This week we bring two very detailed interview experiences for your benefit.

Kaushik Saha, 100 percentiler in CAT’06 and now a PGDM student from the 2007-09 batch had this to say:

“I had my IIM C interview on 13th April, 2007 – morning 10:00 am. My GD panel had 13 people of whom 7 were from my college, IIT Kharagpur. 6 out of those 13 made it to IIM C, with 4 accepting the offers. The panel had a noted professor of systems of IIM C and a very senior alumnus. The topic was a short case, based on poaching by rival television channels.

“The personal Interviews started at 10:40, I was the 4th person to go in, my turn came at 11:30. I later came to know almost all the interviews continued for around 10-20 minutes. I was asked for a brief introduction of myself – I mentioned my geophysics background, that I was interested in dramatics, football, sudoku etc. I was asked 4 puzzles (the 5 pirate’s one, the 100 balls and 2 bottles one, the crossing of bridge by 4 people in minimum time and a fourth I can’t recall). Then I was asked to solve a permutation problem, and then a few basic questions on geophysics like types of rocks, earthquakes, volcanoes etc. The professor of systems asked all these while the alumnus kept noting down something.
“Then the alumnus asked me about the then raging Singur controversy, what 100 percentile meant to me, why I had a low CGPA at IIT and some questions about European football.
Finally, as I was about to leave, I was asked my impression of IIM C vis-a-vis other IIMs – that was it.”

Rahul Dasgupta, a PGDM student from the 2008-10 batch related his experience:

Rahul has a background in Electronics Engineering from IIT Kharagpur with a CGPA of 8.22. He had a CAT percentile of 99.95 with calls from IIM C, B, L, I, K.
“It was a case based GD. A person who used to work in a company left for better pay somewhere else. Four years later, he was brought back with promotion and put in charge of his own team. His team members, colleagues turned subordinates, are now refusing to cooperate with him.
“My performance was quite good. There was this guy in the panel who kept talking all through without making much sense. The group decided to ignore him completely and carry on as if he did not exist. It was a real test for our voice! In a 15 minutes GD, I came in four times. At the end, everyone was asked to add something new that has not been discussed. There was one point I could not raise in the GD. I did it now. So it worked out well for me!”
Rahul gave us a blow-by-blow account pretty similar to the one Archish had earlier and so we bring it to you verbatim.
“I enter the interview room and found that It was a 3 member panel that was to interview me.
Me: Good Afternoon Sirs
Panel: Rahul, you are a bad student
Me: (What!) No sir, I am not a bad student.
Panel: You are from IIT, true, but your results are pathetic. 8.22, 89%, 87%, you call these scores?
Me: (Oh God!) Sir, these are pretty decent scores. In IIT, out batch average was x.xx, I was department rank x and institute rank y.
Panel: 89% in 12th boards in CBSE? Don’t tell me it’s even decent!
Me: Sir, I agree that the 12th score is a bit low. I was preparing hard for JEE and did not pay attention to English. I scored 95% in science subjects and 60s in English
Panel: So you are bad in English?
Me: No sir, its just that I was preparing for JEE
Panel: No Excuses please, you are bad in English, accept it.
Me: Okay sir, if marks are a reflection of my strength in a subject, then I am bad in English
Panel: (Happy now.) Good. So, you are a communications guy?
Me: Yes sir
Panel: What is the difference between GSM and CDMA?
Me: (Back on Home Track) blah blah (technical funda)
Panel: We are all English graduates, tell us in plain simple English!
Me: (blabbered something about clarity and speed and stuff ) You might note that GSM phones have SIM Cards, CDMA phones don’t. So, with GSM, you have the flexibility of changing operator without changing handset.
Panel: No, but I have a CDMA phone that has a SIM Card!!
Me: (!) Okay sir, then I am not probably updated.
Panel: So what do you think is the future of telecomm in India? GSM or CDMA?
Me: CDMA sir, it definitely is a much advanced technology.
Panel: What do you use?
Me: I use ………..(the GSM Operator with the dog!)
Panel: What! Being a telecomm guy, and being of the opinion that CDMA is the future of telecomm in India, you use GSM?
Me: Actually sir, this operator gave a great offer in IIT. It saves a lot of my pocket money!
Panel: Okay, so you play bridge?
Me: Yes sir, I started in IIT itself. I have represented by hostel in ……….
Panel: Tell me, when do you open a bid?
Me: Sir, with 12 point (and some more technical funda about bridge)
Panel: It’s not 12 point, its 13
Me: Sir, I play 2/1 SAYC (a convention). There, you open with 12 points.
Panel: You don’t know anything!
Me: (Again!) Sir, I think you play some other convention
Panel: Anyways, now nothing can be done. Thank you for coming Rahul.
Me: (I am so dead!) Thank you sir.”

Safe to say Rahul’s interview resulted in a final admission offer in PGDM from IIM C.
Rahul says that his was a typical example of what is commonly known as a stress interview. “Mine was stressful, I know a few of my friends who almost cried in the interview room! But then, I have met a lot of people whose interviews were absolutely cool. So, it depends.” Rahul also states that IIM C GDs are almost always case-based. He also had some advice for Group Discussions.
“Don’t fight to be the first speaker. Rather be the second speaker in the group. What happens is, the first speaker starts and then quickly jumps to putting his solution forward. It is here where you can interrupt the first speaker and say something like “let us first try to identify the key problem. In my opinion, the key problem is blah blah . We should first discuss these aspects and then move on to…” Remember, the evaluators do not want a solution, they want everything other than that.
Also, whenever you speak in a GD, have your statements structured in the proposition-logic-example format. Lastly, speak early, don’t wait for your turn because in a GD, it never comes! The GD is where you make a first impression on your panel. So, take care!”

Compiled by
Chandrima Das