IIM personal interview – even though there are thousand other interviewes from other B-schools, this comes out to be the most crucial for many, if not all, B-school aspirants. Given that CAT 2020 proved to be a debacle for many CAT aspirants, the term, ‘IIM personal interview’ got limited just to the CAP interviews and that of IIM Rohtak (at least for those who flunked one or more sections in different slots).
In this article, which – as we keep reiterating – is one of the several posts of the interview experience series (which covers the non-IIM and IIM personal interview experiences), we delve into a candidate’s IIM Rohtak experience.
For the other articles of this series, check out the following links.
- Great Lakes
- IMT Ghaziabad #1
- IMT Ghaziabad #2
- IIM Rohtak
- NMIMS
- Symbiosis
- S P Jain
- IIM CAP #1
- IIM CAP #2
- IIM Lucknow
Now, let us roll the red carpet for the actual interview experience!
The IIM Rohtak interview experience
As has been our convention, we will first introduce the panel and then move on to the lit of questions, along with the candidate’s responses.
The panel for this IIM personal interview
The panel consisted of two interviewers – both males. Let us call them P1 and P2.
The candidate
The candidate is an electrical engineering grad, with two-and-a-half years of work experience in service operations, quality control and content writing and marketing. Let us call him C.
The process
IIM Rohtak’s interview process required the candidate to show some of the many documents they had listed the candidate must possess with them. Some of these documents included an original ID proof (such as PAN card, Aadhaar card, et al.), the CAT score card, the degree certificate, and so on and so forth.
It also contained an extempore, during the course of the interview (mostly at the beginning itself).
The extempore
The candidates would be given the topic and be allowed 30 seconds of preparation time. Later, the candidate would be asked to speak on the topic for roughly 90-120 seconds.
The said candidate in question was given the topic, “We need to be bullish about India.” This was a relatively easy topic, which the candidate was able to ace.
After that started the actual interview itself
P1: So you are working as a content writer? What content do you write?
C: Explained about the technical and marketing-oriented content that I write, to some extent.
P1: So references/bibliography is important in your articles?
C: Explained that the webpages that I write for do not exactly require much bibliography as such.
P1: Your field of work appears to be different from your graduation. Why so?
C: Described that I had worked in manufacturing industry and quality control for almost 2 years, and I had a passion for writing. So, I have always been writing since college. Had done my stint as a freelance SoP writer later. Since I had decided to do an MBA, I wished to pursue my passion for writing and be a part of a marketing team to gain diverse experience.
P2: So you graduated from Electrical Engineering in 2018. Do you remember anything about it? (P1 and P2 laughed, and I also smiled. Told them that I am still somewhat comfortable)
P2: A bird sites on a line and doesn’t die? Why/How?
C: Answered correctly (For the detailed scientific explanation, head here).
P1: Are you comfortable with Derivatives in Math?
C: Yes, Sir.
P1: What is the derivative of y = mod x at x = 0?
C: It is not differentiable at x = 0.
P1: Why so?
C: Explained (For a detailed explanation, follow this link).
P2: Okay. Name three headlines and give your opinion on them.
C: Initially, talked about the Farm Bills. Told that it is a progressive move mostly, but goverment should take it back now to not lose political mileage because of so much backlash.
P2: Okay, so I am a taxpayer. If I take 100 people and start protesting should government change the laws?
C: (Was thinking about the answer, but was interrupted by L)
P1: Alright, next headline.
C: Spoke about cybercrime as it is the related to the product I work with.
P1: (Interrupts midway) Okay, tell me about DDOS attacks. I think they are the major form of cyberattacks.
C: (Did not remember much about the DDOS attacks) Sorry, Sir. I don’t know.
P1: Do you know phishing?
C: Told them that I was about to explain phishing. Told them about email phishing in some detail.
P2: You have mentioned hobbies as football and creative writing, but have mentioned no certificates?
C: Told that I had won a cash prize in a poetry contest and was a content writer while freelancing as a writer in college, but there are no formal certificates for the same.
P1 and P2 thanked me and wished all the best. Interview ended.
The verdict
Somewhere in the middle, the third headline that the candidate was supposed to talk about (the Myanmar coup) got lost. For some reason, the panelists seemed to be rushing the process, constantly cutting each other off and moving on. But they seemed jovial also, and it was not like they were trying to have a go at the candidate.
Stay tuned for further updates on more interview experiences.
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