Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur
Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Your seniors at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur were your true well-wishers, they shared their placement interview questions for you. 🙏
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Filter interviews byIndian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur Placement Interview Questions
Updated
27 Dec 2024
408 interviews found
5 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: CPI cut-off was 8.0 and I easily cleared as I had a CPI of 9.4
Round: Test
Experience: Questions included:
1. Basic programming questions (to find output, basic SQL, java, C)
2. Basic stats questions (mean, median, mode)
3. Two essay questions (one was 'Why Axtria?').
Round: Other Interview
Experience: This was a skype interview conducted by IITK alum. By this time, I had enough experience of giving interviews so HR was well prepared. I didn't took GRE, so I said that. I didn't opted for CAT either as I didn't wanted to go for MBA. He said we are convinced with your quantitative and writing skills through test, just convince me that you won't go for higher studies-I justified, since I didn’t enabled the video feature so couldn’t know whether he was convinced or not. projects. My Interview was about to end, but I asked him some question and he started describing the work at Axtria and finally asked me to solve a case study.
General Tips: 1. Prepare HR well and before the actual Interview, give at least 2-3 dummy interviews.
2. Go through company website carefully; and prepare 2-3 good questions to ask in the end.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: CPI cut-off was 8.0 and I easily cleared as I had a CPI of 9.4
Round: Test
Experience: Questions included:
1. Basic programming questions (to find output, basic SQL, java, C)
2. Basic stats questions (mean, median, mode)
3. Two essay questions (one was 'Why Axtria?').
Round: Other Interview
Experience: This was a skype interview conducted by IITK alum. By this time, I had enough experience of giving interviews so HR was well prepared. I didn't took GRE, so I said that. I didn't opted for CAT either as I didn't wanted to go for MBA. He said we are convinced with your quantitative and writing skills through test, just convince me that you won't go for higher studies-I justified, since I didn’t enabled the video feature so couldn’t know whether he was convinced or not. projects. My Interview was about to end, but I asked him some question and he started describing the work at Axtria and finally asked me to solve a case study.
General Tips: 1. Prepare HR well and before the actual Interview, give at least 2-3 dummy interviews.
2. Go through company website carefully; and prepare 2-3 good questions to ask in the end.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
4 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: They had shortlisted about 40 people based on CV. Then they had interview rounds.
Round: Interview
Experience: I had prepared well for such a question and started explaining. They seemed disinterested till I told them about my hobby of reading business newspapers. This hobby of mine fascinated them, because it was something unusual. This became the center of discussion for the rest half of my interview. They asked me to explain some trivial business jargon.
Tips: I answered these questions well since I had knowledge about these topics and hence was able to impress the interviewer.
Round: Interview
Experience: Round 2 and 3 were a mix of Case Study and HR questions mixed. I was able to answer both the questions with certain help from the interviewer. They questioned me on my resume as well as asked me questions related to my BTP Project. Overall the interview went really well and I was hopeful of getting shortlisted.
General Tips: One must prepare well for the interview and one must realise that one can ( and one should ) always move the interview in the direction one wants. The initial HR questions can help in giving direction to the interview and hence one must prepare well for all of them. Also prepare a lot of puzzles, guess estimates and case studies for the consulting companies.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: They had shortlisted about 40 people based on CV. Then they had interview rounds.
Round: Interview
Experience: I had prepared well for such a question and started explaining. They seemed disinterested till I told them about my hobby of reading business newspapers. This hobby of mine fascinated them, because it was something unusual. This became the center of discussion for the rest half of my interview. They asked me to explain some trivial business jargon.
Tips: I answered these questions well since I had knowledge about these topics and hence was able to impress the interviewer.
Round: Interview
Experience: Round 2 and 3 were a mix of Case Study and HR questions mixed. I was able to answer both the questions with certain help from the interviewer. They questioned me on my resume as well as asked me questions related to my BTP Project. Overall the interview went really well and I was hopeful of getting shortlisted.
General Tips: One must prepare well for the interview and one must realise that one can ( and one should ) always move the interview in the direction one wants. The initial HR questions can help in giving direction to the interview and hence one must prepare well for all of them. Also prepare a lot of puzzles, guess estimates and case studies for the consulting companies.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
4 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Group Discussion
Experience: Number of people were 8. Generally, the topics are repeated so it would be a good idea to think about them before as everybody else will. However, one should be prepared for a fresh topic. Structuring and controlling/moderating the group is very important and will fetch heavy points. Also ITC is a very ethical company, so a proper decorum and formal environment is needed in the GD. Shouting and being a bad listener gets one negative points.
Tips: One could play certain games like speaking for a minute on any random topic given by someone else. These games help remove the inhibition of speaking in English and add to fluency. The only way to improve discussion skills is practicing speaking in English on random topics.
Duration: 20-25 minutes
Round: HR Interview
Tips: Yes, they do ask this difficult question, but the key is to remain positive and not regret any experience.
Round: Technical Interview
Experience: I was asked basics of process control (as my work in internship was linked to it ). However, I was not very comfortable with this subject, so I kindly requested them to ask from my strong subject Fluid dynamics. (Again , this is a risk which paid off in my case, might not work always.) Panel consists of 2 HR guys and one senior alum of IIT B and the duration was 40 minutes. Since my internship was with HUL, a lot of questions were asked on the project and its utility. BE thorough with any internship/projects that are mentioned in the form. I was also asked to defend my not getting a PPO with HUL.
General Tips: 1. Good CPI and department rank is a big plus
2. Should have clear basic understanding of technical course materials, specially of those courses which relate to industry (eg: fluid and thermodynamics for chemical).
3. Form is very important, spare a lot of time and be thorough with all the answers
4. For people with very strong profiles, prepare convincing answers of why ITC.
5. They need strong headed people but do not be over confident or cocky
6. Lastly, always wear a smile to the interviews.
Skill Tips: Along with basics of equipments used in factories like pumps, Heat exchangers, mixers, etc. However basic concepts of all courses should be revised as there could be questions from controls, separation process etc.
Skills: Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: Number of people were 8. Generally, the topics are repeated so it would be a good idea to think about them before as everybody else will. However, one should be prepared for a fresh topic. Structuring and controlling/moderating the group is very important and will fetch heavy points. Also ITC is a very ethical company, so a proper decorum and formal environment is needed in the GD. Shouting and being a bad listener gets one negative points.
Tips: One could play certain games like speaking for a minute on any random topic given by someone else. These games help remove the inhibition of speaking in English and add to fluency. The only way to improve discussion skills is practicing speaking in English on random topics.
Duration: 20-25 minutes
Round: HR Interview
Tips: Yes, they do ask this difficult question, but the key is to remain positive and not regret any experience.
Round: Technical Interview
Experience: I was asked basics of process control (as my work in internship was linked to it ). However, I was not very comfortable with this subject, so I kindly requested them to ask from my strong subject Fluid dynamics. (Again , this is a risk which paid off in my case, might not work always.) Panel consists of 2 HR guys and one senior alum of IIT B and the duration was 40 minutes. Since my internship was with HUL, a lot of questions were asked on the project and its utility. BE thorough with any internship/projects that are mentioned in the form. I was also asked to defend my not getting a PPO with HUL.
General Tips: 1. Good CPI and department rank is a big plus
2. Should have clear basic understanding of technical course materials, specially of those courses which relate to industry (eg: fluid and thermodynamics for chemical).
3. Form is very important, spare a lot of time and be thorough with all the answers
4. For people with very strong profiles, prepare convincing answers of why ITC.
5. They need strong headed people but do not be over confident or cocky
6. Lastly, always wear a smile to the interviews.
Skill Tips: Along with basics of equipments used in factories like pumps, Heat exchangers, mixers, etc. However basic concepts of all courses should be revised as there could be questions from controls, separation process etc.
Skills: Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics
College Name: IIT KANPUR
3 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Technical Interview
Experience: The interview was completely technical which I was not prepared for. But, later I interviewed with Samsung and got selected.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: The interview was completely technical which I was not prepared for. But, later I interviewed with Samsung and got selected.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
4 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Technical Interview
Experience: The interview mainly focused on coding of which I had very less preparation and was out of my curriculum. I also interviewed with Samsung and got selected there.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: The interview mainly focused on coding of which I had very less preparation and was out of my curriculum. I also interviewed with Samsung and got selected there.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
2 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Test
Experience: Coding part was very difficult. Ultimately, I landed up with a job on Samsung.
Duration: 45+45+45 minutes
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: Coding part was very difficult. Ultimately, I landed up with a job on Samsung.
Duration: 45+45+45 minutes
College Name: IIT KANPUR
5 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Test
Experience: There was an aptitude test on Day 4 and the interviews on day 5.
Round: HR Interview
Experience: In my HR interview I was offered the job and they elaborated on their packages and job description.
General Tips: Overall just doing the basic questions of ANSI C and solving elementary coding problems can take you through.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: There was an aptitude test on Day 4 and the interviews on day 5.
Round: HR Interview
Experience: In my HR interview I was offered the job and they elaborated on their packages and job description.
General Tips: Overall just doing the basic questions of ANSI C and solving elementary coding problems can take you through.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
3 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: Since it is a Finance profile, it would help if you have any finance /economics/ MBA projects to write about. DB looks for a good CPI and decent projects or extra curriculars and interest in the finance sector. It also wouldn't hurt to mention your technical skills here.
Round: Test
Experience: Since most of the finance work in India is back office (with all due respect to all those who have been placed in this sector), you have to be comfortable with numbers and calculations. The test is a typical CAT type paper mostly concentrating on quantitative analysis and data interpretation. There is also a bonus finance section for those who have knowledge on the subject.
Again practice cat type papers well and sit with a knowledgeable friend of yours to discuss topics in finance.
Tips: The short listing for the interview is based on both the performance in the test and the resume. (More on the test)
I never got through any of those tests. people who prepared seriously for CAT breezed through the test and I was left to bite their dust. I didn't make it into any of the good (read well paying) jobs during on the first 4 days.
Realize when you are in a recession period, no job comes easy. Most of us who are not insanely intelligent like that one dude in your wing need to practice hard for the test to get through. In a recession/slack scenario core companies save the day. Don't neglect your core courses.
General Tips: Internship: (attention third year people!)
When it comes to the placement interview, internships play pivotal role. There are rarely any interviews where the interviewee isn't drilled on their internships. So, please don‟t treat an internship as a paid vacation. Good work done during the internship gives one the confidence that can very well bowl the interviewer over (as it did in my case :D). Believe me confidence does much more than get you a job; it determines success and failure in mostundertakings. Internship gives you the first chance to build that up … use it!
Pre Placement Talks:
Please attend the ppts of at least those companies which fall into your sector of interest. At ppts you get to see a lot more things than the boring presentations and the pay package. Most companies bring along with them alumni who have spent a few years in the company. Observing or interacting with them will give you a good assessment of what you are going to be a few years from now if you join that company. For example I observed that alumni of XYZ Company were not as upbeat and confident as alumni of ABC Company (names have been hidden on request ;) ) even if XYZ was paying plenty more than ABC. I knew then and there that I would want to join ABC and never applied to XYZ. Be sure to utilize them and be sure to clear all your doubts and conceptions. Once you start attending presentations you will observe junta asking questions just to score brownie points with the speaker. Believe me it won't help one bit in landing them a job!
Resumes:
Making an appealing resume is the single most important step in the placement process and IITK is notorious for its bad resumes, so attend workshops. Like most IITK junta I sucked at making a resume (and still do), but whatever little skill I have, I got through workshops. One workshop I would advise everyone to attend is the resume making workshop of McKinsey. Get your resumes checked and edited by those who have been through placement especially by those from other IITs (I know this will hurt a lot of egos, but IITB's resumes are some of the best. Those dudes have mastered the art of making an impact with whatever little they've got, while we excel at doing exactly the opposite :P). Prepare an impactful resume and don't submit the same resume to every company, make changes based on the profile.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: Since it is a Finance profile, it would help if you have any finance /economics/ MBA projects to write about. DB looks for a good CPI and decent projects or extra curriculars and interest in the finance sector. It also wouldn't hurt to mention your technical skills here.
Round: Test
Experience: Since most of the finance work in India is back office (with all due respect to all those who have been placed in this sector), you have to be comfortable with numbers and calculations. The test is a typical CAT type paper mostly concentrating on quantitative analysis and data interpretation. There is also a bonus finance section for those who have knowledge on the subject.
Again practice cat type papers well and sit with a knowledgeable friend of yours to discuss topics in finance.
Tips: The short listing for the interview is based on both the performance in the test and the resume. (More on the test)
I never got through any of those tests. people who prepared seriously for CAT breezed through the test and I was left to bite their dust. I didn't make it into any of the good (read well paying) jobs during on the first 4 days.
Realize when you are in a recession period, no job comes easy. Most of us who are not insanely intelligent like that one dude in your wing need to practice hard for the test to get through. In a recession/slack scenario core companies save the day. Don't neglect your core courses.
General Tips: Internship: (attention third year people!)
When it comes to the placement interview, internships play pivotal role. There are rarely any interviews where the interviewee isn't drilled on their internships. So, please don‟t treat an internship as a paid vacation. Good work done during the internship gives one the confidence that can very well bowl the interviewer over (as it did in my case :D). Believe me confidence does much more than get you a job; it determines success and failure in mostundertakings. Internship gives you the first chance to build that up … use it!
Pre Placement Talks:
Please attend the ppts of at least those companies which fall into your sector of interest. At ppts you get to see a lot more things than the boring presentations and the pay package. Most companies bring along with them alumni who have spent a few years in the company. Observing or interacting with them will give you a good assessment of what you are going to be a few years from now if you join that company. For example I observed that alumni of XYZ Company were not as upbeat and confident as alumni of ABC Company (names have been hidden on request ;) ) even if XYZ was paying plenty more than ABC. I knew then and there that I would want to join ABC and never applied to XYZ. Be sure to utilize them and be sure to clear all your doubts and conceptions. Once you start attending presentations you will observe junta asking questions just to score brownie points with the speaker. Believe me it won't help one bit in landing them a job!
Resumes:
Making an appealing resume is the single most important step in the placement process and IITK is notorious for its bad resumes, so attend workshops. Like most IITK junta I sucked at making a resume (and still do), but whatever little skill I have, I got through workshops. One workshop I would advise everyone to attend is the resume making workshop of McKinsey. Get your resumes checked and edited by those who have been through placement especially by those from other IITs (I know this will hurt a lot of egos, but IITB's resumes are some of the best. Those dudes have mastered the art of making an impact with whatever little they've got, while we excel at doing exactly the opposite :P). Prepare an impactful resume and don't submit the same resume to every company, make changes based on the profile.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
3 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: McKinsey looks for a spike in your resume, people who have commendable achievements is their field of choice, academics, extra curriculars or sports. So be sure to make your resume accordingly. McKinsey adds a lot of weight-age to formal awards, scholarships, achievements (like inter-IIT) etc. But if you don't have them (like me) you just have to make extra effort to show that you have equivalent achievements.
Round: Interview
Experience: First, I was asked about myself and mostly my connection to dance and the dance club. (Some interviewers do this to make you comfortable at the same time analyzing your personality). In the first interview I was given an estimation case about the dish TV industry. Here the interviewer was mostly interested in my approach to solving the problem and if applicable my numerical skills.
The second interview was a pure business case about the printing business. Here my creativity and business sense (read common sense as applicable to a business situation) was put to test.
Tips: McKinsey interviews are mostly case study based. So prepare accordingly. Once you get shortlisted they send you a ton of material, search for a “Vault” case book amongst this pile. Reading that should be enough ;). First read the basic material by you and once you are confident enough make a group of around 3 people and practice case studies.
I guess this job opportunity meant a lot to all of us and it did to me too. I became nervous and that severely affected my performance and moreover I looked under confident. Take on every interview as if that job doesn't mean anything to you.
General Tips: Internship: (attention third year people!)
When it comes to the placement interview, internships play pivotal role. There are rarely any interviews where the interviewee isn't drilled on their internships. So, please don‟t treat an internship as a paid vacation. Good work done during the internship gives one the confidence that can very well bowl the interviewer over (as it did in my case :D). Believe me confidence does much more than get you a job; it determines success and failure in most
undertakings. Internship gives you the first chance to build that up … use it!
Pre Placement Talks:
Please attend the ppts of at least those companies which fall into your sector of interest. At ppts you get to see a lot more things than the boring presentations and the pay package. Most companies bring along with them alumni who have spent a few years in the company. Observing or interacting with them will give you a good assessment of what you are going to be a few years from now if you join that company. For example I observed that alumni of XYZ Company were not as upbeat and confident as alumni of ABC Company (names have
been hidden on request ;) ) even if XYZ was paying plenty more than ABC. I knew then and there that I would want to join ABC and never applied to XYZ. Be sure to utilize them and be sure to clear all your doubts and conceptions. Once you start attending presentations you will observe junta asking questions just to score brownie points with the speaker. Believe me it won't help one bit in landing them a job!
Resumes:
Making an appealing resume is the single most important step in the placement process and IITK is notorious for its bad resumes, so attend workshops. Like most IITK junta I sucked at making a resume (and still do), but whatever little skill I have, I got through workshops. One workshop I would advise everyone to attend is the resume making workshop of McKinsey. Get your resumes checked and edited by those who have been through placement especially by those from other IITs (I know this will hurt a lot of egos, but IITB's resumes are some of the best. Those dudes have mastered the art of making an impact with whatever little they've got, while we excel at doing exactly the opposite :P). Prepare an impactful resume and don't submit the same resume to every company, make changes based on the profile.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: McKinsey looks for a spike in your resume, people who have commendable achievements is their field of choice, academics, extra curriculars or sports. So be sure to make your resume accordingly. McKinsey adds a lot of weight-age to formal awards, scholarships, achievements (like inter-IIT) etc. But if you don't have them (like me) you just have to make extra effort to show that you have equivalent achievements.
Round: Interview
Experience: First, I was asked about myself and mostly my connection to dance and the dance club. (Some interviewers do this to make you comfortable at the same time analyzing your personality). In the first interview I was given an estimation case about the dish TV industry. Here the interviewer was mostly interested in my approach to solving the problem and if applicable my numerical skills.
The second interview was a pure business case about the printing business. Here my creativity and business sense (read common sense as applicable to a business situation) was put to test.
Tips: McKinsey interviews are mostly case study based. So prepare accordingly. Once you get shortlisted they send you a ton of material, search for a “Vault” case book amongst this pile. Reading that should be enough ;). First read the basic material by you and once you are confident enough make a group of around 3 people and practice case studies.
I guess this job opportunity meant a lot to all of us and it did to me too. I became nervous and that severely affected my performance and moreover I looked under confident. Take on every interview as if that job doesn't mean anything to you.
General Tips: Internship: (attention third year people!)
When it comes to the placement interview, internships play pivotal role. There are rarely any interviews where the interviewee isn't drilled on their internships. So, please don‟t treat an internship as a paid vacation. Good work done during the internship gives one the confidence that can very well bowl the interviewer over (as it did in my case :D). Believe me confidence does much more than get you a job; it determines success and failure in most
undertakings. Internship gives you the first chance to build that up … use it!
Pre Placement Talks:
Please attend the ppts of at least those companies which fall into your sector of interest. At ppts you get to see a lot more things than the boring presentations and the pay package. Most companies bring along with them alumni who have spent a few years in the company. Observing or interacting with them will give you a good assessment of what you are going to be a few years from now if you join that company. For example I observed that alumni of XYZ Company were not as upbeat and confident as alumni of ABC Company (names have
been hidden on request ;) ) even if XYZ was paying plenty more than ABC. I knew then and there that I would want to join ABC and never applied to XYZ. Be sure to utilize them and be sure to clear all your doubts and conceptions. Once you start attending presentations you will observe junta asking questions just to score brownie points with the speaker. Believe me it won't help one bit in landing them a job!
Resumes:
Making an appealing resume is the single most important step in the placement process and IITK is notorious for its bad resumes, so attend workshops. Like most IITK junta I sucked at making a resume (and still do), but whatever little skill I have, I got through workshops. One workshop I would advise everyone to attend is the resume making workshop of McKinsey. Get your resumes checked and edited by those who have been through placement especially by those from other IITs (I know this will hurt a lot of egos, but IITB's resumes are some of the best. Those dudes have mastered the art of making an impact with whatever little they've got, while we excel at doing exactly the opposite :P). Prepare an impactful resume and don't submit the same resume to every company, make changes based on the profile.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
3 Interview Rounds
Interview Preparation Tips
Round: Test
Experience: I thought I had not done very well. They were looking for good performance in the Quant Section which had many questions on Probability and Statistics. I did not do well in this section. However, I was short-listed.
Round: Interview
Experience: By the time my interview turn came for the interview, the interviewers were running out of time. They just had 10 minutes per person. (They had a flight from Lucknow!). As I entered, I was told to quickly tell about me, why finance and why not a PhD. He asked a question from the test paper. I think the interview lasted less than 10 minutes.
Round: Interview
Experience: This round also lasted for about 10 minutes. This time it was more finance oriented. He asked some basic questions on Forwards, Futures and Options.
Tips: Deutsche Bank did not select me. I thought it was mainly because of my test score. I was later told that it was because they thought I did not fit the profile well.
General Tips: The Decision Making Process: Like most people at IITK, I was in a dilemma of what to do after my graduation. Broadly, I had two options in front of me – Core (PhD/Job) and Non-Core (MBA/Job). I had already had some research exposure. I had worked on some good research projects during my internships and also at IITK. Although I thought I was good at research, I wanted to explore working in a corporate environment as I had never done that before. Also, the life as a PhD and thereafter, seemed less action packed and less dynamic for me. Maybe I could do it at a later part in my life, but for now I decided to explore the Non-Core sector. I was looking for a company which would give me business exposure as well as an opportunity to learn and develop my skill set.Amongst the non-core sectors, Consultancy with its varied exposure seemed the best to me. I thought FMCG gave a wonderful leadership experience and was my second preference. Finance involved too much numbers and probability (something I’m not good at). But still it was my third preference (amongst the options available) as I am quite interested in the financial world. Analytics and then IT followed. Despite the heavy pay-package, the Oil sector did not attract me a lot. I did not prepare for it but still applied as we had very few good options this year.
Experiences:
1. In general, I would say that my preparation was good as 5th year had a lot of time.
2. It’s fun to prepare, especially HR and giving and taking mock interviews.
3. Shocks and Surprises – I was told that anything can happen during placements and it turned out to be true. The McKinsey shortlist came out in early October and I was not short-listed. I had not expected this at all and had even started practicing case studies long before. This left me really disappointed.
4. Try to do things early, November gets really busy – End Sems, CAT, Revise everything (I was not able to revise Fluid Mechanics).
5. Prepare for tests well, they matter a lot – if you score very well in the test (top few), the interview process would just check that you can talk, solve puzzles and you are interested (you will join). Besides, sometimes it is difficult to judge who is better by the interview process – the tests score matter then as they are the only objective score that they have (apart from CPI).
6. Know Probability well – learn Probability and Statistics and maybe even Stochastic Processes if you have not done these courses and you want a job in Finance/Analytics.
7. Don’t just prepare for consultancy / finance / FMCG – less than 10 people got placed in these companies. Prepare for other companies as well. Have a backup plan ready and do not lose hope, the scenario is bad – it’s not your fault – things will improve!
Skill Tips: 1. Make a good resume – bug your seniors.
2. Practice for aptitude tests – otherwise the one’s preparing for CAT have distinct advantage.
3. Improve communication skills – do lots of mock interviews and GDs.
4. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst – the scenario is bad – even the best can be in for a long placement season, and feeling bad about it will only make matters worse – it’s just your first job – in the long run of your career, these fluctuations won’t matter; what will matter is, how you handle these fluctuations.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
Experience: I thought I had not done very well. They were looking for good performance in the Quant Section which had many questions on Probability and Statistics. I did not do well in this section. However, I was short-listed.
Round: Interview
Experience: By the time my interview turn came for the interview, the interviewers were running out of time. They just had 10 minutes per person. (They had a flight from Lucknow!). As I entered, I was told to quickly tell about me, why finance and why not a PhD. He asked a question from the test paper. I think the interview lasted less than 10 minutes.
Round: Interview
Experience: This round also lasted for about 10 minutes. This time it was more finance oriented. He asked some basic questions on Forwards, Futures and Options.
Tips: Deutsche Bank did not select me. I thought it was mainly because of my test score. I was later told that it was because they thought I did not fit the profile well.
General Tips: The Decision Making Process: Like most people at IITK, I was in a dilemma of what to do after my graduation. Broadly, I had two options in front of me – Core (PhD/Job) and Non-Core (MBA/Job). I had already had some research exposure. I had worked on some good research projects during my internships and also at IITK. Although I thought I was good at research, I wanted to explore working in a corporate environment as I had never done that before. Also, the life as a PhD and thereafter, seemed less action packed and less dynamic for me. Maybe I could do it at a later part in my life, but for now I decided to explore the Non-Core sector. I was looking for a company which would give me business exposure as well as an opportunity to learn and develop my skill set.Amongst the non-core sectors, Consultancy with its varied exposure seemed the best to me. I thought FMCG gave a wonderful leadership experience and was my second preference. Finance involved too much numbers and probability (something I’m not good at). But still it was my third preference (amongst the options available) as I am quite interested in the financial world. Analytics and then IT followed. Despite the heavy pay-package, the Oil sector did not attract me a lot. I did not prepare for it but still applied as we had very few good options this year.
Experiences:
1. In general, I would say that my preparation was good as 5th year had a lot of time.
2. It’s fun to prepare, especially HR and giving and taking mock interviews.
3. Shocks and Surprises – I was told that anything can happen during placements and it turned out to be true. The McKinsey shortlist came out in early October and I was not short-listed. I had not expected this at all and had even started practicing case studies long before. This left me really disappointed.
4. Try to do things early, November gets really busy – End Sems, CAT, Revise everything (I was not able to revise Fluid Mechanics).
5. Prepare for tests well, they matter a lot – if you score very well in the test (top few), the interview process would just check that you can talk, solve puzzles and you are interested (you will join). Besides, sometimes it is difficult to judge who is better by the interview process – the tests score matter then as they are the only objective score that they have (apart from CPI).
6. Know Probability well – learn Probability and Statistics and maybe even Stochastic Processes if you have not done these courses and you want a job in Finance/Analytics.
7. Don’t just prepare for consultancy / finance / FMCG – less than 10 people got placed in these companies. Prepare for other companies as well. Have a backup plan ready and do not lose hope, the scenario is bad – it’s not your fault – things will improve!
Skill Tips: 1. Make a good resume – bug your seniors.
2. Practice for aptitude tests – otherwise the one’s preparing for CAT have distinct advantage.
3. Improve communication skills – do lots of mock interviews and GDs.
4. Hope for the best and prepare for the worst – the scenario is bad – even the best can be in for a long placement season, and feeling bad about it will only make matters worse – it’s just your first job – in the long run of your career, these fluctuations won’t matter; what will matter is, how you handle these fluctuations.
College Name: IIT KANPUR
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