Monday, February 20, 2012

IIM-A Interview - Blow-by-blow...literal blows...

19th Feb 2012 - My IIM-A Interview experience...proof of Murphy's Law coming true whenever it has a chance to come true, which is always...which again proves Murphy's Law...


(P1 – Male (Smiling & Friendly); P2 – Female (Very Smiling and Very Friendly))

P1 – Have a seat Jagannath
Me – Good evening Sir! Good evening Ma’am!
Both: Good Evening
P2 – So Jagannath, Tell me something very interesting about yourself…
[Though about starting with hometown and talking abt germany internship]
Me – I am from Chennai and…
P2 (interrupting me) – And why do you think that is interesting? Ok, what is the population of Chennai?
Me – 45 Lakhs
P2 – So you are one among 45 Lakhs. Why should that be interesting?
Me – In the context of the present interview group, I could see that I am the only one from Chennai here, rest all being from Mumbai or Pune, So I thought you might find the diversity I brought to this process in that way as interesting…
[Nod and slight laughter from P2]
P2 – Ok. Continue…
[Spoke about German internship]
P2 – Where all did you go in Germany?
[Told a few places like Dusseldorf, Cologne]
P2 – Ok. Germany was actually in disarray after WW-II. But now they seem to controlling the sinking Eurozone economy. So why do you think they are in that position?
Me – Countries like Greece, Italy and Portugal borrowed a lot of money and went on a spending spree without controlling their revenue. The main reason for the huge debt is also that these countries failed to control the labour wages, which have risen by more than 40%. Germany on the other hand, have absolute control over labour wages, have a very minimal trade deficit and are export oriented. Thus they seem to be the saviours of the Euro zone crisis right now
P1 – Ok Jagannath. You work as a Sales Engineer in Sain-Gobain. Tell us something about the product you handle and competition
[Talked quite well about it. This went on for about ten mins, with P1 asking me market shares, innovations in product and new developments in the market. I answered quite well and was getting very comfortable and relaxed]
P1 – Ok, good. Now I am giving you three options. Choose one of them so that I can ask questions in that option – Differentiation, Geometry, Statistics…
[Mind voice – Enna vecchu onnum comedy keemedy pannalayae >
[P1 gives some list of numbers and tells me to find mean median and mode. I do it. Then comes the Aapu]
P1 – So tell me, if I plot these values, would I get a smooth curve?
Me – With some corrections and adjustments we might get a smooth curve sir.
P1 – What will its shape be?
Me – Bell curve Sir
P1 [giving paper and pencil] - ok. Plot it and show…
[I take it and draw the axes and just start marking the points when he interrupts]
P1 – what you are doing, even a school student will do. Ok, tell me, if I make the mean, median and mode to coincide for these values, will the curve be closer in resemblance to the bell curve or farther?
Me – I am not sure about that sir…
P1 – Just hazard a guess…
Me – I think it will be closer to the bell curve…
P1 – You shouldn’t have chosen statistics. You are not comfortable in it…
Me – Actually I am not comfortable with any of the three topics sir. But comparatively I thought I can handle statistics better…
P1 – Why is that? You graduated in 2009 only. You should have studied all this in your engineering…
[I give a sheepish grin]
P1 – Ok. Choose among the other two now…
[I felt a little like VadiveluIvan evlo adichaalum thangaraan…remba nallavan…]
Me – Differentiation Sir.
[P1 gives some equation and asks me to find maxima and minima. I do some derivative crap and come up with some answer. The he asks me to plot the graph for the equation. I do…and lo behold! Both maxima and minima tending to infinity…]
P1 – So what do you think?
Me – Yes sir. I got confused. Both are tending to infinity…
[P2, all this while is browsing my file and interrupts now]
P2 – Jagannath. You have done this course called HR Skills in your second, fourth and fifth semester…so what skills that you learnt you are using in your current job?
Me – I learnt effective communication skills which have been of immense help in my present job…
P2 interrupts me – Leave aside communication skills. Tell me some HR Skills that you are using…
[I am completely nonplussed, basically because I don’t even remember what they taught in that stupid 1 credit course]
P2 – Ok. Do you remember anything you learnt in this course?
Me – We were basically taught effective communication, interview mannerisms and how to attend an interview…
P2 – So what are these mannerisms?
[I told about the posture, hand position and stuff…]
P2 – Do you agree with all this that they taught?
Me – I have found it to be the most relaxed way to sit in an interview, so I agree with them…
P2 – What is this Mullaperiyar?
Me – It was a dam built in the Tn-Kerala Border ma’am…
P2 – When was it built?
[I got reminded of some history spot quiz…]
Me – 1888…
P2 – Are you sure?
Me – Not entirely, but I am sure it is somewhere in the 1880s to 1890s…
P2 – So what is the issue with it.
Me – Kerala’s issue is that it is built mostly of limestone which is dissolvable in water, and also the dam is very weak and susceptible to seismic disturbances…
P2 – Oh. Only dissolution is the problem?
Me – no Ma’am. Even the seismic withstanding capability…
P2 – Have any tremors occurred recently?
Me – According to reports, there were mild tremors even in October 2011…
P2 – So have Kerala built any dam downstream to this dam
Me – Yes
P2 – How many?
Me – Only one
P2 – Sure?
Me – Yes
P2 – What is its name?
Me – I don’t remember Ma’am…
P2 – So what is TN’s contention on the issue…
Me – TN gets about 140 cu. Units of water from the dam which serves for irrigation and farming purposes in the water starved Madurai, Theni, Dindigul belt. If as per Kerala’s argument, this dam is destroyed and a new dam be built downstream, then the water flow to these districts will drastically reduce which will effect a serious water scarcity for these districts…
P2 – Ok, Jagannath. Thank you…
P1 – Thank you Jagannath. Have a toffee…
[Mind voice: Adhu onnu dhaan korachal…]