Date: 20/02/2018
Location: IIFT Delhi
Slot: Morning 8:30 AM
Profile : Xth 92.80 XIIth 80.80 B.Tech 72.74 Work Ex- 21 months
WAT Topic- Merger of Flipkart and Snapdeal - A new dynamic in Indian E-commerce
To my relief (probably other aspirants as well) the topic was not very difficult and in the 20 minutes allotted I was able to come up with some good points.
GD Topic- Mirror mirror on the wall, my Insta is fairest of them all.
1 minute was given to every candidate to speak on the topic and then the house was open for discussion. The GD lasted for 10 minutes and most of us were able to get a chance to contribute. At last one of the candidate who had spoken less was asked by the moderator to sum up the GD.
Had a lot of points to say but couldn't structure the thoughts properly and hence ended up having a very average GD.
PI - I was the first person from my group to be interviewed.
P1: A male prof probably in his 40s. Looking at my CV form- "So Anuj tell me something about yourself in brief?"
Me: Started the monologue :)
P1: Interrupting in between- "So you are from Oak Grove School in Mussoorie? I have been to your campus! It's really beautiful!"
Me: Surprised immediately blurted - "Really?" I started feeling a bit more at ease continued the answer.
P1: Why MBA? Why now?
Me: Answered. Having had 21 months of work experience I explained why now it was the right time to pursue MBA.
P1: "Why IIFT?" (was expecting this)
Me: *told* I didn't say that I am interested in trade roles because had no clarity on it.
P1: Questions on work experience, company and which function I was interested in post MBA.
Me: Explained as the questions were straightforward.
P2: Female. Probably in her 30s (might be an alumna) "You have worked in Business Development right? Please explain what is cross-selling? Give an example of cross-selling."
Me: Answered convincingly. Explained her the concept using my company's products as an example.
P2: "You have a Computer Science background?"
Me: Nervously, yes. Had not expected academic questions and hence did not brush up.
P2: "Can you explain blockchain? Is it secure?" followed by questions on its usage and security etc.
Me: Excitedly answered everything I knew about Blockchain. Had a small discussion on its security and both agreed to the point that it can be breached.
P2: "Do you want to work in the same industry that you are working post MBA?"
Me: I said no. I told them how my current industry (HR Consulting) may not offer competitive roles in Sales and Marketing and if given a chance would want to switch to an industry with more opportunities and scope.
Both P1 & P2 looked at each other. Smiled and said, "That's it from us. Thank you, Anuj."
I greeted them and left the room :)