OK, so after been asked about posting my interview experiences at different IIMs many times, I finally decided to do so. Starting off with the first one.
Institute: Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow.
Date: 26th Feb 2012
Venue: Hotel Monarch Luxur, Bangalore
First we had to write an essay in 15 minutes about the topic: "Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often caused by lack of wisdom."
I wrote something, just something, repeated lots of words and even sentences and did not even quote any examples. Really horrible performance.
This was followed by a 10 mins GD on the same topic. I suck at GDs. I really do! And the very idea of them makes the usually chatty version of me go to deep slumber. Somehow, I managed to pass the next 10 mins having spoken maybe, twice with just anything. In the end, one of us was to summarise and what do you know? They HAD to pick me. Confused between "Wisdom" and "Experience" (If you are laughing at me now, try speaking the topic from your memory, you will realise the situation I was in), I managed a decent summary, thanks to the notes that I was taking during the discussion.
I wasn't feeling so great, but I was hopeful, the reason being having a strong profile. Yeah, I know, I can't leave an opportunity to brag about myself, so here is the awesome ( :P )profile, that gave me confidence:
10th marks: 93.4%
12th Marks: 94.8%
Graduation: B.E.(Hons.) Computer Science from BITS-Pilani. Finished this in 3.5 years with an overall CGPA of 9.49. And during these 3.5 years, I was always busy doing one thing or other, so I have strong extra-curriculars too.
Work Experience: Microsoft 10 months and Amazon ~4 months.
CAT: 99.80%ile in QA, 99.69 in VA with 99.97 Overall.
I was 10th in my panel and after about an hour and a half of waiting, I got my turn.
There were two panelists: p1 and p2. p2 was out for something.
p1 starts by asking the meaning of my name.
me: It means jewellery. (p1 looks in suspicion) . I correct myself, by saying not actually jewellery, it is used for jewels, especially diamonds which attain their true value after they are cut.
p1 looks satisfied.
p1: What do you do at Amazon?
me: I am a software development engineer there in the channel sales support team. (Yes, I know a weird name, even people in Amazon don't understand a thing with this name.) On Amazon, not only Amazon sells, but Amazon allows 3rd party sellers also to sell on Amazon. Our main task is to drive the 3rd party seller business on Amazon. (There were some more details.)
p1: Asks some doubt about what kind of sellers we find and how we find sellers?
me: Explained well.
p1: Can you name some techniques that you use in your work?
me: ***(Something)*** One of them is image classification, for which we use machine learning. ***(Something)*** For this image classification, we use machine learning. (Explained well again in other words.)
p1: Define AI?
me: AI is the use of machine learning techniques to make computers do the work that requires human intelligence to do.
p2 has entered by now and is looking through my file. My graduation sheets attract his attention.
p2: Is Operation Research a management course?
me: No sir, this was a Maths course.
p2: Ok, can you think of any management application of this course?
me: (after a pause) Sir, I am thinking along the lines that when setting up a process, if you have good knowledge of how the entire process is set up, you can manage it well.
p1 nods in disagreement.
me: I say, I am sorry sir I can't think of anything else.
(OK, so this is the part which you will really enjoy. In my defense, I just got really nervous and got totally blank!)
p2: So you think that a professor who is teaching Operations Research at IIM-Lucknow, a fool?
me: No sir, it's not that there are no applications of this course in management, it's just that I can't think of any.
p1 tries to ask that if I have gone through the course structure of IIM-L, but does not complete the question.
p2: Ok tell me what all topics did you study in this course?
me: thinks for a moment..interrupted by p1 in between, asks for a minute. Could not say anything..p2 interrupts.
p1 or p2: How did you get a B in this course if you can't even name the topics in the course?
p1( says sarcastically): He was busy doing extra-curriculars.
P2: (sarcastically, looking at my bad grades in 3-2) says: He was busy preparing for CAT in this semester.
me: (taking the chance) No sir, this was my second semester of 3rd year. It went bad because this was my placement semester. Most people usually get a free semester for placements, but since I finished my graduation in 3.5 years, I had to do it then.
(The story behind this is that I had a regret from my IIM-B interview last year that I could not tell them that I finished my graduation in 3.5 years. It is a sign of excellence and not being to able to tell them this and then not making it finally, I felt sad. This made me determined that I have to tell this to my panelists this time, anyhow possible. )
p1, p2, (totally ignoring me) no response on my answer.
p2: What all management courses did you do? (Remember the really nervous part.)
me: I did principles of management in my 2nd year 2nd semester and one course in 3rd year 1st semester..(not getting the name)
p1: notices that I have not spoken the name and asks what was it? meanwhile, p2 who is deep down in my transcripts figures out that the course is managerial skills. He says manager and I got the name.
me: Sir, it was managerial skills.
p2: What all did you study in principles of management?
me: I studied basics of management like planning, human resource management, and named one more topic.
p2: Can you name one management guru from India?
me: (having totally lost hope till now) thinking..
p2: focuses on from India?
me: I am afraid sir, I can't think of any.
p1: You must have calls from all IIMs.
me: Yes sir.
p1: How were your other interviews?
me: Sir, Lucknow is my first interview.
p1: Then how do you plan on clearing other interviews with such bad performance?
me: (lull)(damn, should have said something).
p1: Your family income is 0. Is your father retired?
me: Yes sir.
p2: He retired as?
me: Bank manager.
p1 (or p2): So won't it be troublesome for your family if you leave your job ?
p2: or you have already cumulated so much?(sounded sarcastic)
me: Yes sir, my father and I have enough savings that if I leave my job (made some error while speaking here which I corrected immediately) for 2 years, we can manage.
p1, p2: Ok. Thank you.
me: Thank you sir , Thank you sir.
I come out and leave.
Verdict: Rejected. Not even wait-listed. (Were you expecting something else? :P )
Institute: Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow.
Date: 26th Feb 2012
Venue: Hotel Monarch Luxur, Bangalore
First we had to write an essay in 15 minutes about the topic: "Wisdom comes from experience. Experience is often caused by lack of wisdom."
I wrote something, just something, repeated lots of words and even sentences and did not even quote any examples. Really horrible performance.
This was followed by a 10 mins GD on the same topic. I suck at GDs. I really do! And the very idea of them makes the usually chatty version of me go to deep slumber. Somehow, I managed to pass the next 10 mins having spoken maybe, twice with just anything. In the end, one of us was to summarise and what do you know? They HAD to pick me. Confused between "Wisdom" and "Experience" (If you are laughing at me now, try speaking the topic from your memory, you will realise the situation I was in), I managed a decent summary, thanks to the notes that I was taking during the discussion.
I wasn't feeling so great, but I was hopeful, the reason being having a strong profile. Yeah, I know, I can't leave an opportunity to brag about myself, so here is the awesome ( :P )profile, that gave me confidence:
10th marks: 93.4%
12th Marks: 94.8%
Graduation: B.E.(Hons.) Computer Science from BITS-Pilani. Finished this in 3.5 years with an overall CGPA of 9.49. And during these 3.5 years, I was always busy doing one thing or other, so I have strong extra-curriculars too.
Work Experience: Microsoft 10 months and Amazon ~4 months.
CAT: 99.80%ile in QA, 99.69 in VA with 99.97 Overall.
I was 10th in my panel and after about an hour and a half of waiting, I got my turn.
There were two panelists: p1 and p2. p2 was out for something.
p1 starts by asking the meaning of my name.
me: It means jewellery. (p1 looks in suspicion) . I correct myself, by saying not actually jewellery, it is used for jewels, especially diamonds which attain their true value after they are cut.
p1 looks satisfied.
p1: What do you do at Amazon?
me: I am a software development engineer there in the channel sales support team. (Yes, I know a weird name, even people in Amazon don't understand a thing with this name.) On Amazon, not only Amazon sells, but Amazon allows 3rd party sellers also to sell on Amazon. Our main task is to drive the 3rd party seller business on Amazon. (There were some more details.)
p1: Asks some doubt about what kind of sellers we find and how we find sellers?
me: Explained well.
p1: Can you name some techniques that you use in your work?
me: ***(Something)*** One of them is image classification, for which we use machine learning. ***(Something)*** For this image classification, we use machine learning. (Explained well again in other words.)
p1: Define AI?
me: AI is the use of machine learning techniques to make computers do the work that requires human intelligence to do.
p2 has entered by now and is looking through my file. My graduation sheets attract his attention.
p2: Is Operation Research a management course?
me: No sir, this was a Maths course.
p2: Ok, can you think of any management application of this course?
me: (after a pause) Sir, I am thinking along the lines that when setting up a process, if you have good knowledge of how the entire process is set up, you can manage it well.
p1 nods in disagreement.
me: I say, I am sorry sir I can't think of anything else.
(OK, so this is the part which you will really enjoy. In my defense, I just got really nervous and got totally blank!)
p2: So you think that a professor who is teaching Operations Research at IIM-Lucknow, a fool?
me: No sir, it's not that there are no applications of this course in management, it's just that I can't think of any.
p1 tries to ask that if I have gone through the course structure of IIM-L, but does not complete the question.
p2: Ok tell me what all topics did you study in this course?
me: thinks for a moment..interrupted by p1 in between, asks for a minute. Could not say anything..p2 interrupts.
p1 or p2: How did you get a B in this course if you can't even name the topics in the course?
p1( says sarcastically): He was busy doing extra-curriculars.
P2: (sarcastically, looking at my bad grades in 3-2) says: He was busy preparing for CAT in this semester.
me: (taking the chance) No sir, this was my second semester of 3rd year. It went bad because this was my placement semester. Most people usually get a free semester for placements, but since I finished my graduation in 3.5 years, I had to do it then.
(The story behind this is that I had a regret from my IIM-B interview last year that I could not tell them that I finished my graduation in 3.5 years. It is a sign of excellence and not being to able to tell them this and then not making it finally, I felt sad. This made me determined that I have to tell this to my panelists this time, anyhow possible. )
p1, p2, (totally ignoring me) no response on my answer.
p2: What all management courses did you do? (Remember the really nervous part.)
me: I did principles of management in my 2nd year 2nd semester and one course in 3rd year 1st semester..(not getting the name)
p1: notices that I have not spoken the name and asks what was it? meanwhile, p2 who is deep down in my transcripts figures out that the course is managerial skills. He says manager and I got the name.
me: Sir, it was managerial skills.
p2: What all did you study in principles of management?
me: I studied basics of management like planning, human resource management, and named one more topic.
p2: Can you name one management guru from India?
me: (having totally lost hope till now) thinking..
p2: focuses on from India?
me: I am afraid sir, I can't think of any.
p1: You must have calls from all IIMs.
me: Yes sir.
p1: How were your other interviews?
me: Sir, Lucknow is my first interview.
p1: Then how do you plan on clearing other interviews with such bad performance?
me: (lull)(damn, should have said something).
p1: Your family income is 0. Is your father retired?
me: Yes sir.
p2: He retired as?
me: Bank manager.
p1 (or p2): So won't it be troublesome for your family if you leave your job ?
p2: or you have already cumulated so much?(sounded sarcastic)
me: Yes sir, my father and I have enough savings that if I leave my job (made some error while speaking here which I corrected immediately) for 2 years, we can manage.
p1, p2: Ok. Thank you.
me: Thank you sir , Thank you sir.
I come out and leave.
Verdict: Rejected. Not even wait-listed. (Were you expecting something else? :P )
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