31st March, 2:30 PM: I am sitting outside the interview room. The essay part is done and we are all sent out to wait until the interviews start. I am fourth in my panel, and thus the expected wait is around one and a half hours. I am trying to keep my composure, but the pressure is getting to me. I am trying to keep my cool by passing a lot of water through my system, but that doesn't seem to be helping. I decide to sit down and casually talk to myself and try boosting my confidence. This is when I realize that the day has started on a bad note. Everything that could go bad has gone worse.
30th March, 6:00 PM: I have just returned from my C interview. Didi has suggested me not to study much today and instead develop some temperament towards the final interview. I decide that the day had been exhausting and I want some sleep.
30th March. 9:00 PM: I wake up feeling a bit refreshed. I have dinner and then make a list of things I want done before my interview. Filling the interview form is the top priority. I start by filling the factual details like address, marks, percentages etc. Done in ten minutes. Next is the Employment Record, they want to know about the nature of my responsibility, achievements and failures in my present/last job. I decide that since I do not have anything significant to discuss in any one job, I am going to write details of both of my jobs. (#1).
30th March, 10:00 PM: Next is the Curricular, Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular activities section. I have to describe top three events in each with the level, my role and position won/held. I have the list of things I want to mention already, I just need to figure which item goes where and in what order. I get a little confused between curricular and co-curricular, ask a friend for some help and finally manage to sort it out somehow. Pheww, toughest section done!
30th March, 11:00 PM: I need two hobbies. I have to choose two out of playing table tennis, reading novels and watching lawn tennis. TT is definitely in, I have studied all about it and can defend it. I have studied about lawn tennis too, but having a constructive hobby like reading would be better. But the problem with my reading is that I like reading, but I haven't read as many books as I would want to. And reading books is something which is inherently tough to defend. Deciding that *I will think something at the moment*, I go ahead with lawn tennis. (#2)
Next is a small essay on what according to me, is the biggest problem in India right now, and how would I like to address it. I had written a draft some two days back and sent it to TIME for review, but they haven't responded. So it's up to me only to proofread it. I make a couple of changes, focusing less on describing the problem and more on solutions, ended up using one extra line than given. (#3)
Next is a small essay on what according to me, is the biggest problem in India right now, and how would I like to address it. I had written a draft some two days back and sent it to TIME for review, but they haven't responded. So it's up to me only to proofread it. I make a couple of changes, focusing less on describing the problem and more on solutions, ended up using one extra line than given. (#3)
30th March, 11:30 PM: Towards the end of the form, I am asked about my and my parents' salary for FY10-11. I feel that salary of FY11-12 is what they should be asking, and thus I strike through 2010-2011 and write 2011-2012 besides it and state the figures. (#4)
31st March, 12:00 AM: Done filling the form, I decide to take a look at pagalguy to see what kind of questions people were being asked. Going through the posts, I find that in the 10th/12th percentages section, we are required to calculate percentage using all of our subjects, irrespective of whether it was used by our board to calculate our final aggregate or not. I am feeling so dumb at this moment, this is clearly stated in the form and I did not even bother to read the form completely. I want to get another form, but the form is blue colored, so getting a copy won't work. Even getting a colored copy won't work because I have already filled my form. Anyways, I make cuttings in my form thinking I might get a new form at the interview center tomorrow. (#5)
31st March, 12:53 AM: Done with my form and pagalguy, I log in to gmail to check my emails. I am usually invisible so that people don't ping me. But I find one of my fellow anime lovers online and it just gets too irresistible to ping him. We talk about anime for about an hour. (#6)
31st March, 1:50 AM: Having done #5 and #6, I realize that I am a totally lost cause. Feeling dizzy would be the last thing I would want during my interview tomorrow and thus I decide to call it a day.
31st March, 2:30 AM: Probably the time I fall asleep, after spending some time turning from side to side on my bed.
31st March, 10:00 AM: Awake after much required seven hours of sleep, I get ready and start revising all my notes. I sat on my spectacles by mistake and broke them. (#7). I do not have a spare in good condition and thus I will be wearing contact lenses to my interview. I started using contacts just a couple of months back and haven't used them frequently, so the idea is probably not so great, but I don't have a choice!
31st March, 12:30 PM: Sitting in the auto, still revising my stuff, I am about to reach the venue.
Institute: Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad
Date: 31st March, 2012.
Venue: Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad.
31st March, 1:30 PM: I reach the venue well in time. First there is the document verification process. The verification team is pretty strict and wants every document to be in place. I use my transcript as a proof of having completed my graduation, but they want to see my degree as well. I do not have it at the moment (#8) and thus am writing a letter that if I do not submit a copy of my degree certificate by end of day today, I will not be considered for admission process.
31st March, 2:10 PM: The essay process starts. We are given the topic that in today's world, business and ethics don't go hand in hand. A minute to think and another ten to write. I have read somewhere on A's site about how much they value integrity and honesty, so I am avoiding thinking about being unethical as being practical. I think in terms of brand name, customer trust, long term gains vs short term gains and scandals. But while writing, I did not keep track of time (#9). So in between, there was a time when I could have written something more, but I wasn't sure if there was sufficient time to finish the idea. Still, I manage decently well and finish with about thirty seconds to go.
31st March, 3:00 PM: I am still waiting outside for my turn. Thinking about my day, I can see that all the omens are screaming at me about it being a bad day! I am nervous, more than ever! IIM-A is the institute where I have wanted to be my whole life (take a few months). While preparing for CAT, the aim was not to crack CAT, but it was to get balanced scores in both sections because A demands that. Getting an interview call from this institute made me much happier than seeing my CAT scores. All my interviews till now, I have given them with a view that they are a mock interview in preparation for this day. And THIS is my preparation?
I spend the rest of the time keeping my temperament ready for the interview. My C interview made me realize that a proper temperament was the most important thing, and I couldn't afford being slack, not today!
Not before long, it was my turn.
There were two panelists, p1 and p2.
p1 notices that I am working in Amazon and starts by commenting at my salary.
p2: Wow, you are earning so much! At this moment , I wish we could exchange places right now.
me: (just hoping that today is not a repeat of yesterday) smiles.
p1: Can you tell me what work you do at Amazon?
me: (quite happy at not hearing any more questions about my salary) Sir, my team drives the third party seller business on Amazon. ***Some details***
p1: India has been emerging as a vast market for e-commerce. Why isn't Amazon launching in India?
me: Sir, Amazon realizes the vast untapped potential of e-commerce in India. (p2 nods with me on untapped). We recently launched Junglee.com in India, which is a huge success. Right now, the government regulations do not allow FDI in multi-brand retail in India and Amazon does not want partnerships with anyone, so that is why they still haven't launched officially in India. But they are working on it. Junglee.com was the first step and they are in the process of setting a fulfillment center in Mumbai too.
p2: But don't you think it will be too late when Amazon arrives in India with Flipkart and other players already having significant roles in the market?
me: Sir, We do realize that. That is why we launched junglee so soon, so that we have some presence in Indian market right now. We are working on setting up the entire transportation infrastructure so that as soon as the FDI regulations are lifted, we can launch a fully operational amazon.in site.
p2: (nodding several times during my answer) Yes, Yes, this FDI restriction is causing them a huge problem. But they can atleast launch kindle in India. Right now, it is very cumbersome to get a kindle.
me: Sir, kindle is a flagship product for Amazon. So, they can't let some other company take its franchise and sell in India. Right now, you can buy kindle from Amazon.com site and have it shipped in India as well, but you will have to pay customs (p2 nods again). I believe that once Amazon launches in India, kindle will also be available in India without the need to pay these customs.
p2: Yes Yes, I own a kindle and I had to get it through a very long route.
me: Exactly yes Sir.
p2: (handing me pen and paper) Ok,can you solve a Maths question for me?
me: yes sir.
p2 draws this figure on the paper:
p2: A person wants to go from A to C. B to C is a highway and the man can travel with a speed of 10km/hr on highway. Everywhere else, he can travel with a speed of 5 km/hr. Find out the path he should take to reach in the shortest time from A to C.
me: I first find the time taken for path A-B-C. Then I try the same for A-C. (p2 was telling me meanwhile that the man can take any kinds of path, be it parabolic or anything. It need not be a straight line. I realize that the shortest distance (hence, shortest time)between two points will be a straight line and thus he is saying parabola just to confuse me). After making these two calculations, I feel that the minima should lie somewhere in between.
p1: So tell me, out of men's and women's whose rankings are more stable?
me: Sir, I do not follow women's tennis much, I just read about it. From whatever I know, I think that the competition is tougher on the men's side, but the rankings are more stable. The top three may switch places among them, but the ranks remain more or less the same on men's side.
p2: (so spontaneously, as if he was waiting for me to say this) Yes, the competition is tougher on men's side and yet the rankings are more stable. Can you think of a reason why?
me: (thinking for a moment) Sir, I think the women's side is unable to maintain their form. Earlier, the William sisters used to win most of the grand slams, but recently, Kim Clijsters came back and won some grand slams. Now she is again losing and Maria Sharapova is doing good.
p2: seemed to agree totally.
p1 and p2 look at each other's faces and it seems like the interview is about to come to an end. But then suddenly p1 goes again.
p1: Who is the king of Hisar? You did your schooling from Hisar, right?
me: No Sir, I am from Sirsa.
p1: Ohh
me: (realizing that not being from Hisar is not a good excuse to not answer this question) But Hisar is very close by sir. (thinking about the king, never heard of any) I am sorry Sir, I don't know that.
p1: Don't you know about him? He has been quite active politically?
me: Ohh, did you mean politically sir? I was thinking in terms of dynasties and all.
p1: No No. I was talking politically only. Anyways, I don't think Hisar has been under any dynasty.
me: (just going with the flow) Even I thought so sir, but then I thought I must have missed something. Sir, the king of Hisar is O P Jindal.
p1: Why is he famous?
me: Sir, he is a very famous politician from Hisar. He has steel factories in Hisar and has opened several parks also. He is a very development oriented person and has done a lot for the district, that is why he is the favorite among the people.
p1: Who has taken over his Assembly seat now?
me: Sir, his wife Savitri Jindal is the MLA from Hisar right now.
p1: Recently, there were elections in Hisar. Who won?
me: Sir, the elections were because of the death of the incumbent MP, Bhajan Lal. His son Kuldeep Bishnoi won the seat.
p1-2 look at each other's faces again and this time it's over. They ask me to take a toffee and leave. I take a toffee, thank both of them and come out.
I get the degree certificate from home and submit a copy to the document verification team. When I did so, the interviews were still going on and thus the chances that the interviewers got to know about this little stint of mine were nil. Pheww! Close one!
The entire interview was like a candid conversation with learned men on some random topics. There was no stress at all, and I could clearly see the effect of having a proper temperament in my interview performance. At the end of it, I am glad. Whatever it was, however it went, it sure was fun!
Verdict: Selected. \m/
Dreams do come true! :)
Date: 31st March, 2012.
Venue: Hotel Golconda, Hyderabad.
31st March, 1:30 PM: I reach the venue well in time. First there is the document verification process. The verification team is pretty strict and wants every document to be in place. I use my transcript as a proof of having completed my graduation, but they want to see my degree as well. I do not have it at the moment (#8) and thus am writing a letter that if I do not submit a copy of my degree certificate by end of day today, I will not be considered for admission process.
31st March, 2:10 PM: The essay process starts. We are given the topic that in today's world, business and ethics don't go hand in hand. A minute to think and another ten to write. I have read somewhere on A's site about how much they value integrity and honesty, so I am avoiding thinking about being unethical as being practical. I think in terms of brand name, customer trust, long term gains vs short term gains and scandals. But while writing, I did not keep track of time (#9). So in between, there was a time when I could have written something more, but I wasn't sure if there was sufficient time to finish the idea. Still, I manage decently well and finish with about thirty seconds to go.
31st March, 3:00 PM: I am still waiting outside for my turn. Thinking about my day, I can see that all the omens are screaming at me about it being a bad day! I am nervous, more than ever! IIM-A is the institute where I have wanted to be my whole life (take a few months). While preparing for CAT, the aim was not to crack CAT, but it was to get balanced scores in both sections because A demands that. Getting an interview call from this institute made me much happier than seeing my CAT scores. All my interviews till now, I have given them with a view that they are a mock interview in preparation for this day. And THIS is my preparation?
I spend the rest of the time keeping my temperament ready for the interview. My C interview made me realize that a proper temperament was the most important thing, and I couldn't afford being slack, not today!
Not before long, it was my turn.
There were two panelists, p1 and p2.
p1 notices that I am working in Amazon and starts by commenting at my salary.
p2: Wow, you are earning so much! At this moment , I wish we could exchange places right now.
me: (just hoping that today is not a repeat of yesterday) smiles.
p1: Can you tell me what work you do at Amazon?
me: (quite happy at not hearing any more questions about my salary) Sir, my team drives the third party seller business on Amazon. ***Some details***
p1: India has been emerging as a vast market for e-commerce. Why isn't Amazon launching in India?
me: Sir, Amazon realizes the vast untapped potential of e-commerce in India. (p2 nods with me on untapped). We recently launched Junglee.com in India, which is a huge success. Right now, the government regulations do not allow FDI in multi-brand retail in India and Amazon does not want partnerships with anyone, so that is why they still haven't launched officially in India. But they are working on it. Junglee.com was the first step and they are in the process of setting a fulfillment center in Mumbai too.
p2: But don't you think it will be too late when Amazon arrives in India with Flipkart and other players already having significant roles in the market?
me: Sir, We do realize that. That is why we launched junglee so soon, so that we have some presence in Indian market right now. We are working on setting up the entire transportation infrastructure so that as soon as the FDI regulations are lifted, we can launch a fully operational amazon.in site.
p2: (nodding several times during my answer) Yes, Yes, this FDI restriction is causing them a huge problem. But they can atleast launch kindle in India. Right now, it is very cumbersome to get a kindle.
me: Sir, kindle is a flagship product for Amazon. So, they can't let some other company take its franchise and sell in India. Right now, you can buy kindle from Amazon.com site and have it shipped in India as well, but you will have to pay customs (p2 nods again). I believe that once Amazon launches in India, kindle will also be available in India without the need to pay these customs.
p2: Yes Yes, I own a kindle and I had to get it through a very long route.
me: Exactly yes Sir.
p2: (handing me pen and paper) Ok,can you solve a Maths question for me?
me: yes sir.
p2 draws this figure on the paper:
me: I first find the time taken for path A-B-C. Then I try the same for A-C. (p2 was telling me meanwhile that the man can take any kinds of path, be it parabolic or anything. It need not be a straight line. I realize that the shortest distance (hence, shortest time)
I choose a path A-D-C where distance BD is x and AD is y.
y2 = x2 + 9
and I need to minimise 5/y + 10/(10-x).
p2: realized that I was working out the calculations, so he said that no need to solve the question, I can just tell him the approach.
me: I explained him my approach and meanwhile, I was done with the calculations.
p2: I see that you have found out an answer as well.
me: Yes sir, I found this answer.
Meanwhile, p1 was busy going through my form and certificates.
p1: Tell me what do you do in your spare time.
me: (Since, he had my form in his hand and it seemed like he had the hobbies page open) Sir, are you talking about my hobbies? (Realizing that it is a stupid question to ask, and without waiting for an answer) Sir, as I have mentioned in my form, I like to play table tennis and I like to watch lawn tennis. (Shit, even saying that feels horrible!)
p1: (probably it felt too irresistible to him too) You play table tennis and watch lawn tennis. Funny!
me: (Shit man, I have to say something) Sir, I want to learn lawn tennis too. (with a very innocent, cute and kiddish face) It's just that I could never get a chance to learn it. As soon as I get a chance, I will learn it.
p1: (hopefully laughing at my innocence)
p2: Can you tell us some latest happenings in lawn tennis?
me: yes Sir. Recently, there was this championship where Andy (name..., come on man!!)
p2: Andy Roddick?
me: No Sir, Andy Murray (p2 seemed to have some knowledge of tennis. In retrospect, I think it could have been a trap, and I am glad that I didn't fall for it) defeated Roger Federer. I don't know what's wrong with Federer, he has been unable to win a single grand slam for quite some time now. He performs well in ATP series, but somehow he always loses in the grand slams. On the other hand, Djokovic, he is playing excellent in the grand slams, but is not doing so good in the ATP series.
p1: So tell me, out of men's and women's whose rankings are more stable?
me: Sir, I do not follow women's tennis much, I just read about it. From whatever I know, I think that the competition is tougher on the men's side, but the rankings are more stable. The top three may switch places among them, but the ranks remain more or less the same on men's side.
p2: (so spontaneously, as if he was waiting for me to say this) Yes, the competition is tougher on men's side and yet the rankings are more stable. Can you think of a reason why?
me: (thinking for a moment) Sir, I think the women's side is unable to maintain their form. Earlier, the William sisters used to win most of the grand slams, but recently, Kim Clijsters came back and won some grand slams. Now she is again losing and Maria Sharapova is doing good.
p2: seemed to agree totally.
p1 and p2 look at each other's faces and it seems like the interview is about to come to an end. But then suddenly p1 goes again.
p1: Who is the king of Hisar? You did your schooling from Hisar, right?
me: No Sir, I am from Sirsa.
p1: Ohh
me: (realizing that not being from Hisar is not a good excuse to not answer this question) But Hisar is very close by sir. (thinking about the king, never heard of any) I am sorry Sir, I don't know that.
p1: Don't you know about him? He has been quite active politically?
me: Ohh, did you mean politically sir? I was thinking in terms of dynasties and all.
p1: No No. I was talking politically only. Anyways, I don't think Hisar has been under any dynasty.
me: (just going with the flow) Even I thought so sir, but then I thought I must have missed something. Sir, the king of Hisar is O P Jindal.
p1: Why is he famous?
me: Sir, he is a very famous politician from Hisar. He has steel factories in Hisar and has opened several parks also. He is a very development oriented person and has done a lot for the district, that is why he is the favorite among the people.
p1: Who has taken over his Assembly seat now?
me: Sir, his wife Savitri Jindal is the MLA from Hisar right now.
p1: Recently, there were elections in Hisar. Who won?
me: Sir, the elections were because of the death of the incumbent MP, Bhajan Lal. His son Kuldeep Bishnoi won the seat.
p1-2 look at each other's faces again and this time it's over. They ask me to take a toffee and leave. I take a toffee, thank both of them and come out.
I get the degree certificate from home and submit a copy to the document verification team. When I did so, the interviews were still going on and thus the chances that the interviewers got to know about this little stint of mine were nil. Pheww! Close one!
The entire interview was like a candid conversation with learned men on some random topics. There was no stress at all, and I could clearly see the effect of having a proper temperament in my interview performance. At the end of it, I am glad. Whatever it was, however it went, it sure was fun!
Verdict: Selected. \m/
Dreams do come true! :)
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