My IIM L GD & PI Experience held at IIM B on 21/02/2006

pravindevanathan · Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 1

Hello!

Much similar to Naveenan's opinions, I too want to state that the IIM B campus is picturesque.

Got up at 5:30 AM and went for a jog, supposedly my aliment for jumpy nerves. Came back, showered, dressed, had breakfast, took my mother's and sister's blessings and my nephew's wishes and got into an auto that put me at IIM B at 9:15 AM.

Had visited a friend of mine who studies at IIM B, the previous day, so knew where i had to go.

Met a few friends and went about getting to know those who were there in my panel. Only 7 of the 10 had turned up.

The following is what followed suit:

Topic for GD

Parliament sessions are a waste of people’s money

A candidate started off saying that the sessions are a waste. The issue of Ganguly's side in the team being discussed in the parliament is a wate of people's money was the example quoted.

3 others jumped in with different examples.

I got into the GD now.

My points:

Before we get into specifics, I would like to talk about the purpose of having these very sessions.

1. The more an issue is discussed the greater the success of the decision that would be made. Board meetings happen at organizations so that key decisions can be better formed after in-depth, multi-dimensional analysis. The reason why these meetings work and account for the money spent is because, like-minded individuals get together and each one makes a genuine effort to look towards the future of the organization and and the greater interests.

(A candidate comes in with the point that this example cannot be stretched to the Parliament as it is not possible to bring together MPs who will make healthy discussions. I remained silent.)

(Group is discussin about India and India alone.)

2. Why discuss only about India? Let us talk about the global scenario (Spoke a little about UK)

(Group was discussing bad decisions made at our parliament)
(Group had arrived at the consensus that sessions are useful)

3. So the reason they become a waste is because of the participants which reflects on our bad choice of leaders. (Highlighted the Cash-For-Questions scam). Hence we need to have intellectual leaders who place the greater interest of the masses and the nation as the first priority, irrespective of whether they belong to the ruling party or the opposition.

(Intervened by another candidate who asserted that one needn’t be educated to be a good statesman, though education does help)

4. I agree with you, however, considering the current situation we need to incorporate some stability in the system. To do that educated individuals are the need of the hour. They would be able to account for the money spent for these sessions. Once the stability is achieved, we can afford to make room for everyone who has a vision for the nation, irrespective of whether they are educated or not.

(Remained silent for the next 3-4mnutes)

5. Once again, to talk about the global scenario, I would like to quote information from an article published in Reader’s Digest. It had compared the political scenario in US and China and how the latter was getting better. This was because, 85% of those in power in US were lawyers while in China, 75% of them having science background and hence can think rationally to protect the interests of the nation and envision its growth into a super-power. Comparing this to our own nation and other nations, it shows that educated leaders can make a difference.

(Group agrees and someone else has other examples to quote)
(Group gets back to quoting bad decisions made at Indian Parliament)

6. I believe we are discussing only the occasions where the parliament sessions have been a waste of time. This has been true more often than not. But I would also like to talk about those occasions when these sessions have been useful. For example, the discussion on the stand that India should take on Iran. That the Leftists have issues with the government’s decision is another thing. But the fact that the UPA government took a decision that is meant to protect the related interests of our nation and that the opposition is also with the government on this count, goes on to show that some sessions are productive. Need of the hour is to make each and every session accountable.

(Group discusses for couple of more minutes and the GD comes to an end.)

I am the first candidate to be interviewed. Panel is of 2 members – A gentleman and a lady.

Lady: Ah! Please sit down Pravin.

Me: Thank you M’am.

Lady: So, you think education is very important, do you?

Me: Yes m’am, considering the current situation….

Lady: (breaks my flow) situation where?

Me: In our nation m’am. The political scenario…..

Lady: (stops me again) But why India? We thought you made a good point by saying that the discussion should be at the global level……

Me: Yes. Even at the global level, I am of the opinion that education plays a significant role in creating and shaping leaders. The example I had quoted about US and China is on those lines.

Lady: Aha……..true, I remember…….so what does Cognizant stand for?

Me: The dictionary meaning for cognizance is “to be aware and knowledgeable”

Lady: Okay. So do you have a logo? Do you think logos are important?

Me: Yes m’am. We do. It is “Celebrating Work” and “Building Lasting Relationships”

Lady: So does it actually make a difference in any way?

Me: Yes m’am. For instance, I shall take the case of the logo “Building Lasting Relationships”. We have several examples to portray to new clients about how we have successfully retained customers over a long period of time. So when we round mention our logo and follow it up with these examples, it certainly does influence the client’s decision.

(The gentleman who had been totally aloof suddenly reaches forward and asks for the file on my lap. Until now, he had been yawning, stretching and gazing at the ceiling in a cyclic manner.)

Lady: So Pravin, tell us why you want to do management?

Me: My engineering background has given me the room to nurture certain elemental analytical skills. At the same time, I have also been a keen participant in extra-curricular activities which has defined my personality to a large extent.

As an engineer, I have been entrusted with responsibilities that involve problem-solving, task execution & completion etc. at a fundamental/micro level.

During this phase I have not restricted my self to my role but have tried to be part of activities at a higher level.

With exposure to management education I can complement my existing skills and also harness and utilize the power/potential of the same. I would be able to seat myself at a vantage position between the vendor and the customer and would be in a better position to analyze and understand the needs of the customers, enabling me to sell ideas better. It is a big step in enabling me to make a direct impact on the organization’s decision making process.

Man: Okay, you are an instrumentation engineer and working with the Insurance domain at Cognizant?

Me: Yes sir!

Man: Give me the basic concept of insurance?

Me: The concept is that when a group of people come together and pool in their extra money, the probability that all of them would require the money at the same time becomes lesser. Hence in this manner, the money can be used to help the individual in need while at the same time the insurance company can invest the money elsewhere and increase its value.

Man: So probability is the key concept. Hmmm, do you know what conditional probability is?

Me: Yes sir. Event B occurs on the premise that event A has occurred.

Man: Here, (handing me a paper) can you put down the equations for me?

Me: (After 10 seconds) I am sorry sir. I am not able to recall the formula now.

Man: No problem. So you are heading a team of 4, u including?

Me: Yes sir.

Man: How many are with a computer-science background?

Me: Only 1 sir. The rest of us are not.

Man: So, does he do anything different from what you guys do?

Me: No. The application we are working on.……

Man: (Interrupts) So, when all of you are doing the same work, doesn’t it make sense to abolish the concept of specialization at the UG level? What do you think?

Me: I wouldn’t want to agree with that sir. Today the IT sector is booming and hence engineers from all backgrounds are drawn in due to the demand created by the market forces. Tomorrow, however, when other sectors like manufacturing, automotive, pharmaceutical etc. start increasing their pace of growth we would need special skills to feed the demand. The same can be obtained only if our education system provides engineers with specialized knowledge.

Lady: What would influence you when choosing a B-School?

Me: The primary indicator would be the ranking that the B-School enjoys in the nation and its global recognition.

Lady: So what are the objectives that people would use to rate B-schools? I am sure, you would have done your homework about all these? So what surveys etc……

Me: The overall public opinion and the surveys conducted by popular magazines help one to…..

Lady: (Doesn’t allow me to finish) You are not answering my question. I am asking about the parameters that are used to rate a school.

Me: hmm….The parameters would be Faculty, Placement Record, Industry Interface, Curriculum….

Lady: what about curriculum?

Me: May I use an example? IIM L itself?

Lady: Yes please…..

Me: I obtained this info from the website of IIM L. Though I don’t remember the exact words, I remember reading the quote that Learning ceases to be learning when it becomes stagnant. And this was followed by how the curriculum is periodically revised to match the current trends in the industry. I found this particularly impressive.

Lady: oh okay…..

Man: So what about placements? Tell me, if I give you the choice of joining a school that has an average salary of 5.5 lakh and places all its students and another school that has an average salary of 10 lakh but places only a few of its students, which would you choose?

Me: It is once again subjective…..

Man: (Interrupts) tell me either A or B….

Me: (after 5 seconds, pretending to think) I would choose the school that places a few of its students but has an average salary of 10 lakh.

Man: What if the school places only 30% of the students? Would you still go for it?

Me: Yes sir.

Man: Why?

Me: Because it is a clear indicator that it is about the survival of the fittest. This means that I would have to fight it out to be there. By doing the same, when I get to be in the 30%, the experiences that I would have gained and the pressure and competition that I would have faced, would make my profile strong and unique and also that I would be better equipped to take on the realities when I step out of the school.

Man: So you are prepared to take risks?

Me: Yes sir. I look at it as a healthy challenge and I have the fire in my belly to chase my dreams.

Man: Have you come across the concept of risks in Insurance?

Me: Yes sir. I am familiar with the concept.

Lady: Who are your clients? Or is it confidential?

Me: Not at all m’am. Our flagship clients are MetLife, e-Bay, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing,….

Lady: You were talking about being a part of the decision making process in the organization. What is I tell you that it is a myth? That you are never going to get to be a part of that process even after your M.B.A. Have you interacted with anyone who has completed his/her M.B.A in the recent past?

Me: No M’am. I haven’t interacted with any such person. But from what I have observed, the business analysts in my organization do play a crucial role in understanding the client’s business and analyzing the same to procure new businesses from the clients. These analysts have a significant say in the business development processes of our organization and hence have a place in the decision-making chain.

Lady: So you do see a difference in the way you think and the way they think?

Me: Definitely. Their perspectives are totally different …..

Lady: (Stops me..) okay I guess we have come to the end then……unless (looking at the man) you want to add something…..

Man: hmm…..no…..

Lady: Actually I have one more. You told us that you have a clear drive and fire in your belly. Is that a gut feeling or would you be having examples to quote?

Me: Yes m’am. I shall quote one of those instances where I demonstrated my drive to accept challenges and win them. (Me gives an example from work scene)

Lady: okay. That is good. So good luck then. Do you have any other calls?

Me: Yes m’am. I have SPJain.

Lady: Good, good……Good luck to you.

Man: Which do you think is the best coaching institute in Bangalore for CAT?

Me: I really wouldn’t know sir, but I do believe, TIME and IMS are the market leaders in terms of volumes.

Man: Did you go for any classes?

Me: No sir.

Man: Not even for your GD/PI preparation?

Me: I did attend classes for my GD/PI preparation.

Man: Which institute?

Me: Ascent Education in Chennai

Man: So how would you compare what you were taught there with what happened here. In terms of closeness, rate it on a scale of 1 – 10.

Me: I would say, I would rate it as 5, sir. This is because, they helped me prepare for certain expected questions but quite a few that I encountered today weren’t what I was really expecting.

Man: Did they teach you why you want to do management? (laughs loudly……)

Lady is smiling sweetly as well……..

Me: (Smiling) Not at all sir. I have my own strong reasons for pursuing a career in management.

Man: Yes, yes, of course…but did they teach you the answers?

Me: No sir. I had my answers. Where they played a crucial part is in giving structure to my replies and helping me to build a framework that would justify my potential and reasons.

Man: Oh okay. That is nice to hear. Thank you so much.

Lady: Thank you Pravin and wish you luck. Can you please ask the next candidate to come and wait outside the door of this room?

Me: Sure m’am, I will do that. Thank you m’am …….Thank you sir.

(Bus, ho gaya!!!!)