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Round: Resume Shortlist Experience: Since I got a Pre placement offer through Internship so my experiences will be in accordance to Internship procedure. Placement procedure is almost the same. They look for decent pointers. In addition to this they would consider if you have some good technical background. They look for committed people who have an experience of working in teams.For this they float a from of their own which has some questions answers of which more of less lies in the resume. There are some HR questions too like Long term goal , Short term goal, SOP, mind over matter (the most catchy one). If you get selected for interview round your interview will be around this form .
Round: Group Discussion Experience: It was my first GD. There were around 120 people selected for the GD. We were divided in the groups of 10. As expected my group was very tough as there were better speakers. We were given a paper containing the situation and options. We were given a total of 20 minutes which included the time for reading and understanding the situation. Someone started speaking after around 5-6 minutes followed by an another guy. Next , I had to dive in as if I would have delayed I would have ran out of ideas which would have been taken by the others. I started confidently and as time passed by I was successfully able to convince the people towards my option or I must say there were no arguments towards my option. Out of expectation, I cleared this round. Next round was the interview round. Tips: - GD is all about convincing the junta towards your option.- Never speak when some one else is speaking.- Don't be negative , always give positive statements- Never take name of any person sitting in the room in the GD even if you know him/her- Never point fingers- Sometime GD can become a fish market. Stay out of it and wait for the right time to speak.
- Don't shout
- Don't be an orator if you are not a good speaker
- Read the paper carefully and jot down the pros and cons of every option so that you have many points to speak to
- It does not really matter how much did you speak but what you speak matters, don't panic if you have spoken less during GD. Sometimes giving 1-2 logical statements gets you through. Duration: 20 minutes
Round: Technical Interview Experience: Around 35 people were selected for this round. We were told there will be 2 rounds of interviews. I got a call for my Technical interview soon. It was a large room with only 3 of us - myself and the 2 interviewers. They started by greeting themselves and asked me to tell something about me. I started confidently and told them about myself, my birth place, interests, college life, IIT B Racing etc. Then the interview shifted to specific questions. I covered every important point in the resume and explained it in a line or two as the questions went. They seemed impressed as I had Cummins on my resume as I was the only one in my batch who did intern over there. Also, having IIT B Racing played a major role in getting me through. They asked some questions around that and I was able to answer them successfully. I could not answer initial questions completely but was confident in whatever I said. This confidence helped me to answer later questions in a better way and they were quite impressed. Frankly , I did not have any hopes till now that I will get into ITC, so I felt stress free during the interview though it was my first interview. After answering every answer confidently they asked me some questions regarding my hobbies - Cricket mostly. Since I have been a die hard fan of cricket and love to play it, my energy level went to a higher level during this discussion. Finally , they asked do you have any questions for us ? I asked what will be my work profile if I get in. They explained me the profile and I liked it. I requested them to work on some project which will create impact on the company rather than doing some research or paper reading work. They smiled and assured me of that. So, finally this interview ended after around 25 -30 minutes. I was expecting the call for second interview. (People who cleared 1st round only got a chance for second HR interview) but not that soon. It was hardly a minute after my interview got over , a person from behind calls out my name and says "You have a second interview in a minute. Are you Ready for it ?" . I was happy but exhausted. I had no other option and said politely "Yes" Tips: - Be confident - Don't give arbit answers if you don't know. They are very knowledgeable people and will easily catch you if you are giving vague answers. - Don't panic if you are unable to answer some questions. Its perfectly fine . Just say politely you don't know/remember. - Maintain a positive body language - Show them that you are willing to work for them for a long period of time. Don't give the slightest intention of leaving the company for any reason. - You should be able to justify every point in your resume or whatever you write. - Revise the form before interview , the one ITC asked you to fill in the initial process of selection - Wear good formals. During my time some people gave interview in Jeans. This does not give a professional look. Also carry a pen.
Round: Case Study Interview Experience: CASE 1: I started by trying to get the prerequisites of going global demand, type and size of market, capital, project differentiation, management, logistics. My major mistake was delving too much into depth.
CASE 2: He asked how you increased revenues? I said....Everything depends on the elasticity of demand. You might want to increase sales or increase prices and reduce sales. Then he said, we increase prices or demand and assume the other to be constant.
How do you increase prices? I said you just quote a higher price. Then he said that there are different seats in an airplane. That kind of tinkering you can always do even if you want to keep the revenues same Tips: 1.In the about yourself questions you can either give an overview of your resume or tell them something more general. 2.You will be asked about your biggest academic achievment. 3.Don't be so cool to the extent of being casual. 4.Don't prepare answers.
General Tips: 1.Attend PPTs and listen very carefully. 2.Be sure to find out what you will be doing in the company. 3.Don't try and squeeze too much in your resume. Skill Tips: 1. For case studies thereis a lot of stuff on the LAN and on the internet. 2. It's better to do these in groups. College Name: IIT BOMBAY
Round: Case Study Interview Experience: CASE 1: I took a long time to do this one. The interviewer was not helpful and that slowed down my response. I had only discussed the consumption of vodka by women when she asked me to stop.
CASE 2: There was no real case here. The interviewer wanted me to discuss how to go about starting an airline.He asked me to estimate the no. of passengers.
Round: HR Interview Experience: 1. Questions regarding my projects and internships were asked. 2. A large part of the interview was devoted to "McKinsey vs its competition.
Skill Tips: 1.Attend PPTs of all the companies that you are interested in. 2.Don't exaggerate in your resume. 3.Case studies is a must for consultancies. College Name: IIT BOMBAY
Round: Resume Shortlist Experience: I went through the resumes of some seniors, searched through the net for general tips on resume writing , looked upsites of companies in which I was interested and then posted my resume to seniors for proof reading. I attended the Pre-Placement talks of the companies I was interested in. They served the purpose of telling me more about the Companies Work Profile. But I thought they took too much time and also the main source of information about the company on our campus was and will be seniors in jobs. PPTs cant match up to that! Tips: Read the case studies. That helps.
Round: Interview Experience: BCG had two rounds of interviews, followed by a short-list and then another two rounds of interviews after which the final offers were made. Five people were made final offers out of an initial list of about 30. I was asked about what distinguished me as a person, some major achievements of mine and the main hurdles I had faced in my four years at IIT. I was also asked to elaborate on my primary failure here. They asked me about what made me different and what attracted me to Consulting. There were also a few light questions on my passions in life, my favourite music band etc..! Other than that were the case studies I was given to solve. In my first round I was asked about a case involving a bank selling housing lone, striking a deal with a contractor and determining the percentage to be paid to that contractor. I thought I messed this one up and the fact that I was really impressed by my interviewee&s profile didn't help ! :P Tips: I got together with another friend of mine who had made it through BCGs short-list and we solved a few cases together from the Case Study Files sent by our seniors. These included Kellogs and Whartons Guides. I read up on what Case Studies typically are and how to tackle them from similar Case Books. In all I solved 5-6 cases on my own. As for HR questions I asked a few seniors about typical questions, went through Be Prepared and looked up the net a little for sample questions. I didn't prepare any ideal answers, just marked out for myself the points in my resume that I wanted to highlight. I prepared in a group of two people. I think Case Studies should typically be solved in groups of 2 or 3.
Round: Interview Experience: Then I decided I had to cover up on the first interview and geared up for the next! The following round involved the study of a Cement company and a re hauling of its distribution chains. After much NBD and some slices of Pizza the shortish was out and I had made it to the next round! My third interview was very non bookish wherein they asked me about how a Consulting Firm would advertise itself. Frankly, I was quite stunned and blurted out whatever struck me. With some prompting and imagination I came up with decent answers finally!
Round: Interview Experience: Then the last hurdle, I was asked a question apparently asked to Ghoda the year before (so you might actually get one of our questions for your interview :P!). It was about a Company manufacturing coffee cups wanting to increase its market share. After which I got my offer! :)
General Tips: I realized that a LOT amongst these interviews depends on the day you give them. So you need to be cool, confident and come across as a pleasant person. Do not over count on your preparation. I did not have any stress interviews,enjoyed all four of my interview rounds and probably that is what clicked. Also do not try and second guess the interviewee, you can never make out how well/badly its going. I still do not know why my company took me! In the HR rounds, be genuine and don't fabricate every answer, it shows. I don't think I made some major mistake, I just enjoyed myself throughout the case solving, was true in projecting before them the person that I am, told them that I had aped and was confused in life and they hired me ? College Name: IIT BOMBAY
Round: Case Study Interview Experience: CASE 1: No numbers were expected, neither knowledge of broadband technology. The key here was increase in the number of uses along with the users. None of the established frameworks really helped. The interviewer was very helpful and gave me cues when I was not making progress.
CASE 2: Again no numbers no data was expected. On asked about the missed out aspects, the interviewer discussed the key aspects with me and also told me where I had gone wrong. Tips: 1.When they ask questions about academic projects try to pick something with practical applications.
Round: Case Study Interview Experience: 1. The interviewer told me exactly what he wanted. 2. It was a two way discussion and a very comfortable conversation3.He told me the four departments he wanted me to look at. 4. I was to check for 'synergies' or potential benefits of the acquisition of these departments. Tips: 1.Sleep well. 2.Wear comfortable footwear. 3.Don't starve yourself. 4.Sit down a minute between interviews and take deep breaths.
General Tips: 1.Attend PPTs of all companies you are interested in. 2.Don't try and squeeze too much in your resume. 3.Case studies are must for consultancies so be careful in that. 4.Don't prepare answers to the last word, but think about some common questions. Skills: No as such particular skills tested. College Name: IIT BOMBAY
Round: Resume Shortlist Experience: Fundae session by seniors and a resume workshop by some company. Also, sent resume to some seniors for their opinions and I think this was an important part of it. Tips: I suggest Pre-placement talks, are a must. What is more important is not to believe the PPTs completely and ask seniors about the level of fundaes (finance/tech/otherwise) and preparation required to crack the company. There is a lot of good material on ATKEARNEY and other website. Other than that I used the material available for years.
Round: Interview Experience: Final offers in my division were 12. There were two levels of case interviews. The first interview was to judge if I would be suitable for the Strategy and Operations profile or for the Technology and Integration profile. There were two interviewers. They explained to me both the profiles and asked me what I wanted to choose and why. Then asked me some general HR questions like why consulting, why you etc. Then started off with an informal case study. It was about a new company which wanted to start a new low cost airline and had no experience in this market till now. It has two options: either to acquire an existing company or to build up all processes on their own. I was first asked to qualitatively mention what all aspects I would consider. After that they asked me what new things could this company do. They were pretty satisfied with my answers and I was confident of getting listed in the next round. In the next round there was single interviewer who was looking quite senior. Asked some HR questions. One case study about a consumer durables dealer which was again qualitative. Asked some HR questions that's it.
General Tips: Lack of interaction with seniors throughout IIT stay was one thing for which I had to pay. I had no seniors in my wing and I had no fundae of the amount of preparation required. So make sure that you have certain information. College Name: IIT-Bombay
Q2. There was no real case here. The interviewer was a cheerful man who just wanted me to discuss how to go about starting an airline. He asked me to estimate no. o...read more
Round: Interview Experience: Answer 1) I took a really long time to do this one, and I had only got as far as the consumption of vodka by women when the interviewer asked me to stop. She was not exactly encouraging/helpful and I guess that slowed down my responses. When I asked her if I could wrap up the guesstimate, she told me it would not be necessary
Answer 2) There was no real case here. The interviewer was a cheerful man who just wanted me to discuss how to go about starting an airline. He asked me to estimate no. of passengers. I divided the population into urbanrural, business travellers-tourists, etc (in steps of course, but nothing extraordinary). He seemed to be pretty impressed and was generally chatting with me for almost 15 mins about his experiences in McKinsey.
Round: Interview Experience: I was asked to walk through my resume. Apart from the regular questions about my projects and internships, I was asked the one question which I was expecting since morning: “Why not research?” I was also asked about my Yantriki victory and my tenure as Speakers’ club convener. A large part of the interview was also devoted to “McKinsey vs. its competition”
General Tips: Sleep well, wear comfortable footwear (Girls, please stash away those high heels for post-job treats and NOT interviews, they almost killed me), don’t starve yourself. If you have back-to-back interviews, sit down for a minute between interviews and take deep breaths, it really helps. Now let’s cut the chase and get to preparation
PPT : Attend PPTs of all the companies that you are interested in. It will give you a good idea of the kind of people you’ll work with, apart from the work itself. Stick around after the PPT and talk to your seniors who are working with the company. Wait for the pizza, there’s always enough for everyone.
Resume : Don’t try and squeeze in too much into your resume. Going by the experiences of my batch, I think companies looked for well-rounded individuals and not necessarily DR1’s or managers and CGs. Needless to say, do not lie or exaggerate. It is disgusting, and in most cases, it will be obvious too.
Interviews: Please don’t prepare answers to the last word, but think about some common questions: strengths/weaknesses (a little introspection never does any harm) and of course, “Why consulting?” (or analytics, etc). Go through your resume and think about what you have learnt from each experience. College Name: IIT BOMBAY
Round: Case Study Interview Experience: Answer 1) No numbers were expected, no knowledge of broadband technology was expected either. The key here was not just an increase in users, but also an increase in the number of uses. None of the established frameworks really helped. The interviewer was very helpful and gave me cues when I was not making progress.
Answer 2) Again, no numbers, no data. I thought I really screwed up this one. I asked the interviewer if I had missed out some aspect, and he told me where I had gone wrong. Then we discussed this aspect for about a minute or so.
Answer 3) Always try to pick something with practical/industrial applications
Round: HR Interview Experience: Answer 1) The interviewer told me exactly what he expected…he told me the four departments he wanted me to look at. I was to check for ‘synergies’ or the potential benefits of the acquisition for these departments. This case was a lot of fun. (Thanks to the interviewer mainly). Luckily for me, he was highly impressed and he told me that a third interview would not be necessary.
Answer 2) He also pointed out that I seemed to have dabbled in a lot of things, and discussed this for a long time. It was a two-way discussion, and was a very comfortable conversation. By the middle of this interview, I knew I had to join this company.
General Tips: Sleep well, wear comfortable footwear (Girls, please stash away those high heels for post-job treats and NOT interviews, they almost killed me), don’t starve yourself. If you have back-to-back interviews, sit down for a minute between interviews and take deep breaths, it really helps. Now let’s cut the chase and get to preparation
PPT : Attend PPTs of all the companies that you are interested in. It will give you a good idea of the kind of people you’ll work with, apart from the work itself. Stick around after the PPT and talk to your seniors who are working with the company. Wait for the pizza, there’s always enough for everyone.
Resume : Don’t try and squeeze in too much into your resume. Going by the experiences of my batch, I think companies looked for well-rounded individuals and not necessarily DR1’s or managers and CGs. Needless to say, do not lie or exaggerate. It is disgusting, and in most cases, it will be obvious too.
Interviews: Please don’t prepare answers to the last word, but think about some common questions: strengths/weaknesses (a little introspection never does any harm) and of course, “Why consulting?” (or analytics, etc). Go through your resume and think about what you have learnt from each experience. College Name: IIT BOMBAY Motivation: A must for consultancies. Most seniors will have material on this. Don’t over-do this bit, but from personal experience, I can say that 3 days of case studies will do just fine. Do this in groups of 2 or 3. Don’t use any technical jargon/names of frameworks.
Round: Test Experience: Questions were based on basic maths and english but time duration as per level of questions was very less. I was hardly able to attempt 90 question. Tips: Firstly attempt questions from the topics in which you are more comfortable. Don't spend much time in thinking. Duration: 60 minutes Total Questions: 120
Round: Technical Interview Experience: As I am from statistics background ao they asked me questions from regression and inference in depth. Rest all question were from basic stats. And yes they ask question from everything what is there in your resume. Tips: Be ready for question from everything what is there in your resume and prepare them in advance.
Round: HR Interview Experience: It was easy and hardly last for 10 min Tips: Be confident on whatever you speak and prepare for general HR questions in advance.