Posted by D.Raw El Payne 15 March 2005, 5:16pm

Alrighty then. This here be my IIM-A Interview..ze real one..:D

Venue : IIM-B

GD: Nice round table we got. Very unlike the Indore and Kozhikode GDs, this was a proper round table conference table and the nice ole dude from IIMA greeted us and asked us about our journeys and told us all to relax and congratulated us on clearing CAT n all dat shiz..:mg:

The case itself was about Mohan, an IIT graduate who joins BAK - a helmet manufacturing company - and discovers some not-so-fair practices being carried out, that is 6 outta 10 helmets which are not crashworthy are being approved and sent for sales. This is in the wake of the govt. making the use of helmets compulsory and the competition selling off cheap helmets. BAK is facing losses but as an ISI-certified company they've had to resort to this because of their competition. Mohan approaches the floor inspector as also the MD, both of whom turn him down. The floor inspector, Gautam, tells him that this is a good way to put the company on a growth path. Mohan, is perplexed, what should he do?

The group was very decent, everyone getting to speak. I couldn't start the discussion nor did I get a chance to summarise, both of these initiatives taken up by 2 others in the group. I came in around 6-7 times in the discussion. The best bit was the fact that we summarised the discussion in 20minutes and when the moderator called time, we'd almost reached a consensus..:mg:

The ole dude then tells us all to chillax as each interview would last for 15-20 minutes and we would be called in the order of our seat numbers in the GD. He asked us to go for a walk and relax as they are looking to get the best outta us..:P :-S

PI time! : Wogay, so there was Young Dude - Y; Techmaster - T; and ofcourse good ole dude - O...and me - P ! :D

O invites me into the room and asks me which one of my three names is my first name and what i'd like to be called...he then introduces me as Payne to the rest of the panel, they smile in return n wish me goodmorning and so on..so far so good :D

Y - Payne, what is Carpe Diem??
P - (this is the name of our college cult fest) Its means Seize the Day sir..

Y - yes yes, so i should forget about the future?
P - no sir, its a phrase meaning that we shouldn't be burdened by our worries, that we should live for today. its more about the past not bothering us rather than planning for the future..:?

Y - who coined it? somebody must have said it in history...
P - :| dunno sir. :|

Y - do u think these cult-fests are necessary? what did u learn from a manager's perspective?
P - told him. organisational skills, team work..bla bla..

Y - yes but as an engineer? I mean come on man, any baccha can do event planning! and anyone can bring in DJ Nasha..!
P - sir, it was not so much as the people performing but more about the work that went into getting the event up..we also had various other competitions..more fart...told him about how we roped in sponsors..and more..

Y - wait, DJ Nasha is a man???i thought it was a female..:-S
P - yes sir. and he wore a multi-coloured shirt..:D

Y - :-S... who was the main sponsor? budget?
P - 12lakhs sir..we had RIM as a sponsor...told him about the costs, the profits..the expenditure..and so on..

Y - 12lakhs??? isn't that a bit high? don't u think u shud have donated that to some good cause..??
P - see sir, we made around ___lakhs profit outta which 50% went to a Tsunami relief fund later...i do not know the exact route for the money transfer as the management took care of it...:?

Y - hmmm..i see...*big grin* Payne, something has been irritating me..why is my desktop PC so biggg?? i mean i have a laptop which is sleek and sexy..but why is my desktop so big?
P - told him about space optimisation and power optimisation in his laptop..and how that is not used in the desktop and thats why it costs cheaper. explained about higher power, higher performance devices used in the desktop taking each component as an example and contrasting it...(couldn't believe he was askin me about computers!)

Y - sure sure. but why is this sooo big??? why can't i have a low-power, low-cost desktop?
P - told him he could have one but it'd cost him more and also reminded him of the performance advantage.

Y - I want to run only MS Word, why do I need performance?
P - sir, if you were running MS Word, I'd buy you a Rs.15,000 desktop not a Rs.40,000 laptop. do u want mobility or value sir? :)

Y - *grins* so its all about the money yeh?
P - yes sir, it mostly definitely is. as technology advances we will have smaller footprint devices for the same price but not right now. :) started droppin some tech terms...

Y - no no. save tech for later, he'll ask you about tech (*points to T, T glares at me*), but why is my laptop so small?
P - told him about the construction specifics, type of mobos used..so on..

Y nudges T.

T - whats a simputer?
P - :-S sir i vaguely read it somewhere...its another low-power mobile device sir. do not the specifcs. :D:

Y - what do you clearly remember then? :D
P - :D

T - Intel's new mobile technology?
P - (you've gotta be kidding me!!) Centrino sir?

T - yes yes. tell me something about it.
P - (still can't believe my luck) its 3 components sir. Centrino is just a brand name only new tech being the processor itself. Pentium M is by far the most different proc by Intel for the end-user. told him about Pentium M can't be sold parallel to the Pentium IV because of Ghz disparities and so Intel had to resort to different branding.

T - *smiles* continue..architecture?
P - Gave him a fair idea..spoke about IPCs and pipelining difference between P-M and P-IV..

T - what about the other 2 components?
P - Intel's own wi-fi solution. spoke about wi-fi its range, different standards. and Intel extreme graphics, related this to the space-saving in the laptop, spoke about memory sharing..and more..:P

T - what are PDAs? what do they use?
P - told 'im. took Palm I/II/III as examples. spoke about chottu microprocs, OSes..so on.

T - hmmm...whats RISC how does it differ from conventional computing?
P - (mind drew a blank:( ) told 'im abt CISC and IBM's efforts to put RISC in the mainstream....*worst part of the intrvw, cudnt believe i forgot this!:( *

T - Are you currently working on your project? what does it involve?
P - outlined my project. spoke about RFID and how we plan to implement it in a supply chain management system as well as directly in a shopping mall on the lines of a Foodworld.

T - Don't you think its unrealistic? what are the prices?
P - told him. also spoke about WalMart already implementing it. but prices still steep for national implementation. told him about technological advances and competition always bringing down prices.

T - How does RFID work? Software?
P - told him. also told him about our back-end programming.

T - hmmm...*looks at O*.

O - Payne, what is Synapse?
P - Its the electric arc sparked between two neurons..more blah..told him it was a term coined by my seniors. (for my tech fest)

O - Why Synapse? I dint know what it meant till u told me. It reminds me of collapse, relapse, apocalypse even! Why this name? Do u think brand-names have a meaning?
P - Spoke about how it was meant for a techfest. Spoke about target audiences...and more blah.

O - How do brand-names affect you as a consumer?
P - took various examples..had fun..global stuff anyways..:D

O - One last thing Payne, your picture here, (arrgghhh..my photo for the CAT form and so for my IIM-A form had me in a yellow shirt with Revolt!! printed on it..:p ), tell me what I should make of it?
P - Sir, as an unbiased observer or as an interviewer from an IIM? :D

O grins and says - as a totally unbiased observer.
P - (took my chances) Sir, it would reflect the fact that the individual is daring and bold, confident also as he's wearing an yellow shirt. Those letters on the t-shirt just go on to confirm the fact. *grinned* But honestly speaking sir, I picked it up because it was bright, I dint read what was on the T-shirt! Plus, I wore that tee right before I left for the studio..:mg:

O - So what about now? You are dressed quite formally?
P - Yes, sir. I'm sticking to the occasion, this is an IIM interview isn't it? :)

Y - So ur photo-taking session wasn't an occasion?
P - No sir, as I was in a hurry for the CAT form..:D

O,Y,T - thanks Payne. take a toffee..
O - you are leaving bangalore today?
P - Yes sir, for hyderabad. will be returning on 17th though..

O - Have a nice journey. *I get up* Y - Hold on..17th for IIM-cal?
P - Yes sir...

Y - Won't u pick C before A? You know systems and all that and your a all hardcore systems guy? IIM-A is all finance...
*still standing* P - Sir, I'd make the obvious choice. But first, if I got an A call I'd be most grateful..:D and its marketing I'm after sir, not systems..and finally sir, I haven't applied to the PGDCM course at IIM-Cal..:D

*everyone grins* thank you Payne.

P - :D Thank you sirs.


done.

My best interview yet. Comparing it with my mocks and my I,K interviews that is. I don't have high hopes only 'coz u can't judge from such a grinning-smiling conversational interview..:? But 'tis was one helluva experience..:D

 

 



Current Mood: Cheerful
Current Music: U2 - Walk on

Posted by D.Raw El Payne 06 March 2005, 12:48am

So like. I have like these interviews you know. For these B-schools, so I really feel I should post on my blog as to how they go about these things..plus this helps me prep for this, like, very biiggg interview you see. This is like a really real version n all..i swear n all dat...:-S

  March 06th, 1:00AM. Payne's world.


I step into the room and place my file containing mostly Victoria Silvstedt pics on the desk.

3 Panelists, 1 Old chap(OC), 1 Young professor(YL), 1 lanky bearded prof(L).

Old chap takes my file n starts to flip through.

Lanky starts the questions>>

L : Tell us something about yourself.
Well, I'm 5'8" tall, I'm short-haired fairly not-well-built, wheatish complexion. I like to wear jeans usually but today I've worn this tie n ironed stuff 'coz I'm tryin out the metrosexual look today. Other than this, I like Chinese food and I realllly love Kentucky Fried Chicken too, sir. Now coming to my academics, my school-life was varied and equally boring...so lets not get into that ok? My college life was decent n all wid me totally bein da dude in da hood if ya know what i mean..ya'know..my strengths are my ability to burp completely on demand and in quick succession and to eat anything on the planet, i'm also very creative and self-motivated. I'm a good team player..and all that jazz ya'know. when it comes to weaknesses, i hav too much facial hair and i tend to be quite irritating at times..like now..as i can see u twitchin...hmm..and this one time, in band camp...

YP: Payne, we would like to remind you this is a formal interview, so please stick to formal english and do not use colloquial language..thanks.
Sorry sir, my sincere apologies.

YP: Good, now why do you think your a good team player?
Well at parties sir..I tend to eat all the leftovers. Now that is what I call dedication and team playing skills sir.

L: Creative?
Obviously sir. Can't you gauge that I'm creative by the answers so far? (*rolls eyes*)

L: Self-motivated. Can u state examples?
Yes sir, since my childhood I was always the first one to learn new things sir, all by myself. From picking my nose artfully to peeling off skin skilfully to burping gleefully, I've done it all sir.

YP: Do you think this is funny Payne? Are you making a mockery of this?
No sir. I don't think so. Infact, I don't think much sir, thats another strength.

Old chap looking through the file...: hmm..

 

L: What are your short-term goals?
See sir, I've had clear-cut goals at all times in my life. My shortest-term goal right now is to ensure that I get into your institute. My shorter-term goal is to ensure that I in some miraculous way end up with a 7.0/8.0 GPA by the end of my course. My short-goal is to be placed in a Day Zero company so I may have good financial backing for my long-term goals.

L: What are your long-term goals?
As I've already mentioned my goals are always clear. In the long run, I wish to shift to any company which offers me good financial backing for my longer-term goals. My longer-term goals being to own as many as 3 luxury cars, a Smart Roadster and build a house in which I have life-like velociraptor dinosaur robots. Going very long, I want to be in a situation where I can slowly expand my Jurassic Park concept residence to a Lost World aspect where in I can bring wide elephant-grass lawns and the like, I'd also like to upgrade to a Tyrannosaurus Rex robot in my older days. 

L: Why management then? Why this line of career? Why not robotics itself?
Sir, as I've so neatly outlined it above (*smirks*), I want one important thing in my life. Job satisfaction. How do I get it? By ensuring that I'm in a company which offers me Job Satisfaction and also good financial backing. This is also to say, that I want a lot of time and money in my life, sir. Also, my temperament is best suited to management and I revel working under set deadlines and never shy away from taking up a good challenge and all that shiz. In addition to this an managerial position is very flexible so I can easily shift from one job to the other whichever gives me more financial backing.

YP: hmmm...What is this temperament of yours?
Sir, I'm extremely motivated to live a life of leisure and luxury and in order to cater to this temperament, I require a MBA or PGDBM or whatever you foggies like to call it. Mind you, not just an MBA, a PGDB** from an IIM is what I wish to have. Frankly speaking, (*smirks n looks around*), how many of you have time and money huh? Huh?

L: Why should we take you?
'Coz you wish to revel in the vicarious pleasure of seeing me earn, earn and earn. Yes.

L: We see...what do you know about Ahmedabad?
It is a city to which I'll go to incase I end up with an admit into the IIM-A. Oh yes, it also is home to the premier insti of mgmt. of India.

L: Is that all?
Not really sir, Ahmedabad is also in Maharashtra or some Gujju state close to it...hmmm.

YP: What do you know about Indian history during the medieval times?
I know that I wish I knew about Indian history sir..during whatever times u ask..ah well.

YP: So you don't know?
No sir, I did not say that. I wish I knew..now now..you are digressing...I might know sir.

L n YP: HUh?
I beg your pardon sir, could you repeat that question?

Old chap :hmmm...(deep in concentration perusing contents of d file)

YP: So Payne, what is a bootstrap circuit?
Sir, its a wearable device sir. innit?

YP: No. :|
oh i see. sir anything else you wish to ask?

YP: What is a diode?
Sir, its a technique used to kill a poem sir..no wait its a chant..get it? Die ode die ode..:-S

YP: What is a triode then?
Sir, its a situation in which you are trying to write a poem sir...innit?

YP: What is a thyristor?
Sir, you are pronouncing it wrong sir..its a thigh-twister, you see its an exercise apparatus to tone your thighs (*looks under table*) which I must say need some toning alright!

OC: hmmm..you did very well in Chemistry in your 11th class..Payne, what is a Buckminster Fullerene?
Now now sir, that is hardly the language to use in a formal interview...tch tch.

OC: You've done a course in Financial Management...what do you remember? hmmmmmm...
Well sir, the lecturer had a really wet patch on his bum at all times and he used to spit a lot sir.

L: What is this spit? Why is there saliva?
Sir its a way of perspiration sir, see if you spit realllly big puddles you don't sweat. This is another thing I've learnt completely self-motivated, sir. As for saliva, our bodies have very high content of water sir, so there has to be some liquid somewhere no sir? At this point, I'd like to mention juicy fried KFC hmmm....juicy...mmmmmm..

YP: Thank you. Do you have any questions for us?
Yes sir, do you always wear such geeky glasses sir? also, can I show my burping prowess? I've heard that you ask candidate to sing...

In unison: No. You may leave now. OC hands me the file reluctantly.


 

dats it folks..simpil innit? :D

 


 



Current Mood: Dumb
Current Music: the new 7Up jingle playin in my head right now..hmmm

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