My interview schedule –
Date: 12-Nov-2009
Time: 14:40 Hours
Duration: 30 minutes approximately
Panel No: 1
City: Hyderabad(HYD)
Venue: ISB Campus, Gachibowli, Hyderabad 500032
After the initial euphoria ended of getting a call from ISB which lasted for exactly 3 hours…I realized I just had 3 days to prepare for interviews…which basically said I was screwed big time…Anyways did some normal prep before the interview, then the came the interview date.
The interview got delayed by about 40-50 minutes or so…the candidate who went before me lasted for exactly 17 minutes…also when he was inside lot of loud noises were coming from inside…I had heard a lot about ISB interviews “How they are all conversational, friendly and discussion oriented” aimed at bringing best from the candidate…I has to face a different experience…
I entered the room…greeted the interviewers…one lady aged roughly between 40 and 45 and one gentleman in his late 30′s or early 40′s…I will call them L, G for sake of convenience…
Q1.
L : So ___ you seem to have done so many things, Area 1, Area 2, Area 3 etc from resume (strictly)…why do you do so many things…Are u bored with life ?
G : Why don’t you leave something for other to do ?
Me : (WTF!!! WHERE IS MY TMAY)…Gave some gyan.
Q2.
L : In your App you say your biggest strength is Strength A…Give 2 instances where you demonstrated this thing ?
Me – Answer
L : Not satisfied, cross question
Me – Answer, cut short…lot more gang bang
By this time I realized, that it was a stress interview. I just needed not to loose calm
Q3.
G : You come industry X, whats the biggest problem facing this industry? How can this be improved? what steps you would take to rectify these loopholes?
L : what are 3 biggest trends coming in this industry? Lots of cross questioning ?
Me – Answered
Q4.
L : You work for Company Y, How has recession effected its bottom line?
Me : Recession actually benefited my company.
G : how did it benefit your company when so many lost millions and your company is losing millions due to recession…blah blah?
Me : Answered this is great detail…giving relevant stats wherever required…discussed growth/sustainability…blah blah…why this all has helped my company…(one of the clinchers)
Q5.
G : ___ why do want to do your MBA from ISB ?
Me : (realized L was noticing my body language…ny hand movements n all…thought of changing it once…but then decided against it…I was more comfortable this way
…kept talking)
Q6.
L : ___ U said you wanted to start an entrepreneurship venture? what model are you going to follow? why does your venture make sense? Why would people actually give so much money for such venture? Many more on the same theme…
Me : Discussed this thing in great detail…had worked on this…so made sense i guess in the interview…
Q7.
G : Took a specific instant of people management, asked about how I managed the conflict?
Me : Narrated the incident…describing my chain of thought in great detail.
L : Do you treat this instant as Success or Failure?
Me : Failure on personal front, Success on professional front.
Q8.
G : ___ So you are a poet, recite something for us?
Me : Gave them some lines from my latest work…also presented a published poetry book to Interviewers as a souvenir (not as bribe)…
L : Read 2-3 poems while G was discussing something with me…actually went ahead and found a spelling mistake
Me : (I was like WTF…its worst day of my life…they are hell bent on screwing me
…admitted to mistake)
Q9.
L : Do you have any questions for us?
Me : Asked them a few questions…
Interview ended…Was more than happy to come out…observed the watch…Interview had lasted for some 37 minutes…
Note : My personal experience, It felt as though in short of better word “molested”
keeping fingers crossed!!!
mC