ISB Interview Experience

Essay Analysis Interview Tips Interview Expereince

ISB Interview Experience - 14

ISB Interview experience shared by the candidates:

GMAT Score - 740

Industry – IT Industry

Work Experience – 3 Years 9 months

Latest Company working for – IT Consulting Organization

ISB interview Questions asked:

1. Tell us something about yourself which is not already covered in your application.
2. Tell us about your job... details of what product I market. (in my case it was electrical equipment - switchgears).
3. General discussion about job content (in my case it was export marketing).
4. Have you ever had any difference of opinion at your workplace... elaborate.
5. The company which I joined - Areva T&D, was bought by consortium of Schneider Electric and Alstom. There were substantially long discussions talking of the cultural impact and clash between business philosophies etc. during this change process.
6. I had participated in a conference organized by Asia-Pacific Students Entrepreneurship Society in Hangzhou (China). I was asked about 3 key industries with best opportunities available.


ISB interview tips:


1. There were no generic questions. (like why MBA, why ISB etc.)
2. It was a very friendly interaction, not a stress interview.
3. Almost all ISB interview questions were specific to my profile and my work experience, hence it is of prime importance to be thorough with whatever one submits in the essays.
4. One should be objective and to-the-point in answering the questions.
5. Good humor goes a long way in impressing the interviewers.

ISB Interview Experience - 13

Profile:Arushi is a graduate from Maharashtra Institute of Technology, Pune and had worked in the IT industry for 2 years before deciding to move into beauty and cosmetics sector to pursue brand management. This also prompted her to pursue higher studies in management. She scored 720 in GMAT, applied to UT Austin McCombs School of Business and was invited for an interview. Her ISB Interview experience is outlined below:


Work experience 3 years

Industry Beauty and Cosmetics

GMAT Score 720

Latest company working for IT Consulting Organization

My communication skills where much better here. I spoke the way I generally do. They didn't really grill me on anything, didn't agree or disagree to anything just had straight faces. I don't even know whether they were even interested.


ISB admissions committee started with the fact they are all engineers and don't understand the business of fashion. So they were like explain fashion business to us. (Strange because I am too an engineer by qualification, I don't know whether they didn't know the fact or they chose to ignore it)


I didn't answer this question that well. I told them I am also an engineer by qualification but into fashion by choice). Again I showed them the presentation, my styling assignment. I explained them how does it work in detail. The cost, the models, the production house and everything. (I felt I should have gone beyond my work and told them about the overall business but somehow at that point I didn't)

Below are the few ISB interview questions asked me during the ISB admission:


Ques:They asked me do I know how these production houses works?
I told him yes vaguely. (Didn't elaborate here because honestly I don't know)


Ques:They asked me what if the models don't like the outfits.
To which I answered that unfortunately they don't have a say in it which it a fact.
Ques:One of them asked me that I want to attend a high class Nita Ambani's wedding, can you make an ensemble for me.


I answered him by telling that I am stylist not a designer. I can suggest him outfits and give him shopping tips. He said ok, and then suggest me an outfit. I suggested him the outfits and colours. He wasn't happy with the colours, I suggested him more colours and this went on for some time.


Ques:Another one asked him forget ISB, MBA and everything right now what is your long term goal.
I said entrepreneurship. I want my private clothing label. They asked me whether I have any ideas. Told them private clothing label focused on tier 1 and tier 2 cities. I come from a small town Agra and I have seen how people struggle for fashionable clothes there. The fashion scene in metros is highly saturated with so many brands and options but there is no focused effort on smaller cities. And people in these cities are fashion-forward and have big pockets too. I also told them the plus size clothes and maternity clothes idea. Plus size clothes I told them I have seen my friends on the healthy side struggling for fashionable clothes and apart from 1-2 brands I see on effort on this area. Readymade Maternity clothes I told them mom and me, Mahindra retail have some options but owing to the conservative thinking of our society, this can be a tough area.


(I had few other ideas too but I somehow forget them)


Ques:One of them told me about this fashion brand vinegar which is started by ISB alumni. He asked whether I have heard about it, I told them no I haven't.


Ques:They asked to do a market size estimation of my ideas.
I performed decently here. Had vaguely prepared this. They didn't help me or correct me anywhere. I calculated based on whatever I could think of there.


Ques:They said if you are not a designer, how will you design clothes.
I told them I can always hire designers and I have good fashion aesthetic to know what is good or bad.


Ques:They asked what are your plans post ISB. Do you want to work on these ideas only or you will look for a job too.
I told them that if I can accelerate the process of my dream ventures then nothing like it. If these ideas not materialize then I will look for job options in retail companies like luxocuttica, LVMH, Aditya Birla, jabong, Myntra etc that I know come to ISB campus?
I write for an online fashion website. They said they can't find my articles there. I showed them my article there and also my blog.


Ques:They said that we get that you are creative, you write but are you looking to learn everything from ISB.
I told them my responsibilities at my current company are more than writing and doing creative things. I am responsible for marketing strategy, customer acquisition strategy facebook page and more. (I am actually responsible for more things, I didn't tell them everything here)


Ques:They asked what are your marketing strategies.
Answered this question decently. Had already prepared this.
Told them I am struggling with customer acquisition strategy for facebook page because a lack of experience in social media marketing.
Again no response of good or bad anywhere.


Ques:They asked me what if I don't get through ISB.
I told I will come back next year. I told them I have also applied to HEC and ESSEC Paris because these schools are in line with my career goals just as ISB. In case (did one grammatical error here of god willing) I don't get through, I will stick with Glamdebox and try and make it a success. I will gather all the required information through seminars, lectures, workshops etc (Don't know whether I should have said this).


(I have a couple of other offers as well especially one from UAE to join an ecommerce jewellery brand there. I forgot about this and didn't mention this and also didn't mention anything about my upcoming YouTube channel. )


Ques:Last was the same. Do you have any questions for us?
I asked about the wadhwani entrepreneurship centre and they answered my question.
They didn't have a lot of knowledge on the exchange programs ( I asked them about it) ,so they gave me a another contact to answer my queries.

ISB interview tips

Be yourself

ISB Interview Experience - 12

Yesterday evening I attended the ISB admission interview. The ISB interview experience was cool.

Before interview I was given a word "Action" and was asked to write about 50-100 words.

At 4:00 P.M. I was called inside for the interview. It was a panel of three members.

My ISB admission interview was started by Adcom member. He asked me to list out the current projects I'm doing and then asked to explain each project in detail. He often asked the technicalities of the projects. This discussion went on about 15 mts.

Then the second panel member asked me about theEntrepreneurialexperience I had and the learnings. How would I react if I lose money in a venture.

Finally the third panel member asked me to list out three questions that i expected ISB Adcom would ask. When i listed them out, they were curious to know why I wanted to leave a stable government job.

With this my interview ended in about 25 mts.

I would like to thank you for helping me to build up best essays and for interview preparation. What ever the outcome be, its really nice experience working with you.

ISB interview tips

Be calm and do not make false stories

ISB Interview Experience - 11

Work experience 5 years

Industry IT Consulting

GMAT Score 690

Latest company working for Wipro Technologies

The Interview panellists were adcom member, alumnus and a current student.

My interview is finally done. It went unexpectedly good. They wrapped up in just 5 mins.
All the candidates waiting outside, even the receptionists were surprised. The questions were actually nowhere close to the nut cracking MBA interview questions.

Even I was surprised later wondering why the interview panellists were so nice and sweet to me. But while leaving the room, I found all of them quite happy; I guess all of them were not faking their expressions at the same time.

My ISB admission Interview never went into the interview mode; it was completely a coffee time conversation. We had just a small discussion on cricket; they picked up the toastmaster thing from my profile and were giving me topics to speak for 30 seconds. It's damn easy for any committed toastmaster club member.

The essay word given to me was empathy. I filled up the entire page with motivational gyan within just 2 mins. The other candidates were staring at me. They thought I didn't understand the importance of the essay. I know I did a good job in the essays too. I wrote agyan on how being empathetic can put you in the lead role amongst a bunch of capable knowledge workers in today's corporate world.

My Interview was quite casual and it never went into the interview mode as they didn't ask any real question, and yes, I did not get a chance to sing, but fortunately today morning while travelling to Hyderabad, I met the musician Leslie Lewis (Colonial Cousins) at the airport. Took an autograph and walked in with it during the interview.

One guy smiled asI handed it over to them: Oh! So you are ready with the surprise element.


They made a bit of serious face and started giving me topics to speak on. Within 30secs they were back to the laughing mode, with all of us laughing throughout for 5 mins and gossiping about Bipasha Basu, Shahrukh Khan and cricket.

Finally the results will tell how it went, but this is probably the shortest and funniest interview I have ever taken in my life and walked out with the positive vibe of Yes, I have done it again feelas for all my face to face interviews. Overall my ISB interview experience was great.

ISB interview tips

Be yourself

ISB Interview Experience - 10

Experience:4 years - Energy Sector, GMAT 700
My interview was held in Delhi. The interview panel consisted of 2 members- 1 Adcom member and the other was an Alumnus.

After the initial exchange of the greetings, the following questions were asked to me:-


Profile related: I was asked to talk about myself starting with undergrad to the present work experience.

Work related: I was asked where I was working currently and what were my roles and responsibilities.


Career change: What is your career goal after MBA from ISB ? Why do you want to Energy sector to consulting?


Case question: I was given an estimate question to solve, which I was unable to do so in given time. I was not prepared for such question.


After this I was again asked to justify my short term and long term goals and what I would do if I didn't get into ISB.


Personality question I was asked about my idea of good leader and leadership. I was also asked about my strengths and weaknesses


Final question: Any questions for us?

The interview didn't go as great as I had expected but still I am keeping my fingers crossed for an admit as I have done reasonably well.

ISB Interview Experience - 9

Experience: 5 yrs IT GMAT 710

The interview panel consisted of four people - 2 people from admissions committee, and 1 alumnus.


The ISB interview questions started with the usual questions regarding my profile about my current roles and responsibilities, which I explained as much in 2-3 minutes time. Then they started grilling me on my essays. They wanted to know what I meant by some specific terminology (sustainable competitive advantage) that I had used in my essays (I didn't expect that one!). I tried to explain but don't think they were convinced.


Next came questions on the projects handled by me, my leadership skills and how I handled a difficult team situation. I handled them well as I had expected these questions. The interview was half way done when they started focusing on what I written as my biggest achievement a project which I had done for a knowledge sector client. I was asked to explain it in detail and why I considered it as an achievement. I was grilled by the two faculty members and I don't think I handled it well. They did not convinced about the impact that project would make and my role in it. It was downhill from there. I could not recover my confidence after that.


The alum asked me a question regarding my expectations from ISB and how it will help achieve my goals. Talked about my goals and what I can learn from ISB which aligned with my goals. And last one was as usual questions for us?


Overall, I don't think my ISB intervew experinece was very well. I lost my confidence in midway after the grilling, although I recovered later to reply all other questions but I feel I could have done better.

ISB Interview Experience - 8

This is the ISB interview experience of female candidate at ISB campus, Hyderabad.

The interview panel had 3 persons - 2 Ad Com and 1 alum and went for 30 minutes.

The candidate was asked the following ISB interview questions -

  1. Tell us about yourself starting from academics, work experience and later to personal interest.
  2. In detail about your work experiences.
  3. Why do you think that particular project (written in her essay) was your biggest achievement. Very interesting and grilling discussion on this.
  4. Next questions about your goal 3 years, 5years and 10 years (again mentioned in her essays).
  5. Was given a case study to estimate a market size question. Was able to solve it.
  6. How the painting (her hobby) helps her de-stress, asked to draw a caricature of one of them in 2 - 3 mins.
  7. Questions about team skills and international experience.
  8. Last one questions for us?

ISB Interview Experience - 7

Work experience -2 years

Industry- Healthcare Consulting

GMAT Score - 660

Latest company working for - Boutique consulting firm in infrastructure consulting space

Panel had 2 alums and they asked me following ISB interview questions:

  • Tell me about yourself?
  • Instance when your team failed?
  • Hardship you faced in life?
  • Why Feedback and not hospital management?
  • Why MBA?
  • Why ISB?
  • What after ISB?
  • What if not ISB?
  • What if not consulting?
  • What is the current project? What am I doing in the same? Some digging further too...

Along with this gave me one puzzle, which I could solve only half but persisted till end. Overall, I was able to convincingly answer all the questions and was pretty confident and cheerful.

ISB Interview Experience - 6

Q. Job Responsibilities
A. I am responsible for scale up of a manufacturing process from the lab scale to the commercial scale. This is done on two stages from Lab to the pilot scale and then from pilot to Commercial scale. At the commercial scale I have to demonstrate 3 concurrent successful batches before handing it over to production. The data from these 3 batches are used for filling the drugs so that it can be sold in the market.

  • Observing the final batches at the lab scale when the process has been finalized.
  • Do concurrent engineering to fine tune the process.
  • After the process has been finalized give the proposal for the equipments that I require to the production planning.
  • Receive the availability of plant facility and the duration of that facility.
  • Decide the batch size and prepare a project schedule, planning when a batch will be charged and the time line for the process, taking into account the start to end time of the step and the cycle time.
  • Fit the required in the available facility and list down the major and minor modifications required.
  • Coordinate with the engineering department to get a timeline and costing for the modifications.
  • Coordinate with the stores to check the availability and prepare a schedule for ordering raw materials.
  • Coordinate with QA and Documentation for BPR preparation.
  • Coordinate with Safety dept to complete the HAZOP of the process.
  • Take trainings for the shop-floor manpower, making them understand the criticalities of the process.
  • Coordinate with the QC department to get a slot for reaction monitoring.

Q. Tell us more about what you did at eBIZ?
A. At eBIZ I was responsible for marketing the various computer course packages, which the company provided.

  • Initially I gave one to one presentations to make the sales.
  • Once I had a group of 2-3 I started training my network so that they avoided the mistakes that I made.
  • After developing a bigger network I started giving presentations to a larger group.
  • In my stint I travelled to several cities around the country and have given a presentation to a group as big as 1500.
  • I developed a network of 8200 through my stint.

Q. Did you ever think of leaving your engineering for pursuing it fulltime?
A. Yes, a couple of times I did think of completing my engineering and pursuing this fulltime. I did keep my engineering on the back burner to pursue it; the same is also reflected in my grades as they dropped during a couple of semesters. For a 19-20 year old it was huge to address a group of 1500 people, travel to so many cities, and have people take his autographs. Hence I found the experience very exciting.
Q. Why did you not pursue it fulltime?
A. I felt that the products marketed by eBIZ lacked significantly in terms of value for money. If you search on the internet you can get some very good tutorials for a variety of computer courses for free. The USP of eBIZ started becoming the money that people earned from the company and not its products. Hence I felt that it was not sustainable.
Q. Why did you leave?
A. I left the work because of the following reasons:

  • Wanted to focus more on my studies.
  • The work was no longer viable from a financial point of view.
  • I had started to see the flaws in the system.

Q. What happened to the entire network under you?
A. The beauty of NM is that no person is irreplaceable as we learn a lot from our superiors. So when I left the network one of the associates below my network stepped into my shoes.
Q. Tell us more about the project that you have mentioned?
A. The project was required as:

  • Currently the solvent is being charge using large drums.
  • This involves moving drums from one place to another manually.
  • The same involves a large amount of manual labour and is unsafe.

The project was aimed at

  • Increasing the safety of charging solvents.
  • Making the operation automated and hence easier.
  • Improve the safety of the operation.

Explained the design of the project


Q. Did you see it implemented?
A. The project was taken up for pilot implementation at Hyd. There are several activities that need to be completed before the amount for the project is sanctioned this entire process takes time. I had left the company and during my tenure the project has not become functional .
Q. Whom would the company give the credit for the project, to you individually or to the team?
A. I was the lead engineer of the project and was responsible for driving the project, but the credit of the project would be given to the entire team and not to me individually.
Q. Could you have got the technology that you proposed patented?
A. The technology was not a novel one and similar systems were being used in other companies but not in India. So it could not have been patented.
Q. If the technology was not that great why do you feel it is such a big achievement?
A. The challenging part of the project was not the design of the project but its implementation. The benefits of the project were in the form of increased safety and efficiency, both of which are not easy to quantify, hence getting a huge budget of INR 1 crore sanctioned was not easy. I got responses like: any major accident related to solvent charging has not happened, why I should invest 1 crore to improving it. To which I replied that it is always better to be pre-emptive and take precautions before an accident.
The project picked up momentum when I was able to impress the then President of Manufacturing Mr. Abhijit Mukherjee with the concept. With his nod I was able to get the project approved from my site and start its pilot implementation at site level.
Q. Your long term goal has no plans for entrepreneurship; you seem to have already done very good at it?
A. I want to begin my career as a consultant. After working for 2-3 years on diverse projects specialize in a particular industry, as know-a-days companies want their consultants to specialize early. After building a strong network among the consulting fraternity and the client companies I want to start up my own boutique consulting firm. In the long run I want to be known as a thought leader in the field of operations and be known to solve some of the most difficult problems in operations.
Q. Tell me more about your hobby cooking.
This is a recent hobby that I have picked up. This also helps me spend more time with my spouse. We cook whatever we like to eat. We prepare a lot of cakes, some pastas, garlic breads etc.
Q. Question to them

  • Will the GCP be offered in this academic year?
  • What percentage of faculty initiated research products that students are involved in are focussed on operations?

ISB Interview Experience - 5

Interviewers: Mr. Kannan (K), two alums (A1,A2)
Candidate Profile :5+ years work exp, Semiconductor industry, IIT KGP

Q 1) K: So, you are a re-applicant. What happened last time?

Ans: Probably lower GMAT score & lesser work experience.

Q 2) K: Yes, probably true. Why do you think you are a better candidate now?

Ans: a) Better GMAT score prove that I can excel in the rigorous environment of ISB. etc..
b) Involvement with an NGO: I gained leadership experience, sharpened qualities to motivate/
convinced others. Etc.
c) Performed lead role in the company. Also now I have better understanding of the semiconductor
industry.

Q 3) K: What are the typical problems that you face in your role as a lead?
Ans: Mainly two kinds of problems: 1st technical & 2nd: motivating the team. Then answered how I dealt
with these problems.

Q 4) K: You said you have better understanding of the semiconductor industry? Why do you feel so?
Ans: I explained the recent patterns in semiconductor industry. One cross question was asked.

Q 5) K: Your long term goal is to open a CAD-tool company. Can you explain more?
Ans: I answered it in detail about how my background will help me achieve the goal, short term goals,
companies that I am looking forward to work with after an MBA etc.

Q 6) K: If I understand your goals clearly then I think that designing CAD tools require supreme
programming skills and extensive research work. I think you should pursue Phd. rather than an MBA?
Ans:I replied saying that I need to learn skills to market the products. I was interrupted in between for
the next question.

Q 7) K: Then you should do both Phd & an MBA.

Ans: My venture will be a team effort as no one possesses all the skills to do all the tasks perfectly. I
have identified my team. Explained more & told that one of the persons in the team is pursuing Phd.

K: Okay. I think you have some idea of what you want to do in future. Turns to alums & asks them if they
have any question.

A1) what motivates you at your work?
A1) what do you do apart from work?

K : Do you have any question for us?
Ans: I asked a question whether ISB supports ventures of its alums. How does the Wadhwani center
work?
Overall, the ISB Interview experience was good.

ISB Interview Experience - 4


Candidate from Kenya (ISB Interview happened over Skype video)
The interview went well - and perhaps in hindsight it could have gone better.
There were three people on the panel, one person from the adcom, and two students

The ISB interview questions as follows

  • I was given 30 second preparation, to speak for one minute on a word of their choice - the word given to me was ' SAFARI'
  • They wanted to know what my plans post ISB were, and seemed to probe on the fact that i am at a senior position, and perhaps the placement program at ISB wouldn't be able to help me find a suitable position after the course. They also mentioned the fact that the average experience in the class will be about 3 - 4 years - so i'd be one of the oldies.
  • They then asked me if i had heard about the merger talks between Bharti and MTN - i hadn't, so this was the bad part of the interview.
  • They probed on the Essay - about over coming a challenge - and wanted to know what i did exactly to meet those challenges and over come them
  • They were quite keen on the extra curricular activities - thanks for the tip on this, i was ready for this question

The interview lasted 20 minutes - it was quite free flowing and i think i was quite calm and relaxed.

ISB Interview Experience - 3


Ms Hima Bindu from Adcom was the only person, as told to me. I think there was someone else also but I was not introduced.
  • Interview started with an extempore on word Complex. She said you must have read on Blogs about the extempore -- I m quite active in Blogging, I have.

To start with, I think complex is good word. Complex brings to my mind challenge n challenge brings thrill , thrill to achieve goals and thrill to enjoy the journey something I have done for the application process n ISB
Complex brings to my mind complex issues in India, a diverse nation, integration of rural n urban economy with infrastructure, intellectually... India is more diverse than Europe..complexity of running it with common vision....
On lighter note, if this is the word with which we start our discussion I wonder how next 30 minutes will be, I guess not so complex ::: Giggles Ok.

  • What is your team size ?

14 onsite, 6 people out of them whom I lead, 30 Offshore - Explained the structure.

  • You are rated very high on your team skills by your recommender. So, let us talk about your team skills..What is team, what are the issues you face, and how you resolve them, what do you do ?

Team Skill is complementing each other, common vision and common goals, supportive........ All Individuals are not equally competent but collectively team can be far more than individual brilliance
Then you asked about the Challenges -
I will take example in current team
Process based challenges : Multi- Outsourcing, High Business Expectation
People based [ Yes ...} : Competency, Motivation
Now coming to how I handle these challenges -
Use Interpersonal skills to know people are cognitive and creative level
Excellent Relations, people often outperform in supportive environment.
Stand up for the team and fight when required , provide opportunity to grow -- Good

  • You come across as someone who likes to work in a team and who makes lot of relations with people. So tell me, in this large team who is your best buddy ? -- Tricky One

Ma'am there is no single person as my best buddy.Team is very nice and I generally connect well with all. Ofcourse, there are people with whom I share more common Off-office interests and there are people with whom I share other interests. When it comes to work or team activity, we are all together. So, there is no special buddy... all are equally good. -- Hmmm..I See !!

  • How is Minneapolis like ?

Wonderful, Awesome, I wanted to come in a place where it snows and fortunately today I saw first snow of my life, I thought it is wonderful omen for this interview -- Giggles

  • What is Minneapolis known for ?

Lakes. more than 10,000 in Minnesota and Minneapolis is the capital of Minnesota.

  • What is a XYZ and Albatross in Golf ?

Ans. I do not know much about rules in Golf.

  • But, You wrote you played golf with your clients ?

I went there to cheer the client in their tournament... To me golf is something with which you hold a stick to hit a ball in a hole. When my business user did so, I clapped - Giggles

  • You have written about organizing the team parties and weekend tours. How do you organize those, how do you select the venues and why do you do those !!

Ans. First coming to venues ma'am : It is with everyone's opinion. I organize what they like.. it's all with everyone's agreement......Sometimes All want to be like bachelors and we go to disc and pubs etc. With Spouses and Kids, we have to organize in parks, Sometimes we go from office to lunch or dinner. To a large extent, venues depends on funds by senior leadership and contributions all wanna make.

The you asked Why I do this to : I think it improve team ethics and bonding.
When abroad, people feel cut off from social circle. So team becomes the social circle.

  • What is latest on Mckinsey Quarterly ?

I read about India's Growing Middle class as consumers - Threw a lot of data here 431 Millon lifted from poverty since reforms, Middle class grow to 583 Million by 2025 from 318 Million today etc..Then explained the impact on business, lot of new industires and initiative like GramIT by Satyam, e-Choupal by ITC etc.. lot of opportunities and said, India is going to be an exciting place and that is why I want to be in India.... Was an anticipated Question.

  • You have written that you averted the crisis in PeopleSoft upgrade bid when two resources resigned. What was it all about ?

Ma'am People Soft Upgrade n Resignations were two separate things. I understand these two lines come consecutive.....
The resource crisis was that the resignations were without any notice and hence, I was shipped here on expedited note. There were projects going on in middle and I was given shipped by PeopleSoft Center of Excellence on an expedited note.
Peoplesoft Upgrade I contributed due to my expertise, presentation and network. I have done that in past also.

  • I see, The UGC one you have written. Can you explain more ?

Explained the project in Short. Said that I was involved since, recently I had done well in my assignment n COE noticed me
Also, It is second e-Governance project and I was involved in first one MCA21. So, I had the expertise on the government vertical and customization required in Peoplesoft for Government domain. I utilized those skills in this presentation.

  • You have also mentioned about your negotiation skills. Tell me one example the stand out in your memory, something condition where you used to gain something ?

I explained a GL consolidation initiative that I took as a part of Siemens Shared Services for which I had to negotiate and convince lot of clients in different companies...Explained how it helped both the client and TCS to make a good early impression at a new client.

  • So, what are your post MBA goals ?

Ma'am I am basically an analytical person and I have got good team skills. I have enjoyed relocation frequently and working with clients. With this background and my interest to make impact on holistic level to my clients, Management Consulting is a natural choice. I think it would be a great professional learning exp. I will analyze and resolve complex business problems. I will gain network and a portable skills set that will help me become an Independent Consultant in long run.

  • You seem to have lot of empathy for poor and for education. It seems you father was a school teacher --- He still is ma'am --- Ok.... So I am going to give you a case question. I am interested in your logic and you have to explain your assumptions. I do not worry much about the numbers. I want to see how you do.
  • Calculate the total number of additional schools that would be required to educate all the children in India ?

This went on for long time.

  1. Assume poor do not have access today 50% of 1.1 Billion - 550 Million.
  2. We are talking of children 0-15 (30% - India is young nation) - So total 180 Million Children
  3. Got stuck here n said we are talking of additional schools and since govt is spending a lot with Sarb Shikha Abhiyan, I would say 75% have access to school...They may not be coming to schools but the facilities are there -- she was not quite convinced ..... Finally she said you have missed Rural Urban Divide -- I said, That is an exellent point, That will help, thanks a lot
  4. I said I will consider 2/3 of 180 Million in Rural and 1/3 in Urban because 70% rural population. ..Then I said I assume 75% in Urban have access to education and 25% in Rural Have .. Are these fair assumptions...she said Yes
  5. I calculated that we are talking of 105 million Children, for all classes
  6. Assuming uniform distribution, there are 10 Million Students to be educated for each class. --- Should I proceed... Yes ---- Considering 50 Students in each class and we need 2 Lakh new schools!!

So, to be able to have facilities to put all children in school we need 2 lakh more schools ---- Good

  • Do have any questions for me?

Yes. I have couple of things to talk about
1. How does Research orientation of the school help Students
2. How does Alumni continue to benefit from school n avenues to contribute back --- That is very interesting to know..

Thank you for the insightful details. I have throughly enjoyed the whole discussion. That is all from my end

Have a pleasent day ahead !!!!

ISB Interview Experience - 2


The word on which I was to write was "media activism". I was not sure what activism meant and ended up writing that media had to play important role in everything including politics. The essay might only be fairly related to the topic.

  • First Interviewer - What do u do at nvidia ?

- Work on motherboard chipsets, most complex in terms of number of logic gates used.
- Automate processes and evaluate methodologies
- Working on critical bridge unit.
- did not mention about top contributor

  • First Interviewer - I like your profile. But i can't understand why you are in a hurry to do an MBA... ?

To start my venture, need business skills like finance, marketing ...

  • First Interviewer - no no, my question is about why now ?

I was coming to that... my current job does not give me exposure to business management. It only teaches me technical stuff.
For the next 4-5 years i would not become a lead...
I have also understood the functioning of my company, our competitors, business strategy etc.

  • Second Interviewer - What will your career be without an mba ?

Technical jobs for 3-4 years... Then leading small teams and then larger teams - 7-10years. Will enter project management after that - ~15 years.

  • First Interviewer - What are your short term goals ?

To work as a consultant in a high tech company. - they made a note of this.

  • First Interviewer - Some other question about me being younger

- As people are most active in the 30s I want to start my venture and work on it during that time...
- One year as a consultant will enable me learn more than one year as an engineer.

  • Second Interviewer - you have listed your career for 15 years. now, what would you do if you don't get into an mba???

Apply next year

  • First Interviewer - On a scale of 10, how do you rate your analytical ability ?

8-9

  • First Interviewer - means very high. Answer this... how much sea water is present on the earth???

- Radius = 6k km
- 70% of surface area is sea water
- Avg depth 5 km...
- Surface area is 2*pi*r^2
-Multiply by depth.

  • First Interviewer - ok... u will get it anyway...
  • Second Interviewer - What do u do other than work ?

-I recently learnt pranic healing

  • First Interviewer - is it like reiki

-yes... it is based on energy body and physical body etc...

  • Second Interviewer - what do you do for fun ?

- novels, table tennis, computer games...

  • First Interviewer - tell me more about this pranic healing thing

- some more sutff..

  • First Interviewer - what exactly do you do?

- breathing and meditation, and healing chakras etc.
- I also learnt meditation to combat stress... been doing it from last 3 years

  • First Interviewer - (in disbelief) did you experience stress in college itself???

- Not really... but I wanted to start learning to handle stress early

  • First Interviewer - What makes you stressed >

when work does not happen properly... i take a small break

  • First Interviewer - So stagnation makes you stressed?

yes

  • First Interviewer - as i said, "man in a hurry"

do you have an questions for us...

Overall, although the interviewers liked my profile, I could not convince them that this was the right time for me to do an MBA. One big issue was that after not being able to answer the "why now" question at the beginning, I lost my momentum and realize now that I did not think as much as I should have before answering the questions.

ISB Interview Experience- 1

I was given an essay on Public Policy Consulting. This was tough as I heard it for the first time

Some how managed 100-120 words on it.

Then a gentleman (ISB alumnus) came out and spoke my name. He introduced himself and then took me into a conference room where the interview panel was sitting. There was 1 more lady (ISB alumnus), a current student and a person from admission office.

  • So first question they asked was describe your career till date.

I started with my first job, then how passion for technology brought me to Microsoft , explained roles I have taken at Microsoft, my achievements and innovation experiences etc.

While I was answering one person asked ..

  • Your career has been going very well and you have achieved a lot at Microsoft. Why do you want to do MBA. Whatever you want to do you can do it by urself.?

I said I am inspired by people like Narayan murthy and Ratan tata who have taken Indian business to global scale and made India a major contributor to world economy. And I want to be in apposition like them where I can make larger contributions to the economy and society. IF I keep growing in my current role it will be more of a technical progression but I think by taking business role I can be more useful to society and contribute broadly by solving business problems using technology.

  • What will you do post MBA ?

I want to work for an organization which can expose me to variety of business roles . I would prefer rotational programs offered in any technology organization.

  • How can MBA help you ?

Till now I have been surrounded by engineers only. MBA give will give me a chance to interact with people from different professional and cultural background, understand their view points and also lay the foundation of business concepts required to achieve my goals.

  • You are already drawing lot of salary. IT might happen that, with the kind of role you are seeking, you may end up getting lesser salary that what you have now ? How will you cope up?

Right now I am not thinking about money. I want to follow my dreams and gain experiences required to achieve my goals.

  • What is difference between Google and Microsoft?

Google is a cool organization. IT gives lot of independence to all its employees. BY independence, I mean people their can do work they are interested in even if it's not related to mainstream business and it promotes innovation a lot but Microsoft is more business driven organization and independence Is less.

  • What will you choose Microsoft or Google?

Frankly speaking, My experience with Microsoft has been very good till now as it has given me lot of opportunities to gain variety of experiences. So given a chance, I would prefer to work for Microsoft.

  • So you don't want to experience new things?

I felt like I m trapped but din't want to change my base so I said with lighter mood that Microsoft tried and tested.

  • What is this mantra of do it ,delegate it, drop it, defer it that is mentioned in your essay?

This is just to keep your mind empty and with little planning put everything on paper. A little planning in your day to day life can help you lot in focusing on work at hand. Then started explaining that doing less that 2 mins jobs now. delegating jobs which need inputs etc...

  • Have you ever used this in your work ?

Since I am in a work profile where there is lot of pressure in terms of responsiveness and quality of deliverables So, I have been practicing this mantra over last 1.5 - 2 years and helps me in operating efficiently. Then I gave example of one high profile security issue in Microsoft that I handled successfully and bagged gold star award for execution excellence.

  • What is your take on Telangana issue? Microsoft is a poster boy for Hyderabad so you should know that?

Without any political consensus, UPA government shouldn't have taken any decision on telangana. Just because of a fear of person has gone on fast and might doesn't mean that they should take any decision on hurry. States have been divided in past too without any problem because political consensus was taken into account and lot of homework was done before taking any decision. And regarding Hyderabad dispute, Personally I feel that in case telangana is made separate state than Hyderabad should go to Telangana because AP's strength lies in coastal region. There are seaports, World 2nd largest hydrocarbon reserve has been found there and Billion dollar energy projects are going in that region. But Just because of Hyderabad the focus is here in the west. Letting go of Hyd to telengana will give AP a chance to build a new capital and grow faster in its coastal regions.

  • Most of application comes from people from IT background .Why should we admit you. What unique can you bring to class of ISB?

I come from an organization which is at the help of technology and I have learnt a lot and have been exposed to lot of latest technologies like Virtualization, cloud, Multi touch and have solved business problems using the technologies. I can contribute to Business and Technology club with my learning and experiences so far . More over my innovation experience can be really helpful for the other students at ISB.

  • Just out of curiosity, Have you applied to other B schools In U.S.A or in India?

I want to stay and work in India. And ISB is the best deal I can get here . So I have not applied to any other B. School.

  • IF we admit you and say after an year I will be sitting with 3 of your class mates. How will they describe you in one sentence?

A guy who is passionate about technology, cares for other and help others.

  • Describe your 2 weaknesses?

I find it hard to say no to people whom i know or care for, So sometimes I end up breaking my schedule or working late.

I manage lot of vendors and they sometimes crib that I indulge myself a lot in their work, do Micro management.

  • Daily schedule at ISB is very hectic. One gets only 4 hours of sleep. How will you manage?

I am in work profile where I have been handling hectic schedule for last 2 years. I have handled security cases and critical situations which demands hectic work months. So I am use to It and can handle it.

  • Extracurricular activities.?

I am captain of Windows cricket team. And take part in cricket tournaments.

I raise funds for Non Profit organizations in Microsoft giving month by organizing Bidding events in my team , and Gully cricket etc.

Any question for us?

  • How is Mohali Campus shaping up.?

Guys from admissions team replied with typical answers and then joked if you are interested in Mohali we can postpone this interview for next year.

I replied with lighter mood. NO please, It's just that I belong to Punjab so wascuriousabout the progress otherwise I have got all my answers from my friend. So finally the ISB interview experience was awesome. You may refer above ISB interview questios and ISB interview experience and ISB interview tips if your ISB admission is scheduled.

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