IIM interviews can be an experience of a lifetime. Those 20-30 minutes spent in front of an IIM interview panel can go from 0 to 100 in a matter of seconds, and no matter how much you prepare, the pressure can get to you at any moment. These interview are also known to be unique and interesting - from candidates performing live stand up comedy to singing a song or reciting poetry, nothing is off the table in an IIM interview. One such memorable IIM interview took place in the life of Suyash Wagh, a hospitality management graduate from one of India's top institutes who, after scoring a 94.3 percentile in CAT 2019, was ready to face the heat of the CAP round for admission to India's renowned IIMs. Here's how Suyash faced the heat and stayed in the kitchen.
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Candidate Profile
- Name - Suyash Wagh
- 10th/12th/Graduation - 85.45/77.23/70.35 (BSc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration)
- Work experience - 6 months
- CAT 2019 Performance (OA/VA-RC/DI-LR/QA) - 94.35/97.94/91.00/81.93
I had been shortlisted for the CAP round for admission to IIM Ranchi, IIM Raipur, IIM Trichy, IIM Udaipur, IIM Kashipur, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Jammu, IIM Sambalpur, and IIM Sirmaur. I had also been shortlisted by IMT Ghaziabad, IMI New Delhi, TAPMI, XIMB, and KJSIMSR. This was my first IIM interview, and I was very nervous but also well-prepared for questions around my background, career gap of 1.5 years, and the proposed transition from hotel management to MBA.
CAP Interview Experience
I entered the room. The interviewer checked me out from head to toe, before letting me sit.
Q: You have done hotel management. Can you tell me what is wrong with this Veg. Puff? *hands me over a vegetable puff to taste*
A: It is dry, lacks salt and the stuffing is not adequate.
Q: You look nervous. Are we intimidating?
A: I am a little nervous. But you are not intimidating. The thought of sitting here is.
Q: Don’t worry. This is going to be more of a conversation. So tell me why did you leave Orchid?
A: I worked with The Orchid for 3 months. I realized that at my job, I was not being challenged intellectually. I knew that I possess good communication skills and would do better in a consumer-based role. So I joined Nature’s basket as a Department Manager.
Q: What did you do at Nature’s basket as a Department Manager?
A: I was part of the pre-opening team at the Inorbit mall store. I was in-charge of the inventory, regulating expiry, training the staff and I used to work as a temporary cashier.
Q: It says here that you left your job due to an accident. What happened?
A: I had a tri-malleolar fracture wherein I broke 3 bones in my right ankle. I was suggested bed rest for around 3 months.
Q: Is this your first CAT attempt?
A: No sir, it is my second attempt. I didn’t get a preferred college last year so I decided to take CAT again this year and scored better that in 2018.
Q: How much did you score?
A: 94.3 percentile.
Q: If I have someone who has scored as much as you and has a similar profile to yours, why should I select you?
A: (incoming nonsense) Sir, I am a very adaptable person. I adapt fast to people and situations. A corporate job has high pressure and various situations where quick thinking and presence of mind is required. I think I will be a great fit for such a role.
Q: We are looking for managers who can multitask. You left your job to study for CAT. How do you justify being a competent manager?
A: When I took CAT for the first time, I was working as a rock climbing instructor at the YMCA Colaba. I scored less marks in Maths. After all the processes were done, there were barely 3 months left for CAT 2019. So I decided it was stupid to waste my employer’s time by working for just 3 months.
Q: Why have you decided to do your specialization in Marketing?
A: Sir, while working with Nature’s basket, I realized the difference a good marketing campaign can do. Since we didn’t have any formal education in the area of marketing in my graduate course, I would like to study the subject in detail and then apply it in the practical world.
Q: Talking to you, it seems you should specialize in service operations.
A: In my graduate course, we have been taught about service operations in detail. However nothing has been taught about marketing. So I would like to specialize in that.
Q: Even if you do your MBA in service operations, there will be a course on marketing in the first year.
A: Like I said, we have been taught about Operations in detail in our graduate course. However I would like to study marketing in detail so I have substantial knowledge of both the areas.
Q: Would you like to start something of your own?
A: Yes sir. I would like to start my own restaurant at a later stage in my career. Before that I would like to be the functional head of an FMCG company.
Q: Why do an MBA? Why not open a restaurant right away?
A:I don’t want to open a small café. I want to open a proper restaurant and for that I would need a good base and more experience.
Q: I would suggest you something. Rather than spending 15 lakhs, why not invest that money and open a café? As you earn more, slowly you start a restaurant.
A: Sir, I believe it’s better to gain experience and understand the know-how of a business rather than risking such a huge amount.
Q: What are your views on this year’s union budget?
A: I am sorry sir. I have not studied the budget in detail.
Q: What are your thoughts on the Delhi elections?
A: Sir the people are slowly shifting towards a centrist idea rather than a radical left or right. People have shown that they do distinguish between the central govt. and the state govt, as is clear from the difference in the results of the General Elections in 2019 and Delhi State Elections in 2020.
Q: Who won the elections and by how many seats?
A: AAP won and won 62 seats out of 70.
Q: So the rest of the seats were won by congress?
A: No. The remaining 8 seats were won by the BJP.
Thank you, Suyash. You may leave now.
*gives me a piece of his spring roll*
Verdict - Awaited!
If you've appeared for MBA interviews in 2020, post your interview experience(s) on the InsideIIM Q&A section. The following are interview discussion threads for the 2020 MBA interviews season:
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