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P1 - Hello Sejal.
Me - Good afternoon Sir! Should I take off my mask?
P1 - Yes that would make you more comfortable
Me - Sure
" P1: Hi Bharghvi, Good Afternoon
Me: Hi. Good Afternoon. Sir
P1: So, what should we call you? Bharghvi or Prajapati?
Me: It's Bharghvi, Sir
P2: So, Bharghvi you have 2 years of work experience at JPMC, right?
Me: Yes Sir.
P2: In your SOP, I read that you have worked on Blockchain. Have you implemented it within your team?
Me: (delighted by this question) No Sir, not yet. I have pitched the idea of using blockchain in supply chain financing so that the settlement of cross-border payments can be expedited. It is still in the approval process post which we will be able to implement it.
Interview duration: 28 mins
M1: (Wished them a good morning and a Happy Maha Shivratri)
1. Are you following any updates or something today? (Told that I am celebrating the festival personally but know about my culture and also have a holiday in my office today)
2. Where are you currently working?
3. What challenges did you face in your job and how did you tackle them?
4. Why do you want to do an MBA?
5. Why do you want to work on product management?
6. Which part of it?
Started with them verifying my ID proof.
PI & P2: Good morning!
P1: So you're pursuing your undergrad in commerce?
Me: Yes ma'am.
P1: So what subjects do you have this semester?
Me: told, also mentioned that classes for this semester just began 2 days back
P1: And what about last semester?
Me: told
P1: So we can ask you about these subjects since you've just studied them recently?
Panel - 2 male professors and 1 alum
25 - 30 min interview
1) P1: Tell us why MBA and how did your interest develop? (Told)
2) P1: Give an example where a bio innovation did not reach the market? (Said I know 2 but would give you the Indian example - Florida Tilton's biofilm inhibitor and how it gestated for about 5 years before her company got a grant to productize the innovation.
3) P1: So you are saying that these ideas gestate for some years but eventually make it to the market right? (Said that it is not true with all novel innovations and gave example of what R.T.Krishnan, IIM B director had said in 2004 conference and also how IIM B had helped such bio innovations to scale up their businesses in 2020).
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…..
Date & Time: 3:27 PM,6th March
Checked my Aadhar Card
4. So you work on ETL tools? Yes sir
5. What are the other ETL tools? I named 3 of them.
6. Which of these is based on the Gartner Magic Quadrant? I said no idea, not heard of this term before.
7. What is transformation when I said you say ETL? I just gave an example of converting the data as per client requirement wherein say, for example, you have PIN Code, 400000, I can transform the data to add space in between. 400 000.
8. He then asked if the PIN Code was just a number? I said Yes
9. He asked where I stayed and its PIN Code. I told
10. He told me his PIN Code and asked me to subtract. I asked him to repeat his PIN Code. Quickly subtracted it and gave an answer.
Panel: Male prof (M), Female prof (F).
M: Good morning Karthik.
Me: Good morning sir.
M: Start with where you did your graduation? Where are you working? Why MBA and why at FMS?
Me: All in a go sir?
M: Yes, don't you know we have marks for your SOP?
Me: Yes sir, I will start.
*Gave a brief answer touching all the questions*.
F: Okay Karthik, let's move on to the extempore. Your topic is “Build to Last”.
Me: *starting to write something on paper".
F: You are not allowed to write anything down. Look at the camera, think for the 20sec, and speak for a minute.
P1: What are your thoughts on turbulence in life, business, nation?
Me: The stock market rise and fall is a good example of turbulence in business. In fact, researchers are attempting to model it using turbulence models used in fluid mechanics with some modifications. The highs and lows which we all face during our life journey can be referred to as turbulence. Covid 19 is the obvious example of turbulence in the nation which has disrupted our life in every possible way.
P1: Okay. Excellent. I was wondering if they teach you to build a plane in your course?
Me: Yes sir. In fact, I have designed a full-scale model of a 6 seater propeller-driven aircraft.
P1: Can you brief me about how the materials used to manufacture the plane evolved over time?
Me: Talked about the early 1930s, the structure, some historical crashes. The wooden structure, then the steel, then Al alloys, and in future composites. Talked about the advantages and disadvantages of composites.
P1:
1. So, Jadavpur University. Mention your WBJEE rank. What other calls?
Me: I replied with my academic profile in undergrad and entrance exams. And told him about other calls that I had.
2. Mention your preference.
Me: Mentioned XLRI BM, IIM L, and XLRI HR
3. What are your hobbies?
Me: Told about writing poetry and recited some.
4. You write or do you read as well? Which language?
Me: Mentioned English, and had a discussion about renaissance poetry.
5. Byron Shelley Wordsworth Keats. Categorize their works in terms of melancholy and monotony
Me: Couldn't give a convincing answer on monotony. Mentioned that it wouldn't stand in the way of your selection, just asking from personal interest.
Questions asked by Male Professor:
1. Tell me something special about your college.
2. What exactly is your job profile and scope of work?
3. How the product your company makes is different from its competitors?
4. Question on Space X Robotics development ( I clearly said I am not aware of the development then he said OK and moved to the next question)
2 Panelists: 1M,1F
M: So pavan you have done BTech? working at Atlas Copco?
Me: Yes to all.
M: You had maths in engineering?
Me: Yes differential calculus, used in vibration analysis.
M: So tell me about electric technology in vehicles?
Me: Told about how electric vehicles come somewhat late in India as compared to the USA etc (because of Tesla). But it's gaining trend in India too. Also told how it's affecting the ICE market too. Hybrid cars are used, energy is recovered from devices like MGUH, MGUK, etc.
Q1. Tell me about yourself.
A1. I gave the prepared answer, focussing on my job experience, and mentioning my hobbies and interests.
Q2. Why IIFT?
A2. I gave the prepared answer, relating it to my interests in trade and international business. I have a work ex in sales profile working for a trading firm, and hence, mentioned that I would like to build on these experiences in a structured way through IIFT. I also mentioned a few subjects that were part of the curriculum, as well as the port visits that IIFT provides to all students, and my interest in the same.
Q3. What do you search for in a customer?
A3. Asked mainly because of my sales role in the job. Gave my answer giving examples from my past experience, ie, how I searched for customers in one of the green territories assigned to me. Since the whole searching process was a vital part of my job profile, I was quite prepared and confident. I also tried to blend in my strengths in my answer, showing how I managed to deal with different types of customers of different scales, each requiring a different approach.