my choice of the interview is Bangalore and still my status is showing that I will be notified 5 to 7 days before the interview date. Is it time to move on for me? :(
I am based in Mumbai had have a 640 in the GMAT. I am a dentist with 7 years work ex.
1. Will I get a call to interview with such a low GMAT?
2. What can I do to start preparing for the interview right away?
I have been a silent observer here for a long time. I had applied last year also but find that this year this thread is very boring. More than 100 interviews must have been done with today and only one interview debrief?
Bahut na insafie hai...
or has the action shifted elsewhere?
Finished with interview... No grilling as such but one of the interviewers kept trying to twist my statements.. Managed most of the questions thrown with a few mistakes... . Questions remained limited to details of application.. Why MBA and why isb... Being a reapplicant no specific question on why didn't get in last time... No questions at all relating g to the reapplicant ...
Extremely lucky are those who had/have interview invites today and tomorrow ... ISB Leadership Summit going on with multiple CEOs, thought leaders, comedy shows (TVF etc), Theatre artists
and top National Ministers as the speakers... from grand buffets to wine tasting open to all (for those inside the ISB campus, ofcourse)..test rides of BMW , Harley davidsons, Mini Cooper for all.. amazing atmosphere...
Re Posted...
Congratulations to the people who have a call for an Interview...
As requested by @anil.parab here are some tips for the Interview:
1. The interview at ISB is a test of what you know and not what you don't . This is the difference between other schools in India and ISB.
2. By design it is supposed to test your strengths and not grill your weaknesses.
3. It is not a stress interview unless you are stressed out or get intimidated. Yes they do try to get under your skin especially if you are from the IITs or from one of the special categories.
4. Most of the questions (90%) are based on what you have put in your profile. So read your application in detail ... Not just your essays but the entire app.
5. Remember the panel gets only about 10 to 15 mins to read your profile so your application and essay quality matters.
6. Panelist know that you are not looking at ISB for NETWORKING and KNOWLEDGE but Career Progression. Be candid it helps and save yourself the trouble to camouflage your aspirations.
7. Most evaluation at the interview is aimed at finding out if you can be PLACED post ISB. This is natural. Especially people with 7 plus years of work ex need to be very clear where they see themselves after ISB and how do they plan to get there even if the Placement Team from the School cannot help.
8. Your Plan B should inspire confidence and not stress them out. Usually your long term goal is of little interest to anyone but interviewers have a tendency to ask for it so that your plan A & B can be tested. Ideally Plan A & B should lead to the same long term Goal.
9. Every MBA worth the salt wants to be an Entrepreneur in the long run. So this is a given... How you plan to bide your time getting there is the interesting part that interviewers are interested in.
10. You may want to anticipate questions but do not forget to practice your answers at mock interviews.
11. Remember the key is crispness (not sharpness) of the response.
12. It is better to give a short answer and then be probed than give a long answer that makes panelist switch off.
13. Never argue at the interview... you cannot win.
14. Last but not the least ... 7 out of 10 times you may think you aced the interview but at ISB you can still be dinged on the basis of the rest of your profile.
15. Also remember unless you practice right and get your answers validated by a pro there is no sense practicing. By doing Mock Interviews with your friends you are getting nowhere.
Wish you all the best...
Llewellyn Desouza
#MBAcounsulting - We don't have a website so google 'Llewellyn Desouza' if you have to or checkout our testimonials on LinkedIn.
Dressing for the MBA
Original post of last year: http://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/isb-class-of-2016-aspirants-25114081/29468442
Dressing for the MBA interview is important and the only cue you get from most schools is 'Business Formals.' Google this term and you are left even more confused.
So here is a tried and tested formula that you can adopt... and I picked up most of this from:
http://poetsandquants.com/2014/10/08/did-you-get-good-news-from-hbs/2/
Tips for Women:
Women are blessed with a lot of choices that range from a formal suit to a Saree or even a formal looking Punjabi (Churidar/Salwar with a plain/ uni coloured top.) The idea is to be comfortable in it. Do not experiment with your outfit on your interview day.
For example if you have never carried off a business suit comfortably do not attempt doing so on your interview day.
While dressing choose color and style that is simple and classic. Skirt lengths need to be at least knee length. Make sure tops fit appropriately. When in doubt, choose a conservative cut.
Hair and make-up should be natural and clean. That means avoiding the colorful, vibrant palette and opting for neutral subtle tones. Keep hair out of your face and do not play with it during interviews. Your best option is to pull your hair out of your face to avoid it becoming a distraction. Handbags should be left at home unless they could theoretically fit a legal pad and laptop, opt for a large structured tote. Choose jewelry/accessories that complement your outfit, not flashy baubles that distract. Pearls are fail-safe, though if you'd like to express your sense of style, that's fine, just keep it classic and simple.
Footwear for women: Wear closed toed pumps with a heel height of one to three inches.
Tips for Men:
Unlike Women, men have to put on a formal suit which is black, grey, or navy blue for the formal interview. You may choose plain or (sensible) pin-stripes. Reserved sport coat also works, though a good suit is fail-safe. Black does not go with brown. A black suit requires a black belt, shoes, socks. Navy pairs best with brown accessories. Shirt/tie color should not be distracting. Make sure the suit fits properly. Ask a tailor (or you mom).
Tips for both men and women:
Do not wear cologne or anything else that has a strong smell. Do wear deodorant. Mints are helpful but make sure it's dissolved before you start the interview. Gum is not acceptable. Keep your look clean and professional.
Llewellyn Desouza
#MBAconsulting- We do not have a website but you can read about Llewellyn Desouza on his LinkedIn profile.
Finished with [email protected] panel had 3 members consisting of 3 alums, one of which was also a part of Adcom. Questions remained mostly related to the work experience, to some parts of essays, and only 1 question about the what I have done in last 1 year and my extra-curriculars...No standard questions such as Why MBA or Why ISB. My interview went on for almost 40-45 mins. The interview was more of a conversation but little bit grilling (Hey..it went on for more than 30 mins!)
P.S.: After being informed of a lunch break, I alongwith two other candidates went for a coffee downstairs and my interviewer came to call me saying - it's your time already and you're here. I told him we're informed about the break but anyways apologised. I hope this does not go negatively..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was interviewed by a 2 member panel yesterday and was given the word Proactive to write on.
My interview was somewhat okay but I have mixed feelings. You could not tell a thing form the expressions of the two panelist and one of them went on and on for almost 20 mins wanting to know firstly why a CA like me needed and MBA and secondly why would I want to do it from ISB which according to him was not so strong in Finance related Placements. Over all the interview lasted only for 30 mins. No case study or estimation questions but yes all questions were based on my profile and essays. One of the panelist actually complemented me on my 'Great' essays but I hope that was not just an icebreaker.
I must thank @Llewellyn75 for all the help. Thank you Sir!
What is the minimum eligibility criteria to get into ISB?
I had the interview today, was asked to write an essay on Proactive. I am not at all satisfied with my interview. My short term goal was to become a product manager in an E-commerce company like Flipkart, Amazon. They looked mostly convinced that my current profile isn't of a product manager and kept on grilling me for my past entrepreneurial stint. I had 3 panelist and one was Dean of ISB mohali. Although according to me I gave all the answers but I feel I could have done a lot better. Anyway for the people if you have interviews in coming days, make sure you have answers of 5 whys for everything u have written in your essays
Just finished with my interview from Bangalore. I had a panel which had three alumni and at least two of them were from the same (product engineering) background i felt. The grilling started from the moment i entered the room and included questions about every single aspect of what i had mentioned in my applications, specially the essays. The interviewers knew completely about what i was talking as they seemed to have the same kind of experience, i always think thats positive. One guesstimate kind of question which was ok. I think i made a couple of factual errors but overall was happy with the way the interview went. It was a good experience though !
Hi Puys,
Here's my interview debrief:
>> Interview Details:
Date, Time & Location - Nov 7th 2015 at 4:15pm in Bangalore.
One-word Essay Topic - Perfect
Panelists - 2 ISB Alums (not able to recollect their names)
Duration - about 20 mins
>> Interview Questions:
1) How was your day today? How good/bad was the road traffic while coming here? (teaser)
2) Tell us how about your career progression in the last 3.5 years.
3) (follow-up question) You mentioned you have learnt new things both within and outside your job. Elaborate.
4) (follow-up question on an example I gave) You work for enterprise software which are usually solutions with lot of complex features. How does mobile responsiveness make sense for such enterprise products?
5) What is your role as a Scrum Master?
6) (follow-up question) Did you ever face any power struggle or problems in your role as a Scrum Master since you had to also deal with senior colleagues?
7) A clarification question on something that I had mentioned in my essay about working with colleagues in China.
8) Talk about your experience with the 2 Patents. Which is your favorite of the two and why?
9) (follow-up question) What would have been your reaction if your company rejected to file your Patent applications?
10) How do you commute to work? What are the major traffic bottlenecks near your office location? (trailer)
11) (now the full picture)If you were the Bangalore BDA Commissioner, what solutions would you come up with to solve the traffic problems?
12) Why ISB?
13) What if you were not selected at ISB? How will you still pursue your goal of becoming a Product Manager?
14) What are the companies out there where you think you can add value as a Product Manager?
15) You have a strong tech background with focus on research and innovation. Why not MS/PhD?
16) Any questions for us?
Overall, I felt the interview was not pathetic but not great too. I think I could have given a more structured and thoughtful response to the traffic question. Not a stress interview by any means but what I found strange was the lack of any acknowledgement or reaction on their faces, either negative or positive, for any of my answers. And that's why I am unable to really rate my chances or feel convinced about my performance.
>> Advice to fellow applicants:
Knowing thoroughly about yourself, your current job, your company and your
industry should be the most important parts of your interview preparation. Be
sure to back what you say or have said in the essays with relevant, specific
and truthful examples. Good luck!!
Interview Debrief:
3 alums: all three males in their mid/late thirties.
Q1. Being to Leh on solo trip. Tell up about that. (Essay 2 was all about this)
Ans. Started off with ahh's and umm's, but managed to end it well with a lot of specific incidents that made it memorable.
Q2. What challenges you faced?
Ans. Told them a lot list. Managed to make them laugh on a particular situation I has faced.
Q3. Did you ever feel like turning back after so much?
Ans. Told them a incident when I actually did, but then put my better foot forward to finish what I had started.
Q4. Why so many role changes within an organisation. (I have moved around a lot within my company)
Ans. Explained the situations of why and how I moved. One reason being that my industry doing poorly under the current market conditions.
Q4. If you were the CEO of the organisation what will you do to improve the situation under such poor economic situations.
Ans. Oops! Wasn't prepared for this. The looked at my confused state and offered me 1 min to think. Went ahead and told them a few points. This was where I stumbled and tried to give a rather confused answer. Then I was asked to be more specific, which is when I managed to put this in a more concise way.
Q5. Best of all the roles I've been in.
Ans. Gave my choice and a reason. Grilled again on how I would manage specific situations.
Q6. My biggest strength with an example.
Ans. Sailed though.
Q7. 1 min impromptu speech on one of my hobbies.
Ans. Managed it but could have done better. I doubt I managed 1 min also as I had lost the complete sense of time.
Q8. any questions for us.
Over all a good experience. Everything was from within my application. One of them of poker face - expressionless. Other two were more friendly and nodding on specific instances. Now the wait begins. 😃
Profile: GMAT 730, 4.5 years work-ex, interview date-7th Nov, Hyderabad.
Hi All,
I had my interview yesterday in Bangalore. I opted for the EEO.
Profile: 720, 1 year 3 months, Business Intelligence & Analytics Consultant, GPA - 8, BITS Pilani
The interview was very smooth and they questioned me about my experiences in the current workplace and the challenges I faced. They further asked as to how I chose this stream being an engineering student. Then they questioned me about trekking since I had mentioned it in my hobbies. Further, they gave a situation and asked me what I would do in such a situation. With this my interview was done. But no further questions about why ISB or post ISB plans.
Could the experts out here let me know if the way interview has gone suggests if they were not interested in my application as such?
To all those who have been interviewed till now, could you please tell if you came across any kind of guesstimate questions? If yes, what were they? Thank you
Does anyone know about the probable date for Kolkata interviews? Or if anyone has already received the call?
Hi All,
Anyone travelling to Hyderbad from Bangalore for interviews next weekend? And do we need to carry any documents other than ID proof?
Anyone from Mumbai received an interview invite yet?
With a 680 GMAT, IT work ex of over 6 years, does it make sense applying in the round 2?
How to start working on the essays any tips?