality a good leader must have, according to you?
Me: Vision. I believe that vision is the most important thing,
because if a leader does not have vision
he would not be able to utilize his resources at its best. Be it Human
resources or other, he would not be able to do justice until he has vision.(P1
Nodding all through).
P1 passes the baton to others, P3 smiles, we are done.
P2: do you have any question for us?
Me: Yes sir. Since XLRI do not have any club, namely
Toastmasters........
P2: (Cuts me short) I am sorry Devansh but a man of your
credentials, should not say a thing like that. We do have a club (some name).
Me: Like Toastmasters?
P2: (proudly) a step better than that.
Me: That's great sir. But my question was that XLRI does not
have a Toastmasters club, so if I intend to start one, so what kind of support
can I expect from the institute.
P2: Okay, if you have ambitions like that, then XLRI provides a
great platform for that.
I nodded.
All: that's all Devansh. Don't Forget to collect your Files. It
was nice talking to you. Don't send in the next candidate, we 'll call
ourselves in a while.
Thanks all around. While leaving the room, I saw P2 pointing a
finger towards me and talking to P1. 😲
Work ex: IT/ 10 Months, Consulting at ZS Associates
HRM, YWCA Delhi, 16th February, 8:45 slot
GD Topic- Wealth Disparity can be overcome by making the rich poor and the poor rich.
Overview of GD- Went very well. Was lucky to be present quite a lively group and almost everyone chipped in with solid points. Discussion lasted well over 25 mins and a conclusion was nicely reached
Was called in into the interview room after about 30 mins. Panel consisted of 3 members P1- A lady probably a former alum in her early thirties, P2- A middle aged professor who was smiling throughout, P3- A slightly younger but stern looking chap
Interview starts and I hand over the lady my folder and documents.
P1: So you are from Ryan International School. Why is it called Ryan
Me: It was named after the son of our chairman, it's a Christian name.
P1: (Going through my assessment question sheet) What kind of books you like to read.
Me: Not resricted to any genre but lately have been reading a lot of autobiographies. Named a few of them (Tendulkar, Agassi, Feynman etc)
P1: So what do you think is a good time for someone to come up with a autobiography.
Me: I think ideally it should be after someone retires/finishes1his career. I don't really like the fact that many sportsman come out with their stories mid career.
P1: Do you think Sachin was right to release his autobiography at that time? What should be the criteria for someone to release it.
Me: I believe that it should generally come after a person is done with a significant period of his life. In case of Sachin it was the right time as it's highly unlikely he will accomplish anything more significant than receiving the Bharat Ratna.
P1: What about Malala Yousafzai? When do you think she should have released it.
Me: Ideally after 10 years from the incident when we can perhaps appreciate the full impact of her work.
P1: Do you think she would garner the same publicity after 10 years.
Me:(quickly realising my faux pas). Yes yes, the market should also be a consideration while publishing it. (P1 just smiles and doesn't say anything.)
Enter P2: So you are a football fan? Tell me some differences between the last 2 world cups.
Me: Gave some facts about how there were more attacking play,more goals and absence of Vuvuzela noise
P2: What was the reason for the lower amount of goals scored in 2010?
Me: (Trying to scratch my brains) Sir, probably because they used a different ball -the Jabulani which swerved a lot and hence difficult to control.
P2: But one team did manage to score quite a few goals. Why?
Me: (No idea about which team was he talking about) Sir was it a South American team?
P2: No no, they introduced the ball in their league first. Have you heard of the bundesliga?
Me: Germany of course!
P2: Can you recall an incident in college where you overcome an obstacle?(Or something along these lines)
Me: Gave a story about how I once organised an event outside college with great difficulty which proved quite a success. He seemed satisfied.
Enter P3: So you work as a Business Analyst. What does ZS actually do?
Me: Sir we do consulting for primarily Pharma companies. Told him about my work in the area of forecasting.
P3: What sort of tools you use?
Me: Sir VBA, Excel mostly. Very rarely SAS.
P3 asked me about some algorithms and techniques we use. Managed to answer convincingly.
P3: Some innovative work you have done on a project.
Me:Told
P3: You say you like solving problems. What's the difference between a Problem and an issue.
Me: Sir a problem has a tangible solution?
P3: And an issue doesn't?
Me: (Now contemplating) Fortunately he comes to my rescue
P3: Ever heard of the Kashmir issue?
Me: Yes Sir. An issue is more long term than a problem
P3: So what do you think you'll be handling as a manager - a problem or a solution?
Me: Sir right now I don't have to deal with major issues but moving forward I would be needed to tackle it. Blah,Blah Blah...
P3: (Smiling) Good, you can leave now.
Overall a decent enough interview and I had a good feeling coming out of the interview room.
Overview of GD- Lot of ideas all around. Since the topic was abstract, most guys kept presenting new points but no one idea getting attention by all. The guy who started tried to bring the group together many times and scored maximum brownie points. I also pitched in some ideas time to time but due to lack of practice , I could not keep speaking fluently for long durations and hence tried to bring in as many new perspectives as I could. Overall gd duration around 30 mins with a lot of good points but no definite conclusion.
Was the third one to be called in for interview. The panel had been given the form containing the essays we were asked to write some days before the interview. Panel consisted of 3 members, all male. Let us say P1,P2 and P3. I greeted the panel and they told me to sit.
P1: Which sport does Geet Sethi play?(same surname)
Me: (I Had not heard the name since a long time but somehow I remembered the answer) Billiards, Sir.
P2: So Tell us something about you. anything which is there in this form or which you would like us to know.
Me: I started with my practiced intro. First work ex(defense electronics) . They stopped me in between.
P2: Oh, so you are from a PSU. Your company does not face any real competition from the market. Or is there any?
Me: Sir, The picture today is not the same as it was some 10 years ago. The company has many private competitors like X,Y and Z which are making the company cut on its costs and adapt to the market.
P2: Ok. So what exactly did you do as work there?
Me: I highlighted my responsibilities and my achievements in brief.
P2: Ok. Do you have any hobbies?
Me: mentioned about travelling and badminton. mentioned that I had been to the andamans.
P2: Oh andamans, there is a bird famous there. Do you remember its name?
Me: (I was like whaaat. no idea man.) Sir, I remember a certain species of crabs is there which I have seen but I dont remember any specific bird.
P2: (Disappointed) No no, if you know then you will remember insantly,otherwise not.
Me: Sorry sir, I cannot recall.
(The only question asked on hobbies huh..)
P3: So solve this equation geometrically (A+B)sq=Asq + Bsq +2AB
(i ask for a pen and paper to try)
Me: (after trying for 3-4 mins, got nervous and tried to present some solution using cosine formula, which was wrong.
P2: this question even a 4th class fellow can solve. doesnt need any knowledge of trigonometry.
Me: Sorry sir, but i think i am not getting any close to the solution and will only be wasting time if i try more.
They move on.
P1: So today is budget day. Tell me about the allocation to defense last year.
Me: told
P1: Tell me the allocation was highest for which sector last year?
Me: (I am bad at memorizing so didn't remember much) Sir I cant recall numbers but i can make a guess.
P2: Ok,make a guess.
Me: Sir I think food subsidies.(total guess)
P2: blank face. So you must be remembering some sectors atleast? (Then he named some).
Me: Sorry sir, but i cant recall.
P2: You know I should tell you this. You have told us anything that could impress us. We are not impressed with you.
Me: (totally shocked, dont know what to say)
P2: Even in the GD, you were cutting other persons' lines . You were not letting them speak(P2 raising his voice)
Me:(defending myself) Sir, I never tried to cut anyone. I was trying to raise some new perspectives and also trying to complement other people's points with my points.
P2:(nodding disappointingly): Ok, we are done.
my take: Probably the worst interview of my whole season. The 'not impressed ' comment was the salt on my wounds. Coming out, I had zero expectations of converting.( Since XL has a 2/3 yes criteria for consideration and I had a feeling atleast 2 guys would have said a straight no. )
Verdict: Waitlisted 34 😃 (converted BM in the first clearance itself :D)
