All the candiadates who have given interview please share your experiences.
Follow this format
10th-
12th-
UG-
UG degree-
Work ex-
XAT score-
Interview for which course- BM/HR
GD topic:
GD experience:
PI Experience:
Your tips for GD and PI:
How you feel your GD/PI experience was:
All the candiadates who have given interview please share your experiences.
Follow this format
10th-
12th-
UG-
UG degree-
Work ex-
XAT score-
Interview for which course- BM/HR
GD topic:
GD experience:
PI Experience:
Your tips for GD and PI:
How you feel your GD/PI experience was:
Let me start with my experience
10th- 95
12th- 82
UG- 73.5
UG degree- Chemical
Work ex- 7 months at Reliance Industries, Dahej
XAT score- 99.93
Interview for which course- HRM 22nd Feb, 2017, XIMR, Mumbai
GD topic: Leaders are always poor team players
GD experience: We tried to stick with the guidelines but I think we deviated a bit from the topic. Everyone got chance to speak. There were 9 ppl in GD.
PI Experience:
1. You have written that your parents taught you to be humble and ethical. Can you give an example where you can prove this. Then some cross questioning on that.
2. There's a flaw in your answer to this question(vehemently disagree one). Can you tell what's the flaw?
3. So you have being playing tennis a lot. Which level you played? What did you learn from playing tennis? Where did you apply that learning?
4. You have done a lot of extra curricular activities. What did you learn from those? Did you implement those learning anywhere?
5. Lot of questions from my job experience. Basically I worked in a plant shutdown and managed the shutdown activities by managing contract workers. They asked me how did you manage them? What difficulties did you face? What was the difference between you managing the contract workers and your manager managing you?
tips for GD and PI: Be patient in GD and speak relevant points. There is no need to jump everytime to speak. You will get ample opportunities. I think XLRI has 40 min gd so that they get to know about you in depth..ie how your thinking and listening skills are which can't be gauged in 10-15 min gd.
For PI, just be yourself and be thorough with your questionnaire
Guys am dissapointed that only Gaurav has posted his experiences so far. Since a lot of you are asking for PI tips I went digging in my inbox and found that I had penned down my HR interview experience from last year (2016). Posting it here in case it is helpful for some of you. Meanwhile i'll see if i can find my BM experience as well.
Disclaimer: This isnt a complete list. I think there were more questions but I jotted down only the ones that i remember.
Not gonna mention my acads since they are quite low 👅
UG degree- B.tech CSE (SRM University,chennai)
Work ex- TCS- 4.5 years
XAT score- 97.8
Interview for which course- HR
GD topic: "Should managers be unionized"
The discussions wavered between managers having their own union and managers joining their own union. I didnt start the GD but i tried to bring it back on course when it seemed to be verring off. Brought in a few points such as how mangers cant be in a union as they act as a bridge between the workders and the managment.. Very vague GD to be honest.
Interview:
2 Panelists. Elderly professors. P1 more talkative and cheerful, P2 quiet and less cheerful.
P1: So..what's the pourpose of a union?"
Me: I Guess to address teh grievances of the workers sir.
P1: is that all ?
Me:Yes sir.
P1: Why doesnt IT have unions then ?
Me: Sir i believe it is not allowed. I Remeber seeing a large poster in TCS office that says unions are not allowed
P1: Isnt that illegal ?
P2: Can i see your file ?
Me: Sure sir
*gave file and P2 started going through it*
Me: Not sure sir. I find it surprising since PSUs have active unions
P1: So only central government companies can have unions ?
me: No sir, but am not sure why IT companies cant have unions. I asked an HR friend once but he shrugged
(*i shrug and both grin*)
P1: so I saw one of your answers in the questionaiire that said India shouldnt try to get back PoK (i had written about KAshmir and pakistan in my questionaire) ...isnt that a defeatist attitude ?
Me: No sir, I believe that the time to get POK back is sadly long gone thanks to weak actiosn of past governments. Pakistan is currently a nuclear state and doesnt abide by no-first use policy unlike India so it is bound to retaliate with nuclear warfare once it is overwhelmed by indian forces.
P1: But isnt that giving up to easy ?
Me: No sir. Wehave to look after our preservation after all. Our nukes may destroy their entire country but they have the range to destroy most of India barring the southern states and East. I wish we had tried before 1980 when AYub Khan turned pakistan into nuclear state
*Something else along this lines was discussed and then- *
P1: What if you are a manager ? Will you ahve same defeatist attitude ?
Me: Sir, there is no point in taking an aggressive course if it results in destruction of my company
P`1: Ok so why is J&K ( i am from Jammu) so backward ?
Me: Sir because of Article 370 and other reasons (my video was about Article 370 and I wanted to divert the discussion there)
P2: ah yes you had spoken about article 370... so do you know about the rest of the constitution as well ?
Me: *With a smile* Just the basics sir
P2: ah just the basics...What's monthly take home and CTC ?
P1: Sit i take home around 'X' per month and my CTC should be around 12X P.A.
P2: So what's your yearly take home
Me: 12X- 30000
P2: What's the remaining 30 k for ?
Me: Sir some of it is is infrastructure charges, some of it is breakage charges and other such things
P2: What else ?
Me: These are the only things i know sir, am sure there are more
P2: hmmm... your CTC should be more than 12X
Me: Possible sir I could be mistaken
*P2 looks at P1*
P1: So you have 4 years work ex and a gmat score (actually have 4.5 years and a 750 gmat score) why dont you aply for GMP ?
Me: Sir the criteria is 5 years and I have only 4
P1: ok. But if we take you into our pgpm course you might not fit in
Me: Not at all sir, when i look back upon myself as i was 4 years ago I find very less difference in the person I was then and now. The only changes I have are in terms of knowledge and information
P1: No no i mean how will we place you during placements
Me: Well sir I Guess that depends to a large extent on your grades and well you network so I can make up for that..
P1: ok *looks at P2* we're done here. Thank you
Me: Thank you sir
Verdict: Direct Convert
28th Feb, Delhi, morning batch
10th- 86.9
12th- 80.2
UG- 55.02
UG degree- Law (5 year)
Work ex- 2.5 in Litigation and Litigation Solutions (1, 1.5)
XAT score- 97.404
Interview for which course- HR
GD topic: Reservation should be made mandatory in the private sector
GD experience: Decent GD where everyone put in their points in an orderly manner. The group couldn't stick to the format and reach a conclusion but each member (9) was able to speak and add to the discussion.
PI Experience: 3 panelists, all male, one took my file and went through my documents, asked nothing. Another started by asking me about privilege law and why it should be so (related to my work), then the person who was present during GD asked me to justify a point I made, as he asked a few times the same thing I think he was unconvinced. Then I was asked why my acads was low in grad and also how someone from my field had qualities to justify being in HRM and BM (had applied for BM but didn't get call). This was by the same person who asked me about privilege. Then the GD panelist asked me to justify one of my answers in the given questionnaire and kept insisting on need for more figures (numbers). Again it seemed he was unconvinced. Thereafter I was asked to collect my folder and that was it.
Your tips for GD and PI: Try and stick to format. They notice. Remember all your points well. Stay calm and composed during PI.
How you feel your GD/PI experience was: OK OK (not sure actually)
GK was 43%ile. Essay was good in format but bad in content (completely off topic). Video was decent I believe.
Any idea what are my chances?
28th Feb, Bangalore, Morning batch
10th- 86.4
12th- 72
UG- 80
UG degree- Btech Work ex- 3.2
XAT score- 99.67
Interview for HRM
GD topic: Reservation should be made mandatory in the private sector
GD experience: It was average Chipped in thrice during the entire process. Process of ranking the points and discussing implementation issues could not be completed.A total of 8 members were there in the group.
PI Experience: 3 panelists, all male,
P1 : Very cheerful P2,P3: Calm and composed.
P1 Started off by asking me from which place do I come and where do you work.Asked me few question about my work ex and what do I like most about the work I do and an example of why so.
P2 asked me about my long term plan which was about starting a non profit organisation on which there were few cross questioning like why do you want to do an MBA if you have already planned to do that and how will MBA help you. P3 interrupted and asked me about why don't I take my idea as a startup. Told him about the reason for that.(Not sure if he was satisfied).Then a few questions from the questionaire I submitted.
Your tips for GD and PI: Try and stick to format and control the flow of GD as people tend to become excited especially on these kind of debatable topics.
26th Feb, Jamshedpur, Afternoon slot
10th- 92.00
12th- 93.20
UG (B.Tech)- 78.47
Work ex- 17 months
XAT score- 99.795
BM Interview
GD topic: Wrong Medication should always be a cognizable offence
GD experience: Average GD; Everyone chipped in their points. It was hard to follow the required structure. Implementation challenges were discussed although in a dissatisfactory manner. I tried to relate Trump and Brexit to the topic (was grilled on this in the interview). Concluded satisfactorily. Made decent entries. Not great though.
PI Experience: 3 panellists, all male, P1,P2,P3: No nonsense attitude.
P1: Please introduce yourself.
Me: Answered.
P3 takes my folder
P3: Where is your checklist? From your answers, you seem to be very meticulous. Where is your checklist?
(I had mentioned in one of my answers that I take pride in planning every minute of my waking hours.)
Me: I am sorry Sir. But I don’t think there was a checklist required for the interview. (Smiling sheepishly, not a good start to the interview)
P2: Ok, then tell me about your checklist for the day.
Me: I checked into my hotel quite late in the night yesterday. So, I planned to wake up sharp at 7:15. Enjoyed my 20-minute meditation to calm down my nerves as I tend to get nervous in interviews. I had instructed the receptionist to bring me my complimentary breakfast sharp at 9.
(P2 Interrupted in between)
P2: Why do you get nervous in interviews?
Me: I believe interviews include too short a time period to judge a person’s acumen. The next 25 minutes is going to decide my next 2 years.
P2: So, what should we do? How do we increase the effectiveness of this short process?
Me: I think it is the responsibility of both the interviewer and interviewee to actually bridge the gap. The interviewee has to communicate his values, skills apart from what his CV shows. Interviewer has to test him on that. It is a 2-way process. Both have to take a step towards each other.
P3: Ok, explain the path from metallurgy to MBA. Why XL?
Me: Path explained. Why XL explained.
P3: If XL is so perfect, then why did you sit for CAT?
Me: Because we don’t dream about a single college, we dream about a cluster of colleges- abc,L,XL,FMS. (May have shot myself in my foot here)
P2: Ok, In GD, you spoke heavily against Trump and Brexit. What is so wrong about these aspects?
(I had not spoken that heavily against Trump and Brexit. But they seemed to harbour this idea that somehow, I feel very strongly about these issues, which I don’t)
Me: Talked at length about reverse globalisation, how trade is good for a country, protectionism, Mexico-US trade partners,
P2: What is so wrong about Trump being a nationalist?
Me: Nothing Sir, but going against other countries (on immigration issues for example) is going to incur huge intellectual cost to US. (Could have framed my answer in a much better way, But Alas!)
P1: Do you think democracy is bad for a nation?
Me: (Sensing a trap) No Sir. Even though democracy has its cons but it is still the best form of government.
P1: What are these cons?
Me: It is a time taking process. Sometimes it is run by public sentiments rather than clear rationale.
P1: Trump and Brexit were decided/elected by democracy. So according to your logic, democracy should be replaced by something else.
Me: Sir, sometimes democracy is overrun by public sentiments. So, it is the duty of experts like economists to make the public see the reasoning and rationale; bridge that knowledge gap so that the public takes the right decision based on rationale not sentiments.
P1: So, you propose a form of government where the more knowledgeable people get more votes in decision making and the normal people get less.
Me: No sir. Just because I am less knowledgeable, it does not make me a less part of the government. Here the role of the experts/debates come into play where we bridge the knowledge gap.
P1: Don’t you think it is impossible to bridge the gap?
Me: Just because it seems impossible doesn’t mean we don’t work towards achieving that.
P1: Okay, we are done.
Your tips for GD and PI: Go second in GD if you are unsure. Go first if you are absolutely confident. Try for points that make impact. Don’t just aim for more airtime. Listen intently to others’ points as they might give you an opening into GD.
For PI, just be confident. Take your time framing your answers rather than just babbling like me. Be in the moment (don’t get lost in the emotions) as you might surprise yourself with the quality of instant GAS that might come out of your mouth.
Views and inputs for improvement are most welcome! :)
Status: Direct Convert! :)
1st March BM
10th- 94
12th-89
UG-74
XAT-99.66
GK-99.27
Essay- good
GD:GST would not be good for Indian business.
GD Went decent and decorum was maintained. Plenty of time and opportunity to put the views.
PI- 3 male members
Experience-too bad to shared, questionnaire was on focus.
Any Chances? Do bad PI result in straight rejection?
27th Feb Mumbai, morning slot
10th-91.23
12th-86
Engg-71
Work-ex 15 Months in Deloitte
XAT-96.58
HRM
GD- 7 of us were given a topic "Are trade unions Irrelevant". Total time-40 mins.
We discussed all the arguments for about 20 mins, then we discussed the criteria for the argument. Then we ranked the arguments under these criteria.
We couldnt conclude the GD though. I chipped in a few times with relevant points.
PI Experience- 3 panelists.
P1- Took my folder and asked- Do you like creative things?(My folder was made of Bamboo fibres intertwined)
Me- (Fumbling) Not really, this was the only folder that is not torn or spoilt :(
P2- So you work in Deloitte, Give me a personal learning experience in Deloitte.
Me-Told.
P2- No not this something specific.
Me-Told a training experience.
P2- No this is a training experience. I want something more specific.
Me- Told one more exp where I had some shortcomings.
The next few questions were pretty much on this shortcoming- what I learnt from it, how I'm implementing it, any disadvantages of my solutions to this shortcomings...
All the while P1 was grinning/smiling, P3 was intently listening.
Then P3 took over- Do you like travelling? Have you travelled across India?
Me- Yes.
P3- You like travelling alone or with friends? And what do u do?
Me- Travelling alone. Listening to music, reading a book.
P3 -What are you reading right now?
Me- Contact by Carl Sagan.
P3- Any movie u have recently seen in this genre?
Me-(after about 10 sec) Dr. Strange.
P3- So do you have a large group of friends or a small one?
Me- A few close friends and a larger group of friends.
P3- What do you do after watching a movie? Do you go to the eateries?
Me- Yes (Is this a legit question?)
Then P3 asked a few questions on my questionaire I submitted.
P2- Anything you would like to add?
Me- No Sir ( Should have said something here i suppose :/)
Thats all folks.
Tips: In GD there is lot of time to express your points. Do not rush into them at once, or you might have no points later.
In PI, just be yourself. Be honest as thats what they are looking for and also they ask probing questions so you cant fake it for a long time.
The overall experience was chilled and some questions were vague. Not sure about the result though 🙈 .
Can anyone guide me about the GD guidelines? I havent understood it from the mail.
First slot - 26th February 2016 8:45 AM All three panelists likely professors at XL
GD - 5/8 turned up for the GD (really surprising) approx 30 mins for the discussion with 2 mins to gather our thoughts at the beginning. (carry a pen and blank paper)
Psychometric test - 15-20 mins (a lot of questions, quite a few repeated possibly to see how consistent you are)
Interview - approx 30 mins for most candidates
My profile - XAT 99.231 GK 99.686; BCom (Hons.) + CA (IPCC); 4Y work ex in MNC Banks in sales+trading roles
My Interview experience - lasted about 40-45 mins Started with the generic - Tell me something about yourself. Quickly the 1st panelist moved to a question from the Self Assessment and discussed the same for almost 15 mins (this revolved around my work ex). 2nd panelist brought up another question from the self assessment. Third panelist was mostly observing and going through my folder.
Overall experience was good and the faculty didn't seem hostile at all. It was more of a discussion rather than an interrogation. What is important for the candidates to note is that the panelists aren't actively seeking to make it a stress interview and you have the ability to drive the interview based on the Self Assessment questions and your responses to generic questions like tell me something about yourself/why MBA etc.
So, go in relaxed and be as honest as possible because the panelists are experienced enough to see through the BS. All the best.
X - 90.4
XII - 94.4
Grad - 8.88 CGPA in B.E
Work ex - 7 months in IT
XAT score - 99.74
GK - 95.xx
XLRI - BM
GD Topic: Do you think MPs and MLAs should have graduation as the bare minimum of education (Went on to 50 mins even though it's usually supposed to be 40)
P1.
Where are you from?
What do you do? (Long Explanation about the job itself, and the responsibilites.
Mentioned "cryptology techniques" as a keyword)
Do you have a team? (Yes but the team is mostly managers, I am the only person who implements)
Is there any disagreement in your team? (Yes but only minor disagreements)
Has there ever been another time where there was a disagreement, how did you get out of that (This was a question in the questionnairre. Gave the same answer, but explained in detail)
P2. You mentioned cryptology techniques, can you name some (listed 5)
Okay now out of these 5 how will you rank them (Gave two measures)
*confused* I'm asking for measures [P2 had confused one measure as a type of security technique, P1 points it out]
Okay so how do you rank the first measure (Sir in terms of data leakage and performance loss)
P1. What do you mean by performance loss (explained)
P2. So how do you measure data leakage, in what units (It's actually measured in terms of a probability.)
P2. But then what is Shannon...what is that? (Sir I don't know but those are completely different measures, it's not
related..*p2 cuts me off and asks p3 to question me*)
P3. You've mentioned you got into BITS for engineering but chose not to go. That is confusing why not? (Explained staying at home was good in the long run because it led to opportunities even though at the time I wasn't happy)
P1. So today you are happy so it wasn't a bad decision. What if those opportunities hadn't worked out, who would you blame
(I had answered this in one of my questionnaire questions, gave the same answer)
P2/3 (can't remember) you've said that you got a govt. subsidized seat of your choice, don't you think it will be a loss
[vague question hangs in the air, not able to understand it. I assume he means won't I be taking the govt subsidy and not giving back to the community]
(No sir I want to do IT product management which would put me back in Bangalore and therefore no loss to anyone)
P1. Okay thanks, please take a toffee
I was 3rd to be interviewed. Everyone before me had the same format. First job profile and then questions related to the questionairre.
Excerpts from GD/PI interview of my friend.
10th- 93.7
12th- 94
UG- 7.53
UG degree- Mechanical Engineering
Work ex- 0 CAT %tile =99.99
XAT score- 39
XAT Interview excerpts-
Location-Delhi
Time-12:45 PM
Date- 02/03/2017
Interview for which course- BM
GD topic :
The only way to remove inequality is to make rich poor and to make poor rich.
GD experience:
It was a very peaceful interview. Everyone had an opportunity to speak. Went for about 25 mins and then we were abruptly stopped.
PI Experience:
3 male profs. Was second last in my panel. Was told that the professors are very strict and intimidating.
P1: GBPUAT ? (My university) What’s that? M: Told. P1 asked about Govind Ballabh Pant as well. Told. P1: So how was the GD ? M: It was pretty good sir. Everyone was pitching in their points and it was pretty informative. Got to learn a lot of stuff. P1: But the point of GD is to judge a candidate. M: Yes but as a student it is an opportunity to learn new things. P1: As professors we also get to learn new things. So you said it was informative, can you write a book about the topic ? M(smiling): No not a book as such. P1(smiling) : What about an article? M: Yeah that’s something I can do. P2(while going through my documents): What are your hobbies? M: Playing video games and occasionally play football and cricket as well. P1: Not part of any team as such ? M: No sir. Only for recreational purpose. P1(smiling): Like gully cricket. M(smiling as well): yeah somewhat like that . P1: How would you define Uttar Pradesh in one word( I belong to Lucknow) ? M: Secular. P1(surprised): What ? The guy before you said the opposite. Are you sure ? M: Well look from my point of view, I have lived all my life in Lucknow but have never witnessed any communal tensions as such. P1: Ok something more to describe Lucknow. M: Brotherhoodship. P1: Ok and what more? M: Well Lucknow is called the city of nawabs. P1: But that’s beacause it was ruled by nawabs in the past. M: Yes but Lucknowites are also called nawabs because of their mannerism and eitquettes. Even my friends in college refer me as Nawab of Lucknow. P1(laughing) : Haha ok I am done. P2: How would you define religion? M: In my opinion, religion is something people need as they look for a guiding force. Some call that universal force Allah, some Krishna,etc. They need to believe there is someone who rewards their good actions and punishes evil doers. P2: So what is the difference between religion and culture ? M: Religion is something you look within yourself while culture is something more holistic; something you follow as a part of the society. P1: What all religions are there in Lucknow? M: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism,etc P1:What is the fundamental difference between islam and Hinduism? M: said that in principle both are same the only difference is in the practise. P3( now joining in with a smile): But some religion permit meat eating while some does not. Isn’t that a fundamental difference as well. M(Dumbstruck) : Hmm! I agree. :S P2: Ok what different cultures are there in Lucknow? M: Well there are many with varying practises like I myself belong to a pahadi culture. P2: but what is the difference between different cultures when they belong to the same religion? M; Well they belong to same religion but they believe in different Gods. Say in North India , people pray to Krishna while in south they pray to balaji. There are more than 70 thousand Gods in Hinduism itself. P1: 70 thousand, really ? M: Haven’t you seen Oh My God ? It was mentioned in the movie. All laughing P1: Ok so what God do you believe in ? M: Sir I don’t believe in any particular God. I believe He is in nature. P2(laughing again): So he is in the room right now? M: Yes sir! P1(Now all of them laughing hysterically): So is He eating these snacks as well? M:I believe God is omnipotent and omnipresent. So maybe yes. P3: But if God exists why are some people poor and some rich? M: I don’t know that. But I do believe in the principle of Karma. P2: Those are some heavy words you are speaking. M: ( Blank.) P1(still laughing): You seem like you are in a hurry. Do you have a train to catch? M: No sir. It’s just that I speak a bit too fast. I am working on that. P1: Oh no it’s ok. Do you have anything you want to ask? M: No sir. The end. Your tips for GD and PI: None. How you feel your GD/PI experience was: Weird. No ques. on acads, current affairs. The same profs. who were grilling other candidates were laughing half the time. Have no idea how the interview went.
4 March 8.45 AM HRM
X-91.2
XIi-92.00
BTech CS (till 6 sem)- 83.56
Xat-99.629
GD- 8/9 present. Topic: Surveillance in companies is a necessary evil.
Healthy Discussion. All pitched some new points, although there were some points which were repeated. Conclusion and ranking of arguements wad very well done. Time 30 minutes. All 3 panelists roaming around the oval discussion table.
PI: 3 panelists all male aged between 40-50. Panelist A was constantly staring and laughing at me. B and C were pretty chilled out.
A: tell us about yourself.
Me: told
B: tell us about the categorization of psu and why indian railway is not a psu (told them in my intro my brother is working in a mini ratna)
A: how computer works? What was the first programming language? What is the generation of systems, we are currently using?
B: Which all calls do you have for this season?
C: What have you learned from table tennis? ( My video was about it).
Then some questionnaire related questions.
Duration:15-20 minutes.
My advice: read your questionnaire and watch video, and stay calm. Questions in interview were all different. So just be yourself and dont bother about it. And be honest.
*I hope and I wish i will convert.* :D
March 2, 2017; 1.45 PM
HRM
Jamshedpur
10th - 95%
12th - 91.4%
UG - 6.62/10 (B.Tech)
W.Ex. - 0
XAT - 98.465 percentile
GK - 92 percentile
Essay - Decent, I guess. Not very sure on this regard.
Video - Can't speak for myself. My topic was Free Trade and why it's a bad idea.
GD - Job security is irrelevant in today's world
Overview - 9 panellists present.
Performance - Very strong. GD has always been a strong point for me, so I was quite confident about this. The discussion was fairly decent, although others were rather stuck on the two-note arguments of startup culture and freshers in the job marketplace. I was the only one talking about automation, value of employment in a person's life, negatives of over-security a la unions (WB), etc. A large part of the content was driven like this, until practically all the other panellists were looking to me to start or push forward the discussion. Felt good LOL :P
PI - 1 middle-aged male professor (P1), 1 old male professor (P2), 1 young female professor (P3)
Overview - Took about 20 minutes, maybe a little more. Not at all grilling or stress-inducing, it was a genuine conversation/probing engagement. All three professors asked me several questions individually. Questions are asked from your GD opinions, questionnaire, general HR questions etc. I wasn't asked any questions on my video, though.
Specific questions -
1. What would you say was your role in the GD?
2. What is your intended future path in life?
3. Name an entrepreneur who has graudated from your college. (Couldn't answe this one; I had mentioned that my long-term goal is to form a business)
4. Why do you need an MBA to start a business? Why not now? (essentially a Why MBA question)
Other questions were fairly specific and contextual to my profile, so hard to reproduce here. I think I performed decently here, I maintained my calm as much as possible (though the lack of stressful interrogation certainly helped), and answered most questions, while being honest. My performance in PI was not as good as in my GD, though. So I'm kind of in a middle spot.
What are my chances?
SLOT 04.03.2017 1:45 pm
10th-92.14
12th-92.4
UG-7.66
UG degree-B TECH
Work ex-30 MONTHS
XAT score-97.29
Interview for which course- BM
GD topic: Innovation is the best insurance against irrelevance
GD experience:GD was a healthy discussion with everybody pitching in with valid points. I could also play along with the group and raise 4 valid points supported with examples. Although the group couldnt rank it as per the required format
PI Experience:
Two Lady Prof L1,L2 .One gent G1
L1;So, you work in XYZ?? in Gurgaon ??
Me: No.. At Gr. Noida.
L2: So, you have mentioned you vehemently oppose jingoistic view points.? Why what is wrong?
M: Answered it originates from a sense of feeling superior to others and breeds racis and sectionalism which is not desirable in the modern society. Eg. Trump calling Mexico Bad Hombre.
L2 Do u feel trump was wrong to look into US economy.?
M: US Economy needed a revival since growth was declining.But that does not call for such immature response and name calling. It sends out a wrong message from the most powerful Office Bearer.
L2: Why is it wrong ? Why do you feel it is wrong?
M : Explained how i have interacted with Pakistani's during my professional life & how the interaction changed my preconceived notion about the so called enemy "Pakistan". People are not inherently bad and should not be judged based on their ethnic background.
L2: So do you think everybody is good ?
M: Every body is not good. Just as everybody is not bad. We should judge people based on their actions and not prejudice.
L2: Why do you think such viewpoints arise??
M: Superiority Complex.
L2: What are you doing to eradicate that?
M: I make sure that in my sphere of activity personal and proffessional such atitudes are not shown and a spirit of brotherhood is created.
L2: How have you done that?Rather, How do you make others follow suit?
M: *College experience of bringing shy people to the fore front. Then asked about recent action. Told about an exp @ office.
L2: What is your stand on DU issue?
M: Started talking about how the issue should have been controlled to a college issue. Instead of letting the media have a ball day.Culprits should have been punished by the college itself. Asked how does anybody become a culprit here? Started blabbering how people were denied permissions to conduct the function and still they went ahead with the function. Panelists seemed confused. G1 budged in & told that i have confused it with JNU incident. Appologized for the mistake and talked about the Gurmehar issue.How people were wrong at harrasing her online. How we should disagree with dignity & it was an unjustifiable mob frenzy..
L2: You seem to be well informed. Do you write blogs/ articles. ?
M: No.
L2: Nothing in social media? How do you convince people to your side of the argument if you are not voicing it out.
M: I do respond in social media. But while responding I do make sure that the language is not overcritical lest it should invite unwanted attention.
L2: You have mentioned in your form that in personal conversations you stand by your opinion. But now you told you are selective in responding.
M : I am selective in responding because I dont want to attract unwanted attention. But I do make my opinions clear in personal circles & open discussion forums. But i refrain from doing so in professional spaces because it might lead to uneasiness at work place. Told about how Gurmehar's subject was valid , whereas she could have avoided much of the attack by just tweaking her words a bit to convey the same message. I would always be careful with my words.
L2: So, you are saying your words should be politically correct?
M: Yes.
L1:What do you do in your free time currently?
M:I travel. Not Tour. I travel to places with close friends , to explore the place as a whole.
l1: What do you learn?
M: Told. Connected with earlier points.
L1: @ Your work place do you find something which you feel should be changed.
M: Told about how castnames still matter in India even in professional spheres.Tried to contradict, threw in a personal example.
L1: How is Kerala?
M: Kerala is pretty good.
L2:What good ? Tell us why it is so?
M: Told about education and health standards.How everybody even labour immigrants get it.
L1: Are you sure immigrants get it? I dont think so.
M: Well, Not everybody people who have been here for some time eventually bring their families and have access to the same education as resident Keralites have.
L2 Tried to contradict again. But sticked to the point
L2: About Kerala's GDP?
M:Ecplained the challenges.
L2: Okay. [Passing over to G1]
G1:OK.[Me waiting for questions. he had verified my docs and had given a piece of paper to scribble if needed]. OK.[as if I can go].
G1:[On seeing me stunned] You are a bit taken aback since I have not asked you anything. I have heard what i wanted to here. Dont worry you may go.
M: Thank you
Your tips for GD and PI: Keep it simple. Dont Bluff
How you feel your GD/PI experience was: No f**kin idea!! Not even one que from acads/ work ex / long trm goal (My essay was on it :/)
XLRI BM interview experience
Centre- XLRI slot- 1.45pm date- 4/03/2017
Xat score- 99.53 Gk score- 43.xx
Gd topic- Innovation is the best insurance against irrelevance.
Gd was nice. Everyone spoke. We had already decide to maintain decorum and to come up woth criteria before putting forward any argument. Spoke for 7-8 times
Pi experience (30 mins approx)
Panel-p
P- How was the gd?
P- How are your parameters for innovation? Which is the most innovative country according to you?Is india innovative? Was demonitisation innovative?
Talked about this for 7-8 mins
P- Why are the Scandinavian countries so ahead of us in terms of innovation and why is there little or no poverty?
Gave my views
P- Are smart classes innovative? Are you innovative? Is xlri innovative? Is this room innovative?
Told
P- I am from marketting, so can you state a few innovations from this area?
Talked about the pepsi blind test marketting and patanjali's marketting strategy
P- You know Indira nooyi?
Told
P- She is from PepsiCo. What innovation do you think pepsi has made in recent times?
Told about reducing the portion sizes.
P- You did you join engineering right after 12? Why not wait a year and prepare better?
Told my views.
P- You think you had put enough hard work into it?
Told about my passion in social work and how i had discoverd that during my graduation and how I didn't neglect my engineering and tried to complete my course the best i could
P- Sin^ -1 = t , what is tan ^-1 x
Told
P-Why are you nervous? This is okay?
Sir it has been long since i solved a trigonometric problem :p
P- You are an engineer,aren't you? Which department?
Told
P- What are your other favourite maths area?
Sir TSD and numbers
P- Do you know what are prime numbers?
Told
P- What is the formulae for them?
Couldn't recall
P- Gave me that ball bouncing GP problem and asked me how i would solve the distance covered and the number of drops
Told about distance. For the number of drops i started counting, then i realised that as i had taken an infinte gp, the number of drops would theoretically be infinite. Told that
P- why did you started counting then?
Poker face.
P- So you work for an NGO, what do you do?
Told about my work in details
P- so is there anything you would like to talk which we have missed?
Sir i am big fan of football
P- Favourite club?
Told
P- Now i would ask you about indian players
Okay sir
P- Captain of india
Told
P- If he is not playing, then?
Told
Okay then we are done.
P- so you have written in you form about LGBT issues, What made you work toward that?
Had a discussion of about 7-8 minutes.
Okay.It was nice talking to you. Have a toffee
Thoughts?
XLRI HRM Interview, Bangalore, 02/03/17
10th: 93.1%
12th: 66.8%
UG: 72.4%, Electrical & Electronics Engineering (BIT Mesra)
Work Ex: 0
XAT score: 96.958, 92.55(GK)
GD Topic: Does browsing at workplace affect productivity ?
Experience: Alright. I wanted to start, but that didnt happen. I mostly played the listening game, as the other fellows all had work ex and were going on about what goes on in the workplace. I interjected a couple of times, seeking clarifications and pulling out a couple of points. After a while, I tried to recapitulate the things, the major points each person had put across so as to achieve a mutual agreement. GD went on for another 5 mins after that.
Gut feeling: Okay. Not Bad. Certainly not exceptional.
PI: Person Left(PL), Person Centre(PC), Person Right(PR), Stoner(me)
PC: Good morning. Have a seat. I see you are quive passionate about mathematics. Strong words in your SOP. So tell me, you have worked on epidemiology, what is it?
Stoner: I defined it. Spoke about the objectives of the field. Explained a simple model. Built upon that to reach the complexity of the model I had worked on.
PC: A few questions about the utility of such models, outcomes etc.
Stoner: Spoke about it.
PC: Asked why paper was unpublished etc.
Stoner: Explained.
PC: Turns to PL.
PL: Please do not be offended, but I am not a big fan of sports. But youseem to be very passionate about it. (I am a Powerlifter, was selected for the Jharkhand State team back in coll) So tell me, how do you intend to leverage your passion for sports by studying HRM at XLRI ?
Stoner : I believe that sport in india is an HR issue. We are a land of a more than a billion, yet our performace always seems to be quite underwhelming. However, there seems to be a positive outlook. The central govt has done a few good things. Spoke about TOP, about how we are emulating the bristish model,and the results. Then I added that the stunning results that we have is not really possible with just state policies, but there is a powerful corporate hand involved.
Spoke about Jindal Steels forming JSW sports, purchasing Bangalore Yodhas and Bangalore FC etc. Described the talent management, acquisition process, need for a robust compensation/ benefits scheme etc. I said something to the tune of " I will be able to immerse myself into this scheme of things via HRM"
PL: Listening to me and cross questioning.
PL: Hmm why not sports management? is it not more pertinent to..
Stoner: Something to the tune of (sports management is too specialised.) What I am interested is the being close to the talent, forming a cohesive group blah blah. spoke about SRi( Sport recruitment international) the work some of them (HRM professionals) do and i want to do something similar.
PR: But all this sounds like sports marketing. You have BM call also. BM teaches a lot of the things you are talking about. So why not BM?
Stoner: That would be a boon in disguise. While sports is human capital intensive making it apt for HRM, it has to be approached a business to improve how cometitive the process is and to get the required output.
PL: Hmm. You are trying to impress us. Be honest. I mean, it is not a crime to impress us. So honestly, tell us.
Stoner: Yes sir hrm. the role allows me to be very close to the sport, the people involved etc which is ideal given how passionate i am about it.
PL & PC turn to PR who is the senior most person.
PR smiles at me: Arey you have taken some chalta hai subjects in your UG. Like business ethics. Dont you feel it is quite useless? Is it not very intuitive ?
Stoner: Hmm sir i believe i had a similar notion when i first started the class. I believed it is quite straight forward. I felt all we have to go in an organisation is be nice to everyone, offend no one, do your job and go back. But, I realise that an actual work place has far more nuanced scenarios where there is no absolute right or wrong. So I would have to take fair decisions such that max value is created for all stake holders involved.
PR: trying to get me to talk about specific situations, how the classes went etc
Stoner: We worked on case studies in classroom etc... but I am sorry sir, I cant seem to recall any specific case.
PR: How do you make such decisions etc?
Stoner: Sir this might sound a litte odd. if i may. Batman
PR: You read Batman comics ?
Stoner: Yes sir. talked about how batsy's parents are murdered etc. He is all powerful, a vigilante by night. Talked about how is personal ethics stopes him from being judge jury and executioner rtc. I said i try to emulate that strong sense of ethics and try to maximise value for all stake holders while being ethical.
PL,PC,PR: Thank you. I hope you have a great day.
Stoner: Thank you Sirs.
Gut feeling: I had some stronger points,details about HR functions n sports. Didn't come through on that though. I also had a proper ethics based answer in the questionaire which PR probably wanted to discuss. But, it jsut slipped out of mind. Overall, Not bad. Lets see. HRM at XL would be fantastic. I guess I'll have to play the waiting game again.