If you are reading this, you are thinking about how personal interviews at B-schools get conducted. Don’t worry, I am here to help you with that by sharing my experience. I am currently pursuing my Master of Business Administration(MBA) from the Department of Management Studies(DMS), IIT(ISM), Dhanbad.
My interview took place took place virtually via Zoom on 30th March 2022. The slot allotted to me was in the afternoon session from 2 PM. Due to logistical delays, my interview began at 2:45 PM. My interviewers were two lady professors (P1 and P2).
I would describe the next sequence of events in two parts: the expected and the unexpected
Expected:
P2 conducted the first half of my interview. The interview started with the most common question, "Tell us something about yourself." I had prepared pointers to this question before each of my interviews, so I was able to give a structured answer.
The next question was something I expected as well. For context, IIT Dhanbad offers two MBA courses:
a) flagship MBA course (MBA-core) and
b) MBA-Business Analytics (MBA-BA)
I had opted for the flagship MBA only. Due to my BTech background in Computer Science, I anticipated a question on why I had not opted for MBA-BA. Doing background research on the Business school you are applying to is important. The information you discover helps you answer interview questions with relative ease. Questions on my work experience followed which were straightforward. So far, the interview was going smooth and without any hiccups.
Unexpected:
P1 conducted the final half of my interview. I must clarify the next question wasn't the most surprising for me. What was interesting was the way the conversation proceeded after that. P1 asked me, "What real-world problem interests you currently?". The Russia-Ukraine crisis had begun a few weeks back. Rising food and fuel prices and inflation were the buzzwords back then.
Instead, I replied, "The chip shortage interests me, ma'am". As someone who has an interest in supply chains, I had done my homework on this subject. P1 followed by asking me about India's semiconductor manufacturing policy. I answered but P1 seemed not completely satisfied. She then asked my opinion on whether India could become a semiconductor superpower.
Things got interesting as I replied I was optimistic about India’s capabilities by quoting some statistics. P1 countered my points through facts and by providing numbers backing her point of view. The to and fro exchange happened a couple of times before she decided to move on to the next question. By this time, doubts had begun creeping into my mind if I had done the right thing by sticking to my opinion.
The next question from P1 further compounded my doubts. She asked, "Which country is the world's top semiconductor manufacturer?" Confidently, I replied Taiwan. P1 stated it was China. I bravely again defended my answer with facts. However, this time I clarified how P1’s answer was also correct in some ways. This time around, P1 seemed relatively satisfied. The interview concluded shortly after that.
Aftermath
My honest post-interview assessment was a mixed bag. I felt I had given decent answers but probably had not made a wise decision by “debating” with the interviewer. However, after I received my offer letter from this great institution, I think my decision to stick to my guns paid off. Having spent some time within this institution, I think the environment at IIT Dhanbad allows freedom to discuss and debate ideas. The faculty is open to clearing doubts and is willing to learn from the students.
If there’s one piece of learning I would like to share with aspirants from my interview, it is to back yourself and your answers during an interview. If you have done your homework correctly, you should be confident in your point of
view. However, at no point should it look like you were disrespecting the interviewer.
I wish you luck in converting your calls! All the best!