When I started writing this article, my mind suddenly went back to the day, when I had to write the online test with several other batchmates of mine before JP Morgan and Chase (JPMC) visited the campus for the internship recruitment. I remember that day specifically because of few very tense hours before and during the exam. When I tried to open the test link and enter my login credentials, unfortunately, I was the only one of those candidates who couldn’t login into the system, and there were those 60 minutes when lots of negative thoughts rushed my mind. I somehow completed the online aptitude exam, and after a few days, I received a mail about my shortlist for the on-campus process.
Then comes the D-day. All suited up, we had to attend a pre-placement talk. The talk was handled by some of the senior executives from Mumbai, Bangalore, etc. We were briefed about the role we were being offered i.e Operations Analyst, about the type of work we will be expected to do, our responsibilities, pay and perks, etc. which was followed by a short Q & A session. This went on for about 1 hour and after that we had to for the process.
Personally, I liked the screening process of JPMC. In the beginning, we were given a close-to-real-life case study of about 15 pages and we had to solve or provide strategies for the case problem in about 45 mins. The critical element being tested here was the analytical tests of the candidate and how fast he is able to skim over the important data points and present a solution. After this, we were put in groups of about 9-10 and discuss the case i.e we had to perform a group discussion as a team and arrive at a consensus about the problem taking the least amount of time. Then we were asked some questions based on the case, solutions and pertaining to group dynamics.
After this round, some of the applicants were eliminated, but I was fortunate enough to have cleared it and was called for the next round. I was among the initial people among the shortlisted to have been called for the interview. We were interviewed by 2 senior executives from the company. The first question which I was asked was “Why MBA after Engineering”. I felt confident about the answer as I had a tailor-made answer, which I reproduced during the interview. Since I am fresher, I was asked about my Engineering curriculum especially about my branch (ICT), about my strong subjects, about my B Tech project and other related stuff. After this, I was asked some questions related to Derivatives and the final question about “How do I see myself in future”. I said that I want to be an Entrepreneur, after which I was asked to present them an idea with a business and revenue model for it similar to an Idea Pitch. The whole interview went on for around 30-40mins.
The whole process was very exhausting. I was on cloud 9 when the results were announced that I was offered a chance to intern with them. This will be my very first experience in the real corporate world. I have dual feelings, as I am a bit scared about my performance during the internship and on the other hand I am very excited to work with one of the largest Investment banks of the world.
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About the Author:
Sai Anirudh
‘An engineering graduate from DA-IICT. Classical Singer, occasional book reader and aspiring Entrepreneur’
First Year PGDM student at Institute for Financial Management and Research (IFMR)