vikram_k51 Says

I have one query regarding Challenging assignment.Is it advisable to give work-related challenge?I have given an outside work challenge but it was part of a CSR initiative of the employer.Is it ok?

I remember the host of the info session at Bangalore saying that it would be preferable to speak of a challenge at work place . However , if it is meaningful and good enough I think you can take a out of work challenge as well. I spoke to some alums before writing this essay and some felt my answer was good while others didn't . So the best thing to do is to write something that means something to you , so that when questioned in the interview you need not fumble for an answer.

Guys,

What are your opinions on the interviews part. In some interviews i faced till date, i wasnt stopped in between my answers and hence was able to lead the interview. But i was and infact many were stopped/interrupted in between our answers and hence the interview largely depends upon the interviewers questions that are born from his/her states of mind. So in such a case dont you all think there is a bit of luck in the interview process as well. But again it makes me think that someone who is well prepared for any type of interview will be able to give her best. So no luck comes in between.

But come to think of stress interviews some of them here had. Isnt it a bit of bad luck (or good luck too) for those who faced them? Or is it that every interview was predecided based on the applications of the candidates. I meant in the review of the app, if a panel feels a bit sceptical of the candidate's pressure handling capacity then they decide to have a stress interview for her? Bcos i know a guy who dint handle any teams in his career till then and was asked many situational questions on team management.

Opinions !

To be honest , i didnt see any stress interview here. Just because the panel says they think what you said in the essay is incorrect or they have a different opinion of the same , you cant call it a stress interview. On the contrary it is a chance to show them why you think you are right.

For ex : The adcom asked me ".... I get everything that I want (toothpaste and other retail items) if i make a call to my next door shop , why would i want to go to an organized retail store ? " . This was a good question as I was speaking of organized retail sector. However i immediately responded with two points which i thikn were taken well. So I would say be prepared for a lot of things and most of all be yourself in the interview. There will be cross questioning for sure , but i think most of the time we can turn it to our advantage.

HTH.

maskedcrusader Says

where did i say 2000 words for first draft...anyways agreed on length of first draft...it should be around 600-700 words...

Here is something that I did. After I saw the questions in June , I wrote a rough draft of my response to the first essay , it came out to be a 700 word essay and was in a very crude format. Then I sent it across to a couple of seniors and friends who helped refine it. All of my essays went through multiple reviews (some even 8 times). But when they were finally finished I could see the difference. They were more simple and precise and that is what is required finally. One more advise is to take criticism in a proper way but stick to what you want the essay to say. People might suggest a lot of changes but then they might not reflect your actual personality.

I have played carrom, fumbled with the rubic's cube, watched countless movies..(even the ones not released in india yet).. to kill the anxiety.. but nthing seems to help.

Yesterday I was answering queries by a R2 applicant and one important question was "building a story". Though I was equally flustered when I wrote my essays.. looking back I now realise what "building a story" means

I am going to pen down my opinions for the benefit of R2 applicants. Others are welcome to add

To put it in very simple words.. it requires you to list down in chronoligical order events from your life and then somehow connect each event to the other (in the sense that it would seem that one event led to the other) and form a thread in a larger scheme of life..

Yeah this will help R2 apps and will help us ease our minds. Here are my inputs on building an essay. Be truthful , take 3 important points and expand rather than trying to put lot of information. This is useful especially in the third essay where you have something like 1 para for your career progression.
Be clear about ur goals and what you write in the essay , adcom will grill you on that . I said I want to work in Indian Retail sector and in the role of Supply chain / operations manager. nearly 15-20mins of my interview were on retail.

panel 1. genuine interviews of potential candidates - big responsibility
panel2. cross checking of application info. if any discrepencies, they report to senior panel and a rejection is sent. if no discrepencies in application, admit which is already decided.less responsibility
Panel 3. Interview Training of junior adcom and alumni. minimal responsibility. but if they come across a big candidate by chance or oversight, they convey the same to the senior members.
panel allocation is done based on gmat scores and other parameters as discussed above.
panels numbers indicated above are the quality of panels rather than pure numeric. on my day there were 8 panels.
If all those attending the interview think they are genuine candidates then there should have been 8 - 15 panel 1 type which is not possible due to small no.s of senior staff.

This is at the least a very bad analysis of the panels and I cant understand how one can reach such a conclusion. I was interviewed by panel 1 and there were 3 people , the same people interviewed various other candidates from various industries. The way my interview went i think it was more extempore than anything else.

Ok... done with my interview just an hour and half back. It was smooth and there were three members on the panel. Two alums and one from the adcom. It was very smooth.
Lady : So what is this Shishu Mandir thing that you are talking about . How are you contributing to it ?.
me : spoke about stuff on how i got in touch with them and how over the last 8 months i have been helping kids etc .....how the kids cant read proper english and how i am helping them gain that skill.
Lady : ok . So you want to be in Retail sector. Can you give an overview of why you want to what you want to do.
me : blah blah blah .... the industry ,potential and how it would be sustainable through efficient supply chains etc ...
Lady : which models work and which would not ? . What brands do you want to get associated with.
me :foreign models might not work here. Best way is to eliminate middle men , reduce costs and give to the consumers at a lesser price ....took an example of how walmarts stores operate in us and why that model might not be good here.
Alum 1 : So if having a store outside wont work , having it inside a packed city where retail costs are high makes it a lower margin business
me : took a quote from a report which says indians are individually poor but together they are rich and said if people can leverage on the scale it would be a really good business. Said back end costs need to be decreased.
Alum 1 : What are your biggest success and failures
me : spoke about some blah blah .... i thought it sounded convincing.
Adcom : how wuld u attract some one from an unorganized retail store to an organized retail store
me : product availability (choice) and quality are the differentiators.. spoke for some time and said if organized retailers can make good use of this it can be a good business
Adcom : key takeaways from ISB
me : knowledge of retail industry and a good professional network. They only asked for two and i said can i add a third one . dont remember it now.
Adcom : what are the key takeaways for your batchmate from XYZ college , who has a similar profile
me : spoke about my int experience and how it can enrich others . spoke about my collaborating style of leadership and how it can help him in various discussions etc....
adcom : do you have questions ....
me : about bidding process for electives , effects of recession.

finally , thank you and handshakes all around.

on the whole it was good .... but honestly dont know what to expect ... wait till 25th.

PS777 Says

yups...i am in to meet on tue or wed before leaving bnglr...whu else ???

How abt tuesday ? ... some where on the old airport road ? ... suggest other places if this far

PS777 Says

hey i dnt mind 5th actually...by the way do u guys wanna catch up once before leaving for Hyd ?

So u guys wanna catchup before leaving for hyd , next week.....

PS777 Says

hey i dnt mind 5th actually...by the way do u guys wanna catch up once before leaving for Hyd ?

Yeah sounds like a good idea. How abt either tuesday / wednesday. I am planning to leave on thursday night.

yeah i was thinking of 5th itself... may be go meet some alums on 6th ? .. are you taking a flight ?