Blue blooded

When your interviews begin with that of Ahmedabad, it couldn't get bigger worse.

And what an interview it was. If there was any chance to get selected, I made sure it was obliterated. Here's my experience besot with my comments in italics. I have not written my answers at times due to either me forgetting what I answered, or I do not want to make a greater fool of myself in front of you.

Date: 22nd March, 2010
Time: 0845 hours
Venue: Hotel Kennilworth, Kolkata  (Had been here just three months back)


Essay Topic: Corporate houses should take greater social responsibility

My Performance: I think I did decent. Within the stipulated 10 minutes, I gave a short introduction, two examples and almost concluded.

Personal Interview:

I just had to be the first candidate to be interviewed .. darn!


Characters - Moi (M), Two professors referred to as L (left) and R (right) here on.

Moi: Good morning sir!  (I had not decided on the salutation till then :|)
L&R: Good morning .. please sit down.
Moi sits.


R: So, Moi, where are you from?
Moi: Sir, I'm from xyz near Asansol. Gives a little description about Asansol alongwith distances from Dhanbad and Kolkata. I really had prepared, or so I thought. Until I faced the next question.
R: Ok. So, if you join Kolkata and Asansol with a straight line and extend it further northwards, could you tell me what all places would lie on that line?
Wham! WTF! Completely stumped.
Moi: Sir .. err .. I won't be able to tell you about the straight line, but maybe I could tell you the places which come as we move northwards on the railway line from Kolkata to Asansol. (Big big mistake. . why did I have to go along the railway line)
R: Yeah, go on.
Moi: Kolkata, Burdwan, Durgapur .. blah blah .. Ghaziabad, Delhi.
R: That's it? India ends there?
Moi wide-eyed.
Moi: No sir, but I don't know the places which come next.

R: Ok, since it seems you know a lot about railways (Arrey arrey! maine aisa kab bola :( ) tell me who is the railway minister, and speak on him/her for 40 seconds.
Moi: 40 seconds :O :O Sir, Mamta Bannerjee (40 seconds :O :O) .. blabbered as much as I could for around 20 seconds. That's all sir.

R: hmm. Have you heard about Delhi being in Pakistan? Any advertisement?
Moi: (Ye kya ho raha hai .. Delhi in Pakistan :|  Turns out, there was some Indian Railways goof up in an advertisement which I did not know about. This despite going through the whole of last week's newspaper religiously) No sir. No idea at all.

R: Achcha tell me what is government?
Moi: (Kahaan fas gaya mai subah subah :( ) Blabbered something ..
And then a barrage of W questions - What, why, who, where, when etc etc is government of India .. Don't even remember what all was asked, and what all did I answer.
Somehow, the discussion came on the term "company" .. and soon, W's of company .. what is a company, who can form a company, etc etc.
Yaar nahi pata mere ko kya hota hai government aur company. Chhodh do mere ko. Bachao!


L: (Finally comes into the picture by the time I am completely psyched and shaken by R) So, how do you rate yourself in academics?
Moi: (Lagta hai kuchh prepared chizo pe finally sawal aayenge) Sir, above average.
Went on to give details such as class rank, institute rank and was asked to compare the two ranks and explain why I was doing better in the institute as against the class. Did that. (Kuchh toh kiya/bola)


L: Ok. So, tell me the second law of thermodynamics.
Moi: (yippee! kuchh toh jana pehchana puchha) Told. And missed out on the "unless external work is done/heat is supplied" part .. :iamwithstupid (how could I do that when I had prepared so much :x)
L: I think you missed something.
Moi: (Blank) Sir, I can't seem to remember.
Told him three different statements of the second law. And only in that one particular statement, missed out on that part again.
L: Have you taken any management course?
Moi: Yes sir. Operations Research (I had prepared that well)
L: Hmm. I won't call that as a management course. But ok, tell me what is a dual variable?
Moi: (Hadh hai .. pure OR mei yahi ek question puchhna tha. I had read the breadth of OR, but depth nahi :( ) Sir, I don't remember :(

Ab toh kuchh bhi nahi bacha tha. Geography, Civics, Current Affairs, Academics, sab mei maar li.
R: What are your hobbies?
Moi: (Ab ye kyun puchh rahe ho .. dekhna hai ki itna bhi pata hai ki nahi?) Sir, Table tennis, reading books.
L: Tell names of some books you've read over the last 5 years.
Moi: Told.
The situation was such that with every book I mentioned, R asked me the author. And it was only after he asked me, I told the author's name. My brain had went dead by then.


R: Ok. That would be all I guess.
Really!?! OMG .. thank you so much. I almost thought it was a never-ending ordeal.


My performance: Kuchh kehne ko baki reh gaya hai?


That's it. A complete waste of an opportunity. It was probably the best chance one could ever get to convert an A call due to the high seats:gdpi calls ratio.


PS1: IIM C experience to follow soon.
PS2: IIM A logo trivia - It shows the "SEEDI SAIYED JAALI" - the entrance to a famous mosque in Ahmedabad.
PS3: I don't care I got just A and C calls. Would not have even appeared for calls from other IIMs (apart from B) .. But I care :|
PS4: I am stupid.
PS5: I am stupid :(
PS6: WTGW today.