I started my Interview Preparation with I.M.S., Thane which consists of some of the finest faculties in India. In the Mumbai circuit, I.M.S. conducts GD-PI sessions at its various branches on a rotational basis. The first day of the preparation was filled with anxiety. It was a room filled with people with all coveted B-School calls. It was now at a level when I was playing field and you got to compete with people who might be a lot better than you.
I remember one of my faculties telling us in one of the sessions –
“It is your convert letter that you are staring at in the room. You cannot just keep quiet. Everyone in the panel there would be trying to grab it, and you got to fight for your share else all the efforts till now are all in vain.”
These lines kind of did stick with me, throughout the process.
The following days were filled with extensive study, all in a short span. We were made to undergo rigorous mock interviews, extensive GD sessions, WAT practice, basic Economic, Finance, Trade, Operations, and Marketing classes. The interviews detailed out how a structured and unstructured interview can turn out. Every interview was followed by a response sheet which highlighted your weakness and strengths.
I will share my IIM Indore interview in the next blog, where I was asked a lot of questions but luckily, they were of my strength areas- electrical engineering, current affairs, and history and I was well prepared with these topics. In short, I was lucky. You got to accept the fact that you won’t sail through all your interviews but you cannot waste time sulking over a rotten interview, as well.
I remember having a horrible IIM K interview where I was grilled on Calculus and some deep-down electrical engineering things which I never had dealt with earlier. But that happens, and it is alright. You got to move on. The same applies for your mocks. You might not be in the top percentile bracket every time, but you cannot waste even a moment sulking over it. A moment spent sulking, is an hour lost in overthinking and a day wasted without efforts. Even during your interviews, you won’t be able to answer to your 100%. Trust me on this, that you do not even need to answer 100%.
I remember being asked about some weird functional questions on Gig Economy during my NITIE Interview and I failed to answer it correctly. I did not give up although and continued with answering with confidence and managed to convert PGDIM with a merit rank of less than 100. (Answering with confidence doesn’t mean you will blabber a blunder. No. If you have zero ideas, then it is better to admit your ignorance and move on). Schools just want to check how you handle the situation and every B-School has a different set of parameters to judge on.
From an interview perspective, read a lot. Keep yourself aligned with current affairs, always. This always gives you an edge in Interview Preparation. If you are a working professional, do not be lethargic towards it. At least know the functionalities of everything you have worked on, it will help you not only during interviews but even once you enter B-School. That is where you get the edge. Next, always be well prepared with the background of the B-School whose interview you are appearing for. I remember being asked about IIFT’s history during my IIFT Interview. Also know about what is the trend of questions of the Interviews you appear for, for example- IIM Indore is known to grill on academics. So be prepared accordingly. And for interview preparation, I would always suggest an offline centre rather than online. The experience is altogether different. I know the times are uncertain, but hold up and keep going on. That particular happiness you receive on every convert, immaterial of you joining the B-School, is unparalleled.
