In our country, English is the second language. Apart from metropolitan cities, which have a number of convent schools, all other students stand at a huge disadvantage, since they are not exposed to the English Language. In all these states, even though the English Language is part of the curriculum, the English Language is taught in their mother tongue. The teachers themselves are not trained properly and they do not have the ability to make the English Language interesting. Moreover the interaction between students also happens in their mother tongue, with the net result being a rude shock, when they get exposed to the outside world.

When I interacted with this category of students at length their concerns were:

If we try to converse in English with our teachers, they reply in our mother tongue

English is not required for me because I am joining the family business

Our friends make fun of us or treat us as social outcasts, if we try to converse in English

Our parents are not educated and our siblings are also sailing in the same boat

Our teachers discourage the use of English

We know only a few words

We do not know how to construct a sentence and pronounce the word, so we will end up making fools of ourselves

Emotionally sensitive

Inability to speak in front of a small group or public speaking

Thinking in one’s mother tongue and translating into English

After listening to their concerns, I just asked them one question, How did you pick up your mother tongue?  The answer was prompt. We learnt to speak our mother tongue by listening to our parents speak. My next question was, Did your parents teach you grammar?  The answer was No

I then went on to tell them, the English Language also needs to be learnt, the same way.

I worked out a plan of action which I am listing below:

Be passionate about the English Language

Make it a point to watch News Channels, Animal Planet or National Geographic. Close your eyes and focus on the words. Likewise, if you share a passion for a particular game, as in, cricket or football, listen to the commentary

In the initial phase do not bother about your grammatical accuracy, fluency or vocabulary. Your focus should be to reach a level, where you can boldly communicate in the English Language, with whatever vocabulary you have

Identify one person in your locality who speaks the English Language fluently. Have a serious discussion with this person,  and tell him that you want to improve your language, and you are prepared to stretch the limit. Ask him to correct your mistakes. Fix up a time convenient to him and interact with him for anywhere between 10 – 15 minutes daily.  This conversation can be in person or on phone. Ask him to correct your mistakes and make it a point, not to repeat the same mistake again.

Avail of every opportunity that you get to speak. Never bother about the reaction of the audience. There are bound to be people in the audience who will smile sarcastically or may laugh at you, while you are delivering your speech. Let me tell you that these people are failures. They have not achieved anything in their life, and are filled with envy. Make yourself mentally so tough, that nothing should pull you down, and destroy your confidence

Do not compare yourself with anyone. You are unique

Read any magazine which is related to your area of interest. If you want to go in for fiction, there is nothing to beat, James Hadley Chase. You will not put the book down, till you have finished, reading the book fully. The language used is also simple.

Always think in English. If you think in your mother tongue, and translate  into English, the structure will go horribly wrong. Let us take a sentence; Rita is beautiful, which is the right structure.  Assuming that your mother tongue is Hindi, the translation will be, Rita khoobsurat hai, which when translated to English becomes, Rita beautiful is.  Always remember the basic structure of the English Language, which is, Subject + Verb + Object

Practice Auto Suggestion. Human beings are blessed with two minds, conscious mind and the subconscious mind. When we go to sleep in the night, the subconscious mind comes on top and the conscious mind goes down. Auto suggestion means feeding your subconscious mind with positive thoughts. In this case, let us assume that you have to deliver a speech after one week. Everyday before going to sleep, imagine that you are one of the best speakers in the world.  People admire you and they have come in huge numbers to listen to you. See yourself talking confidently, and the audience listening to you, with full attention. After your speech gets over, the entire crowds’ gets up from their seats and give you a standing applause. Do this everyday without fail, and more importantly, believe in the power of the subconscious mind. Visualize this whole scene again and again. The great tennis player, Andre Agassi, is a master of the subconscious mind. When you get up in the morning, the conscious mind comes on top, and the subconscious mind goes down.  The job of the conscious mind, is purely to implement the commands, given to it, by the subconscious mind.  You can rewrite your whole destiny, if you tap the power of your subconscious mind

Before I wind up, I would like to quote Martin Luther King, who said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenges and controversies”

HAPPY SPEAKING

Date and time: April 16th – 9:30 am
Place: Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) Mumbai

Reached at around 2 pm on Sunday the 15th and spent that evening at TISS – met many new PG friends – Vachan, Rajiv and of course later Saki and Ram (whom I already knew)… the stay overnite was nice – doesnt feel as if u are in Mumbai when inside the campus at TISS – small in size but really nice to have a walk in da evenings etc – and extremely conducive atmosphere and surroundings for study – and well – the latest news is that TISS has become wi-fi – all da info was poured in from Babu who met us on Sun evening and answered a lot of questions from our side…

Woke up early in da morning – got ready and went to the main lounge where there was a smal crowd – not as much as expected – we had a small presentation on the know-how of TISS by a second-year’ite of the HRM/LR program… later we came up and were grouped into different batches (as put on da notice board) – and were led to da different classes for the GD/PI – Mine was in class XI – 8 of us (2 absent) – 4 boys 4 gals… so even ratio

GD: Globalisation is a mixed blessing for the youth of today (it was the same topic for all the batches in my main group) – the other group had got Gandhian values etc etc… ( though the topics are being changed evryday – so dont go by them )

Very decent GD – chipped in a lot of times… was surprised by da female junta as some spoke real well, and real fluently. By da way we ourselves decided that we wud use paper, and recollect our thoughts for sometime – the 2 supervisors didnt have a prob with it – though when we decided on the topic as globalisation and started writing, one of them said ‘Isnt this a GD ?? ‘ – and well – one of the ladies started rite away. Two of the females seemed to be dominating the show – though all guys spoke well too – and well – chipped in a lott of good points – though the youth aspect was kinda fading away with all the industrial and economic aspect takin toll of da topic :mg: – all of us spoke without majorly cutting others – as we had been reminded that domination of the GD wud lead to getting -ve points.

Rating: 8/10

After this – we were led into a room, and were told that there is still some time for the PI. Hence we moved off – grabbed a vada-paav for a quick bite and then came back – to our disbelief the PI’s had already begun – apparently the people were being called RANDOMLY. Was surprised at this – but there was nothin we cud do. We just gave our names, and sat there hopin for a quick call. I was called in just before the lunch call – though they dedided later that I too shud be pushed in after lunch . So i went ahead, ate somethin and returned. The wait before the PI was long. The PI finally happened at around 3 to 3:15 pm. I was all jittery before as I had heard my panel had been stressing the people in da morning and blasting on GK… finally I was in…

PI: The panel – Oldish smiling lady – L (did almost all questioning)
Elderly man in between – E
Different lookin elderly person with long tied hair – D
Bakra moi – B

B (enters and wishes all – sits)
E: Whats these documents? (pointing to my change of name docs)
B: (Explains what were they)
E: But why did you change your name ?
B: blah blah
All 3 of them: Ok ok
L (smiling eternally :mg: ) – So u are working in XXX – how long?
B: blah blah
L: Oh – thats a lot of time – wat are u working in?
B: blah blah (cool workex questions :mg:)
L: Ohk so such a nice field – why do u want to come into HR?
B: Blah blah blah blah -( some kind of an answer which I had thought of… explained properly – wat do I get — EXPRESSIONLESS faces from all except from L – she is smiling in an understanding manner – E is checkin my papers/docs/certificates)…
E: So what do you know about HR as a field?
B: blah blah – tell them the basics
(all shaking head except D of course )
L: Ok – so Ashish tell me bout what you think of women in this present day corporate world? And what are the issues faced by them ?
B: blah blah – sexual harrasment, ego problems from men, etc etc
L: Ohkie – so wat are the things companies have been doin to prevent such things like sexual harrasment?
B: blah blah
(trying to maintain eye contact with all – but E is busy with file – doesnt look at me AT ALL – and D is well – blank – stone-faced – no expressions! )
L: Ohkie – so tell me about the reservations issue now -
wat do u think bout the reservations issue in the private sector?
B: Blah blah blah blah
L: Ohk cool – (looks at others for their turn)
D (all of a sudden): What are the different central trade unions in India?
B: (says somethin which goes kinda unheard)
D: wattt???
B: blah blah (explains)
E: Ohkay yes yes
D: (shaking head)
D: Can you name some trade union in the unorganized sector?
B: umm – dont think I know any – but i guess BMS can be one of them
D: (smilingly looks at L)
Moi understands that my answer is wrong
D: So which are the new states in India??
B: blah blah
(all quiet for sometime)
L: (asks E if he wants to ask any questions)
E: No nothin actually – so bout ur hostel accomodation at TISS — blah blah ( they were askin this to all at their interviews)
B: blah blah
L: Ohkay thats it then – thanx Ashish
E: yes thanks
D: expressionless
B: (wishes and exits)

Approx 15 min – Dont know wat to say – questions were ok and I answered without any gaps etc -managed it well- but hardly any reaction from the panel – except for the lady at times… the people before me and those after me had a similar kinda interview – though not entirely on GK questions – theirs were even shorter – some 8 to 9 min…
Looks like they were lookin for more than just mere answers…

Rating: 8.5 to 9/10 (from my side)

Travelled in da evening to Churchgate to meet a friend and stayed overnite with him – had kinda fun – and then travelled back to airport da next morning to catch flite back to Blore – Saki (chaosunlimited) and another girl accompanied me in it – so that was good fun too

General opinion: Diverse interviews being conducted – entirely on luck which panel u get, and also how ur interview goes. Heard later that my panel conducted stress interviews in the latter half of the day… was again surprised at that… The panel with the dean was stressing most of da guys (like every year) – so guess people had to watch out there…
Source:  http://ashishyahoo.blogspot.com

Jan 30th 8 AM- Pune ( first batch in the entire GD/PI process spanning 4 days)
Institute: Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM)
Batch – 1XF ( had a SNAP 100 scorer in this batch too )
Composition: 10 boys, 1 gal… but well – the gal wasnt present in the GD’s and GT’s with us…

The sight of SIBM wasnt really a pleasing one for me, as I had seen it the previous day – as it was nothing more than a building – frankly speaking even smaller than my school. Though I was here, and I had to attend the GD/PI now. The previous evening had been spent meeting friends, and also meeting my buddy Chinmay at SIBM (a buddy was supposed to guide he/her through the entire GD/PI process)

There was a crowd outside SIBM – the line of students for registration had reached the road ( the institute is one building right outside the road ). I got in the line – and it didnt take time to finish the registration procedure. I was given a batch tag – and was directed upwards to one of the floors above. We were made to sit in a classroom – some 3 or 4 batches in the morning. After a brief presentation by the seniors on SIBM and its culture, we started off. The first thing on the programme was the essay

Essay as told above – Whistle Blowers are guardians to democracy..

Hardly any time to recollect thoughts and write some stuff, in fact the topic needs better understanding and better examples as a good essay – which of course mine lacked.

Rating – 5/10.

Following this we were led to separate rooms where we sat with our buddies/other coordinators, who I must say were extremely helpful. My batch was seated in a small circle, and the coordinator gave us more ideas on how life at SIBM is. Soon we were called for the interviews – which was unexpected to come before the GD’s. I was the third on the list in the group. We were led to another room, where the three of us had a seat on the bench outside. The first person was a guy who was from PG – and had interacted with him in the morning. He seemed to have a good profile (2 years at DRDO, owner of a tech-forum online etc), and I was all apprehensive of him going before me. Still I was more at ease then expected. He had a cool interview, and so did the person before me – a 2 year experienced fellow at GE.

The next to enter was me. The following is how it all went.

Panel: One internal faculty(in middle) – F
One Senior HR Manager from Pepsi – P
One IIMA pass out – A
Myself – M

F did most of the questioning.

M (enters, greets and sits down)
F: So Ashish, tell me about yourself, your schooling, your extra curriculars, your workex, your hobbies and so on.
M (prepared answer): blah blah
P: Hmm ok – so which coaching institute have you prepared this answer from?
M (taken aback): Frankly this is my own prepared answer Sir, I do not require any external preparation for this – so I did not take help from any coaching class.
P: Thats good – its a general answer rite – so it doesnt require any preparations.
M: Yes Sir it doesnt
F: So Ashish, you have had workex as a technical consultant, so why an MBA now?
M: Blah blah – interests in HR etc
F: So Ashish, I see you have done your schooling and graduation at Goa. Why then do you want to come to Pune to do your management from SIBM? I am sure Goa too has a nice management institute.
M: blah blah – why SIBM prepared answer – qualities SIBM possesses.
F: So what in HR interests you?
M: Blah blah – more on Traning and Development
P: Ohk – tell me more about what kinds of trainings are there in Oracle
M: Blah blah
P: Ohkay – are all these trainings required at all levels?
M: No – as you go higher in the ladder, you require to take certain types of trainings.. blah blah ( had discussed most of the T&D part with an HR manager I knew – phew – was saved here )
P: Ohk
F ( looks at A )
A: So you say you like reading – what books do you read?
M: blah blah – all kinds blah blah
A: So name some books of Paulo Coelho
M: blah blah
A: Ohkay so you have interest in Hindu mythology…especially in Mahabharata – so I suppose I can ask you anything from it (big grin)
M: I guess so (scared a bit )
A: Ohkay – how many siblings did Dhritarashtra have?
M: 100
A: Siblings?
M: (oops!!) – Oh sorry – he had one sibling – thats Pandu
A: Are you very sure?
M: Yes Sir
A: Hmm – I think you need to revise your concepts on Mahabharata again then (all laughing)
M: Perhaps sir – if you say so…(was reasonably sure of the answer)
F: Ohkay Ashish – so what if we dont offer you the admission at SIBM? Whats the backup plan?
M: (prepared answer): blah blah – have to do it this year itself – maybe correspondence in HR – cant pursue a residential MBA after this year – blah blah
F: So you are hell bent on doing HR this year itself
M: Yes Sir
F: Ohk then thank you Ashish.
M: Thank you Sir

M (thanks all and leaves)
Quite a decent interview – would rate it 8/10.
Was bugged as they didnt go through my files at all – though they were there in my hands all the while etc. – Had really arranged them well and brought – and I tot i had some things to show in them

GD – Case study ( I guess all had case studies )… first case study of my life – hence was a bit nervous…

The case was about a person who joins a company as a programmer, then the company changes its domain of technology, and along with it, this 4 yr experienced guy has to adapt to the new domain, and new business. He is unable to do it , and underperforms, hence is warned from HR manager to be removed. The guy gets pissed, applies to other companies, gets reco letters from known people etc etc. One year down the line or so, the HR manager tells him that he has to leave the company. The guy loses it and threatens to sue the company for the treatment and show the reco letters as proof etc etc.
What should the HR manager do?

PS – this is as far as I can remember the case – ne one else please correct me…

Okish discussion – lot of argument – there was more talk about the reco letters and the suing , rather than the HR manager’s alternatives for tackling the problem – probably thats where we lost out. (my opinion).

The two panelists were ok (one male one female) – the female leader stopped us twice to make the quiet people speak – the male guy was noting our expressions, how we spoke etc… the GD was stopped by the female lady (probably she got bored )

Rating for my performance: 7.5/10

Next
Group Task: (This was the weirdest part in the procedure)
Panel: 2 old gentlemen

Task 1: This was a handkerchief placed at a distance from all of us – and we had to somehow touch it by crossing the line before it, without touching any part of our body to the ground. Weird rite? We discussed for a major part of the time – but I landed up convincing them to spend more time on doing the task at the end – so we somehow started. One fellow volunteered to be held by the others – and we all held him in some strategic method. Somehow we managed to do the task eventually. Looks like they were observing more of the group dynamics in it.

Task 2: This was a restrainer-captive task – where the prof stands at one end. We have to pair ourselves with a partner. At one instance I am the restrainer, trying to hold my partner from reaching the prof at the other end of the room. Next I am the captive, and he is holding me, preventing me from reaching the prof. We had this exercise – and well, I had some fun tickling my partner (he complained, but I retorted sayin that the prof had mentioned ‘the restrainer can do nethin in his power to stop the captive’. So it was kinda allowed. . At the end of the task, we all were made to stand in a line, and were questioned one by one on whether we liked to be the restrainer or the captive. This was dumb as the others further in line would try to mould their answers acc to what we answered. I chose to be the captive, as I gave some gyaan about having a certain goal to move to etc.

Tough to rate myself – but would give it a 6.5/10.

Our group was the first to finish that day. We left at around 12 – and me and my restrainer partner (Akaash) went over and had something at a Java Green center nearby. From there we departed, and I moved to my friends place where I was staying, and prepared to leave Pune.

Overall I was kind of satisfied with the entire experience – knowing I had done well with most of the proceedings – though I knew that if I got other calls later, I would have to leave this one for them – as the last date to pay the fees (75k) was 28th Feb. Eventually I did land up converting SIBM, but took a strong decision and gave up the seat without paying the fees. I had other better interviews to attend – and was confident in cracking at least one more of them.
Source: http://ashishyahoo.blogspot.com

To help students prepare themselves for all the possible twists and turns a personal interview can take, we publish first-hand experiences of students who managed to breeze through their PI and others who crashed and burned.

Here, Bharat Jhurani, a first-year student at IIM Lucknow, shares his interview experience as a part of the CAT selection process.

I am an electronics and communications engineer from the GITAM college of engineering (Non-NIT, IIT!), Visakhapatnam and I graduated in 2007(yup, a fresher!).

My lone IIM call — after all those arduous AIM CATS — topping them, working hard and even managing a 99.36 percentile in CAT — was from IIM Lucknow. One single IIM call! The reason? My slightly low score in the Verbal Ability section.

Anyway, no use crying over spilt milk. I decided to give this my best shot.

My group discussion and interview were scheduled on February 17 at 2 pm, the venue being Hotel Monarch, Bangalore. I was made part of Panel II and my number was 9 (why is it always Number 9?). I was called in for the GD and the essay at about 3 pm. There were two panel members presiding and 12 of us within the group. IIM-L is known for assigning abstract topics and it maintained its reputation upon this particular occasion. The topic? ‘The most effective way to eradicate poverty is through effective governance’.

As soon as it was dictated, we were asked to write a small essay in about 150 words within 5 minutes. After the stipulated time, the papers were taken away, leaving us to discuss the topic. With such an open-ended topic thrown in, it was literally a fish fight in the beginning — everyone was hurling in whatever facts they had at hand and I was no exception! I piped up quite a number of times during the process. Overall it was a pretty good GD, but it could have been better.

Then came the time for personal interviews — they were pretty short and I presented myself before the panel at 4:30 pm. It comprised of the same individuals who presided over the GD. My interview lasted for all of six minutes.

As I entered I was asked if I would like to enroll in the Agro-Business Management (ABM) course offered by the institute. I initially relented, but then informed them that I would prefer to leave it as a second option. So much for preparation!

Following this, I was asked the cliched question — ‘Tell us about yourself’ — which I answered reasonably well, highlighting my background, my hobbies (blogging, basketball) and my accomplishments (class representative etc).

Then followed a few questions on statistics, probability and simple mathematics. I answered all well, save two — one probability query, in which I mixed up the basic concept and a definition of disjoint events, for which I incorrectly rattled off all about independent events. I got so confused that they had to explain the concept to me and not becasue I didn’t know the answer, but because I was just too stressed. The lack of comfort showed so much on my face that one of the panel members actually said, “Don’t feel tensed! Be cool. It is not a stress interview.”

When asked what I do in my free time, I mentioned my hobbies once more. The younger of the two panelists seemed very interested in blogging — he questioned me on the contents of my blog and even noted down my blogsite! I started to feel a little better about myself and hoped that he would visit it before deciding my fate!

They then asked if I had any questions for them, to which I replied in the negative. I thanked them and smiled, leaving the room confidently. That was the end of my interview.

Two months later, I found that I have made it — I got a convert and am presently the first student out here at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.

Gathering from my experience, I would say that the interviewers look for passion, ability and enthusiasm in a candidate, coupled with decent knowledge of current events and decent English language skills.

Get in there confidently and you’ll emerge victorious!

Source: www.rediff.com/getahead

Through this article, we will try and give some tips and techniques which can go a long way in helping the candidate come out with flying colors in the group discussion.

What should I always remember?
First things first, most candidates must remember that it’s a discussion and hence it involves both speaking and listening. Doing only one of the two will not be called a discussion and hence a candidate should ensure that he listens as much as he speaks.

Besides this, the purpose of a group discussion must be clear to a candidate. The purpose of a group discussion is to understand the given problem or topic in its entirety and to try and reach a logical conclusion or opinion. Enough time should be given to understand the problem and jumping to a conclusion is the biggest mistake one can make. Mere consensus building is not the real purpose.

The other most important aspect about a discussion is to approach the topic or the problem in a structured manner. One should not analyse a problem and suggest a solution without looking at the objectives, without weighing alternative solutions and without predicting the kind of challenges that may arise while implementing the proposed solution.

Besides, this one must try and come up with relevant examples to corroborate one’s argument since they add a lot of weight to the argument and clarifies what one intends to say. A candidate should also try and be creative and come up with ideas from what he has read.

Communication is an area that plays a very important role. A candidate must speak clearly, slowly and briefly. One must present his argument by giving relevant reasons and examples as it builds a stronger argument.

How do I prepare?
As far as the preparation for a GD is concerned, the candidate should read extensively. The reading should be done with the goal of building perspective and developing an understanding and not just merely remembering facts and figures.

We recommend that one should read articles from newspapers, business magazines, online and then pause for a while to think about what one has read. A candidate should question himself on his understanding of the article. For instance, if the article is on an important business acquisition, then he should ask questions such as “what does it mean for the company”, “how will the industry change as a result of this”, “what should a competitor do”, “what can be some of the problems that may arise”. This will help a candidate not only build perspective, but will also help him develop the ability to think.

Once a topic is given to a candidate, the candidate must try and look at some of the keywords from the topic to generate ideas. The candidate can also approach it from the point of view of affected parties. Practicing generating ideas and speaking can help. One can even stand in front of the mirror and practice.

In the end, a candidate should stay calm and confident to be able to think clearly and give good arguments. Remember that it’s a discussion and forget for some time that you have to perform. If one makes 3-4 good arguments during different times in the discussion, the one can sail through.

Source: http://getahead.rediff.com

Unfortunately, many students leave their preparation for GDs and interviews till too late. This is due to over-confidence at times, or lack of awareness on how to prepare for these rounds. In this article, we shed some light on the latter aspect so that prospective candidates can start working towards the fulfillment of their dreams.

Preparation strategy

Content
If you wish to speak well and make a good impression in a GD, you need to have a fair degree of comfort with the topic that is given to you. Without this, you will struggle to say much; or even if you do have a few points, others may state them before you get a chance.

Keep in mind that for GDs, you could be given any topic: it may pertain to politics, economics and business, sports, social issues. Also, topics are not limited to national or local issues, but could cover broader global themes.

So how can you prepare? You would need to read widely and extensively over a period of time. This will help you in bringing a unique perspective to the discussion which others may not have thought of. A sustained effort at reading about important issues, across a variety of topics, is crucial.

Having done your reading, try and predict topics that may be given to you — what are the important issues that are playing themselves out currently? For example, for this year, topics pertaining to climate change, the environment and global warming, the Commenwealth Games, the issues in Indian hockey, the re-organisation of states in the light of the Telengana agitation, the Womens’ Bill, etc are relevant.

Try and make notes on these topics. Add to your notes the moment you come across a relevant point.

Analysis
Candidates should try and demonstrate sound ability in analysing issues. The top management schools certainly look for this feature in your discussion. You should try and go beyond mere opinions and use robust logic, data and examples to justify your point of view.

For example, if you state that China is doing better than India in terms of the strength of its economy, how would you justify this? You could quote figures pertaining to the relative GDP of the two countries, their GDP growth, per capita incomes etc. You could speak about the relative availability and quality of infrastructure present in the two countries. Then you could speak about trade and the presence of a trade deficit or surplus in the two countries, etc.

Such points help you justify the opinion you may have expressed — that China is doing economically better than India.

How can you develop your ability on this parameter? Whenever you read something, ask yourself certain questions: why did a certain development take place? Whom does it impact and how? What are the likely future repercussions of that particular development?

Once again, make notes of important statistics, data etc which you feel could be useful for GDs.

Communication skills and teamwork
These skills are important and refer to the ability to effectively put across what you know. It is important to create an impact-besides content, the way you express your point is also evaluated.

I advise that you put your point across firmly and confidently, but not aggressively. Do not speak just for the sake of saying something and registering your participation — it can be negative if overdone. At the same time, it is absolutely vital to speak during a GD, and the earlier you do so, the better.

Remember also that speaking just once will not be enough. Try and make at least three interventions during the GD — be a regular participant.

In addition, teamwork is also evaluated — listen to your fellow participants. You can build on the points put forward by others. If challenging someone or opposing his point, try and do so in a polite, non-confrontational manner.

Need for practice
Finally, practicing in at least a few mock GDs may be very useful — you can practice keeping the above points in mind. Also, practice will increase your confidence levels of interacting in groups and you can develop your abilities in communicating effectively in a group. Remember, people will try to interrupt you — you need to learn how to handle it, and handle it well!
Source: http://getahead.rediff.com

Me: Yaar, this is the last time i am writing the CAT exam. if this time nothing happens, i will continue in my field ( whereas i knew that CAT form filling is going to be an endless festival for me which i would be celebrating each year, hehe)

Me again: You know, XYZ has got admission into ABC (choice of words is not coincidental!), i have been preparing for so long but nothing happens. It all about Luck and no hard work!

Me again: I hate this job, this year i am gonna prepare for GMAT, enough of CAT now. CAT doesn’t deserve me ( innocent me )

Me again:I will apply for executive MBA now..what is the eligibility criteria for that?

There are umpteen sentences i remember which I used to share with my noble friends ( Thanks guys for that).

But now, the story has ended. Finally i got admission into one of the reputed colleges in India and i am joining on 13th June.

As they say, it is not the destination which matters, rather the journey. My tryst with this journey has ended….have learnt a lot from it and value what i have got more so because of this journey…

Have loads of stuff to write about it, but finally ending it with the crux of what i have learnt from this – “Yes, luck does matter…but it is nothing in comparison to the hard work and conviction you put in to reach where you want to be!”

Anyways, let me come to the point.

My interview was at 2.30. GD started with a case study. I was 5th in the group of 8 (1 guy did not turn up).

GD was a very simple topic. I started to speak and on the whole I think I did quite well. Easily among the top three performers and arguably the top performer. But I guess GD does not matter much.

Then the PI starts

2 profs took the interview. One person a very cordial smiling face. Let me call him P1. Second prof a bit of a serious type and “Cut the bullshit” look. Let me call him P2.

I go inside

P2: Let me see your certificates

P1: So Bala. Tell me about yourself. Not the usual stuff. We have read your SOP and all…but tell me something more about you as a person
Me : Usual start….then blah blah about my strengths. Told him about my nature and stuff. And then went on to hobbies….blah blah more…

P1: So you are a creative person. What have you done that makes you think you are creative…

Me: Sir, I blog. I write short stories, they have come in oracle magazine, and famous websites…blah blah…..
Also I make advertisement and posters for the Ora Vol Club and Emp. Club at oracle (wanted to take and show him the posters I had done from my file, but he said “thats ok…we believe you”)
Also in my own team I have done this and I have done that blah blah blah…

P1: Hmm…so are you a deviant?
Me: <>Hmm, sir, are you asking in a positive sense or a negative sense?
P1: I dont know. You tell me.
Me: If I take it in the postive sense then yes. I am not someone normal. I have certain abilities that make me special. I am creative. blah blah..more nonsense…
P1: So , you dont follow rules and ethics?
Me: No sir, if I take “deviant” to mean someone who does not follow ethics then I am not a deviant. I follow ethics.
P1 : So , tell me 2 people from India who are creative.

Me : Thyagaraja swamigal in carnatic music is a creative genius…he has done this he has done that blah blah
P1: Is he one of the trinity?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Ok enough. Tell me someone who is alive.
Me: Infy Narayanamoorthy
P2: Ok tell me what he did that makes you think he is creative.
Me: Outsourcing. Pre 1991 Economic reform era. He was a person who spotted opportunity where there was none…blah blah
P2: Was it just him or his team?
Me: It was also Nandan Nilekani and others in his team
P2: Who else were there?
Me : I am not sure of the names of the others. But there was a team.
P2: So is Narayanamoorthy creative or his team?
Me: The team.
P2: Ok, so tell me, is being creative being innovative?
Me: …sir could you repeat that?
P2: If I say that I am creative, am I also innovative.
Me: Yes.
P2: So if I just sit and think about atoms and me flying amidst them , and doing arbit things, am I innovative?
Me: Sir, no. Just thinking about it is not enough. One should put his ideas into action, only then he becomes innovative.
P2: Ok, now to the GD. You were suggesting that the person use a AC Taxi, and reimburse the fair for non AC right?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Now you are oracle sales head. Larry asks you to go to Argentina………..

lots of stories. And then he gives me an ethical vs. unethical drama…
Me: I chose to stick on to ethics at the cost of losing my money.
P2: So you will lose so much money from your pocket?
Me: Given all the conditions I would.
P2: Ok, then next larry asks you to repeat that excercise…..
Me: Oops. That puts me in a tricky situation indeed.

…..they decided to move on…

P1: Who are Oracle’s competitors and what is oracles most serious threat today….
Me: I wanted to take the ERP story….started off with acquisitions, SAP …..
P2 cut me
P2: Is ERP oracle’s primary business?
Me: No sir it is Databases.
P2: Then tell me about the competitors of Oracle DB
Me: Sir they are, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, Teradata, MySQL
P2: Tell me about MySQL
Me: Sir it is a freeware
P2: Freeware?
Me: It is an open source Software
P2: Is open source same as freeware.
Me: No sir. Open source is not same as freeware. But My SQL is a open source available for free download on the internet (I think I went wrong here…not sure if it is a free download)
P2: Compare My SQL and Oracle
Me: Gen fundas….basically more robust…blah blah
P2: Yahoo.com uses MySQL. Why?
Me: some more fundas….Gave some large customers who use oracle
P2 was not satisfied and he said…
P2: Dont tell me why Oracle is good. Tell me how yahoo manages with MySQL
Me: Some fundas…such as Yahoo may have a lot of servers to handle the number of requests…
P2 went on to the next qn.
P2: So why MBA
Me: The usual fundas.
P2: Hey come on, why not a neurosurgeon. You can be a neuro surgeon and have all the things you just said.
Me: Sir, not in my interest….blah blah…
P2: Why here?
Me: Esteemed faculty, peer group…student exchange blah blah…
P2: Boss. You are not coming here to look at our old faces are you? There is something in you that motivates you to come here. What is that.
Me: Down the lane I want to be a business leader in the IT Space and I think IIM B is the right platform to get there.
P2: That is what I wanted to know. That will be all. Thanks for your time.

Me walked out…not knowing how it went…

Guess I will know soon….

Keeping fingers crossed for now…

Since I attended so many GD, GT and PIs, it would not be possible for me to narrate all the experiences.               However, I would like to share a few things which are very important for any college.

1) Be honest. Never bluff.

2) If you are a fresher, be prepared for technical questions like – ur final year project, ur seminar, ur training, ur favorite subject, etc

3) If you have work-ex, be prepared for questions related to business of ur company like – who were ur clients, what was the business of the clients, ur company’s hierarchy, sales and turnover of ur company, number of employees, etc.

4) Interview is a pre-planned game. Pls understand this. Go prepared with answers for all the question like – introduce urself, why MBA, why this particular college, ur hobbies, ur strengths, weakness, career goals,  etc.

5) For every question, ur answer shud be logical and if the interviewer asks, u shud be able to give suitable examples to justify wat u have said.

6) Be prepared for cross-questions.

7) Smile wen u enter the room.

Come formally dressed. Proper haircut and clean shaven. It is very important. .

9) Remain updated about all GK and current affairs stuff. Read morning’s newspaper on the day of interview.

10) Always have a stand and have ur own opinion about whatever is asked to u, esp. in the case of debatable issues and current affairs.

11) Never talk about placements in the interview. Never compare any college.

12) Do a lot of research about the college before attending its interview. It helps u to speak confidently in the interview wen asked for questions related to why mba and why this college, etc.

13) Be thorough about ur hobbies. It is very much possible that ur entire interview can go discussing ur hobbies. If u don’t know all the details, say, about ur favourite game, u are out. It gives a very bad impression.

(the old prof went out for some reason he joined the interview after 2 mins)
me :- good morning sir, good morning ma’am
lady : good morning take a seat
me- thank U ma’am
lady:- have u brought any identity proof with U
Me- yes ma’am
(i handed my driving license to them)
lady:- oh ur license has a smart card.
(alumnus joins in)
alumnus :- what is the need of a memory chip in ur license
me- sir to save information in it.. information about the license holder
alumnus: what kind of info
me :- data like address , name ,expiry date etc
alumnus :- that data can be printed on the card .. why do we need a separate embedded memory chip.. See the information u said is already printed in ur card.
( old prof arrives and takes a seat )
me :- well I guess the police who catches U swipes the card in the smart card reader to check the authenticity of the printed data,or maybe it saves his time by swiping the card rather than reading the printed data…
old prof :- well I will repeat the question .why do we need a memory chip on ur driving license when all the data is printed on ur license…take ur time.. think on it .. it won,t save his time to read the printed data.. the reason is something different.. take ur time .. think and answer
me :- ( after thinking) since there r lots of information about lakhs of license holder .. we need to store the data in digital format
alumnus :- U r talking about lots of data at the server.. we r talking why is there a memory chip on a smart card
Lady:- which branch u have done ur engineering
me :- electronics
Lady to old prof:- (with a smile ) he must answer the question then
me :- (thinking)
old prof :- have u ever been caught by a police while driving..
me :- no sir
old prof kay whenever U get caught the police checks the data in the smart card to see if there is any previous default done by U.. if u r a serial offender it can be seen from the smart card. say for instance u were caught drunken by police .. that would be updated in the memory chip and next time if ur caught U won,t be spared .. understood.
me :- ( nodding my head) yes sir
old prof :- don,t u think u shud have thought of this answer
me :- yes sir , as a manager we need to think of all possibilities
old prof:- (nodding his head with a smile)
alumnus :- do u think smart cards can u used to store money
me :- yes sir
old prof :- give me an example
me :- (thinking) sir In Mumbai there is Go smart card which can be used to travel anywhere
old prof:- does it store money ..
me :- i guess its like prepaid card .U buy the card .. it doesn’t store money
alumnus :- what bout ATM cards
(dumb me didn’t recall ATM stores money)
old prof :- what u mean by data warehousing and data mining
me :- sir i can make a guess, am not sure of the answer.
lady:- ( with a smile ,encourages me) go ahead , go ahead
me :- Since a warehouse means a place where goods are kept , data warehousing must be a place to store lots of data.. which can be used for analysis later
and from mining ,i can guess data mining means , searching for a particular piece of data
old prof :- nice
alumnus:- I see ur a 2006 pass-out and u have only 26 months of experience
(what did u do for 2 years)
me:- sir i worked for a BPO for some time
alumnus:- then u shud have mentioned that here
me:- sir but i don’t have an experience certificate for the same and last year in the month of April I was asked to resign from my job in Patni due to lack of projects…
old prof :- so u were given a pink slip
me :- yes sir, But in stead of searching for other jobs i took it as an opportunity to crack CAT and get into IIMs .
Lady :- ( encourages me again) that’s good and u managed to get IIM calls
me :- I found is unethical to do a job for few months and leave it since i wanted to do an MBA eventually
old prof :- so how do u manage ur finances.
me:- sir I stay with my family and i got enough support from them
old prof:- oh so u r from mumbai
old prof :- that’s great then U seem well determined ..( looking at the lady ) he has decided he is gonna make it
lady:- which other IIM calls
me :- IIM indore
lady :- then u got good chance to make it from a good college ( smiles)
( i don,t recollect exactly but those profs were praising me too much that I am determined ,no one can stop him and blah blah)
its then that i made a biggest mistake by saying
me :- sir I have already converted Symbiosis
old prof:- see no one can stop him
alumnus:- ( who was silent ) which college u said
me :- SIIB
alumnus :- okay ..
( smiles everywhere)
U may leave
me :thank u sir, thank u ma’am

2 panelist .. 1 lady prof and 1 old and healthy male prof( i will call the male prof as prof )
This was one of my final interviews ( i had been giving interviews since 2.5 months.so was actually bored .. I was unprepared for this interview.. I didn’t read news papers for last 10 days.. didn’t study much .. had done lots of traveling for IITs .. anyways
process started with an essay
“is indian movie industry getting globalised ”
the panelist were reading my essay when i entered the room
me :- good afternoon sir, good afternoon ma’am.
lady :- good afternoon , have a seat
me :- thank U
prof :- so u r an electronics engineer having work ex as a software engineer in Patni. okay in your essay U have written “NRI abroad “.. Do u think its right
me :- no sir it has a grammatical error
prof :- what kind of error say to me in the language of data structure
me :- sir it would be redundancy
prof:- explain the error
me:- ( it should be only NRI or abroad ,I explained properly)
prof :- ( reading my essay) hmm kollywood and tollywood movie industry in south .. what r these
me:- kannada movie industry is kollywood and telugu movie industry is tollywood
lady:- tell me the 4 states and their languages in south India
me :- (said )
lady:- what is this u have written e-globally
me:- Ma’am I have written globally..
lady :- okay
lady :- complete this sentence if u agree with it
” democracy is not good for India ……………… )
me :- democracy is not good for India because in India majority of voters are illiterate who can be manipulated easily by politicians . The vote bank politics played in our country divides the country and its people..
lady :- anything else u dislike about democratic system in India and what kind of government u want
me :- ma’am in coalition government, it is not possible to make good decision quickly which is in the interest of the country since most parties r looking for their own interest … like we saw what happened while passing the nuclear bill
I feel a benevolent dictatorship would be good for India.
lady :- what do you mean by benevolent dictator.
me:- a dictator who takes quick decisions in the interest of the country, who is not corrupt ,peace loving, and thinks of the growth of the country and welfare of the people .
lady :- can u think of any past ruler in India who was a benevolent dictator
me :-(thinks) I think Akbar was.. he respected all religions and always thought of welfare of his people.
lady :- Name any other form of government , apart from democracy and dictatorship
me :- communism
lady:- which countries in the world follow communism
me :- China , and i have read somewhere about chile being communist
lady :- okay what u mean by autoXXXX (i can,t recollect)
me:- i can guess its a form of goverment similar to dictatorship
lady :- what is autocarcysyncracy ( i can,t recollect )
me :- i don,t know
( male prof takes over)
prof:- what is this subject u had in your final year.. mechattronics
me :- sir its a subject which has principles of both mechanical and electronics engineering
prof :- so can u answer questions from this subject
me:- sir I can try but am not sure I will be able to recollect .
prof :- what was there in it
me:- about PLCs, transducers
prof :-so what was your favorite subject in engineering apart from data structures (hahahaha he assumed I am good at data structures since i worked on it )
me :-sir I guess microprocessor
prof :- what is the difference between micro processor and micro controller
me :- explained correctly
prof : where are micro controllers being used
me :- in any appliance which does a fixed job .. like a TV , a microwave oven etc where the

processor can be programmed to do a fixed job we use micro controller
prof :- what is used in a laptop
me :- sir micro processors because laptops has to to multitasking and we need lots of

external memory for that
lady:- what is used to implement Fuzzy logic
me:- ma’am I don,t know fuzzy logic
lady:- the one that is used in washing machines
me:- if its used in washing machine.. then it must be micro controller( i was very good in

explaining why)
lady :- hmm so u have mentioned that u are creative ( we had a small psychometric test

before the essay in which we had to mention all this)
(she kept few plastic pins in front of me,paper clips)
okay tell me 10 uses of this apart from its normal use.
me :
1) it can be used to clean your ears 2) scratch your head 3) to remove something it gets struck

in a narrow hole 4) to play by kids since they were colorful 5) as paperweight
6)since its flexible u can use it as friendship bands if u tie it on your fingers
( i was thinking when she stopped me)
lady :- so u have mentioned the reason for leaving Patni as your ambition to study for CAT.. whereas U have written in the column below that u have a gap becoz u were asked to resign from Patni and took it as opportunity blah blah
prof :- u should have mentioned the same reason that u were asked to resign
me:- sir I cud have easily got another job given my experience. but i found it unethical to work for few months in a firm and leave it for MBA.. so i decided to take a gap.. so the main reason was my ambition
prof :- but the reason for leaving should n,t be that…
me :- yes sir but since ,there was a separate column ,i wrote it that way..
lady :- so u were honest in your answer here
Lady:- so what r your extra curricular activities.. what else u do apart from studying for CAT and working for Patni
lemme see oh so u have done cartooning .. draw my cartoon
prof :- (interrupts the lady ) he has organized the competition .. i guess he himself isn’t

a cartoonist
me :- yes sir.
lady:- so u like football, cricket and and and ( she searching for something in

extracurricular to ask me)
prof :- so u like rock music.. whats the difference between heavy metal and hard rock
me :- Sir i guess hard rock is a vast genre of music and heavy metal is a subset of hard
rock
prof :- u sure
me :- ( not so confidently) yes
prof :- U just destroyed my artistic talent( he said something like that and laughed)
a lil bit of smiles followed and they asked me to leave….
i said thank u and left