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Profile: X/ XII/ Grad = 95%/ 94.2%/ 70%
GEM, 14 months work-ex as Business Analyst in a management consulting firm.
Afternoon slot. Started at dot 2:45 pm, 15-20 mins duration
2 male interviewers: M1- in 50-60s, M2- in 40s
M1: So Avneesh, you work with Praxis? When did you graduate? When joined company?
Me: Graduated from DTU in 2019, Mechanical engineering. Joined Praxis Global Alliance in 2019, right out of college, as a Business Analyst.
M1: So, it’s a management consulting firm. What work did you do there – responsibilities, achievements?
Me: As a business analyst, worked across a plethora of projects – Commercial due diligence for a PE firm investing in the premium beer company, an international market expansion for leading auto classifieds player entering the Philippines, Survey projects for Singapore-based VC firm, Strategy piece for a leading food-tech company, etc. Responsibilities – Ownership of the entire workstream, I was working on – could be Market Attractiveness, Customer value proposition, etc. Answering client questions given in the scope…..
M1: So did you travel to the Philippines? What was your job there?
Me: Yes, traveled there to have discussions with senior management of banks, banks, conglomerates owning car dealerships, used / new car dealerships. Basically, had to get assumptions for the market sizing, sourcing chains, and most importantly, Business Case.
M1: Great!! Since you’re a Mech engineer, what are Dimensionless constants? Uses?
Me: Told that they have no units. Used for simplifying equations – basically replacing multiple dimension numbers and collating them into a single value.
M1: Correct. (utters a complex term for this use, never heard of it). What’s Reynold’s number? What does high/low Reynold’s number signify?
Me: Told the standard definition & its significance regarding determining viscous flow.
M1: Some other Dimensionless constants?
Me: Relative density. Told definition.
M1: Some more dimensionless constants? (Relative density might have sounded too noob)
Me: (Thought for 5-6 sec) Prandtl, Lewis, Schmidt, Rayleigh numbers.
M1: What about Poisson ratio? What is it?
Me: Told the definition I could remember (complete guesswork).
M1: and the significance?
Me: Could not remember.
M1 passed the baton to M2.
M2: So your hobbies include mythology?
Me: Yes sir, Indian mythology. In childhood, developed a habit of reading Amar Chitra Kathas, and still reading on Quora, etc.
M2: Which king had 1000 sons?
Me: King Dhrishtrashtra had 100 sons?
M2: (Interrupts) No, no, no, I said 1000 sons.
Me: I don’t know sir, never came across it
M2: Ok, have you heard about Bhagirath?
Me: (Thought for 5 sec) No sir, was it Bhishma? (Took guess as Bhagirath is related to Ganga, mother of Bhishma)
M2: No, not Bhishma.
M1 joins in.
M1: Think Bhagirathi. What comes to your mind?
Me: Bhagirathi & Alaknanda rivers merge to form Ganga river.
M1: Yesss (sounded supportive ki at least this candidate knows something).
M2: What did the Bhagirathee character do in mythology? Something related to the Ganga goddess?
Me: Told the story that King Bhagirathee brought Ganga to Earth, to appease Brahma & Shiva, to release his ancestors, moksh prapti.
M2: Yes, correct. So, you know Ramayana? Dynasty of Lord Rama? Who were the Lord Rama brothers? Their wives?
Me: Taken aback. Told dynasty name (Never heard names of wives, just faintly remembered brother names) Told brother names – Lakshan, Bharat, Shatrughan. Bharat wife – Mandavi, Lakshman wife – Urmila. Mentioned that she slept for 14 years when Lakshman was serving van-Vaas with Lord Rama. Could not remember Shatrughan's wife's name, something “Keerthi”, “Strutkeerthi” (pronunciation was difficult, Mom had told me all the names 2 days back and I rebuffed her saying panel won’t ask such irrelevant questions. Lesson – If Mom asks you to lie down on train tracks, you lie down without hesitation, it’ll save you)
M2: Strutkeerthi, Yesss. (basically, he pronounced the name correctly. Okay, you must have heard about the pivotal role of Squirrel in Ramayana? As that squirrel, give an at least 1 min speech as CM candidate for the upcoming assembly elections in 4 states in India. Don’t drift away from reality either.
Me: (Stunned, first of all, had just heard about the squirrel story, not much clarity at all, and then just 20 secs, had to give a speech in politics context)
After 20 seconds, the panel asked to start. I said that I wasn’t sure about the squirrel story exactly, told about the brief story. Asked for another topic, M1 happily said ”Happiness”.
Me: Spoke.
The panel said okay, you spoke for a good 2 mins. Thank you. Calls you have?
Me: Told.
Panel: Thank you Avneesh, you can leave the meeting now.
Thanked the panel, and left the meeting.
Verdict: Converted.