ITC Management Trainee - Technical Interview Questions, Process, and Tips

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: There were 8 of us.
Tips: 1. Don’t be dominant, try to put your points confidently in such a way that the group agrees to the priority number you set. 
2. Though it is always good to start a GD and lay down a structure which others follow but then also it’s not sure that you will be selected. 
3. Keep track of time and try to summarize before GD’s duration is over. Also note the priority number decided by the group on the paper given to you (most people forget to do that). 
4. Keep making notes (helps in summarizing).
Duration: 20 minutes

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: It was a mix of HR and Technical interview. Panel was of 2 persons (an IIT guy serving ITC for like 2-3 years and other one a bit senior to him (wasn’t from IIT)) and interview lasted for 1 hour.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: It was also a mixed interview. Panel was of 2 very senior members (one seemed to be an HR member and other one seemed to be a Factory or Division Manager) and the interview lasted for 1 hour.

General Tips: 1. Do take a sleep of at least 3-4 hours before coming for the interview. 
2. Never try to be over smart or over confident about yourselves. PLEASE prepare for the interviews and GD. GD topics are the same as previous years so try them out in groups. 
3. Don’t reach at the final answer in an interview without proper reasoning or paperwork. Speak what you are thinking. They will be giving some cues to help you. 
4. At least make an elaborate diagram in questions related to thermo and fluids (mark the details). Mug up the pumps classification. 
5. Also don’t try to copy the form from someone else. Be yourself.
6. Prioritize your companies. Give some thought to what you enjoy doing rather than just running for the money. It’s better to talk to people already working in the companies you are targeting, ask them about the work profile and then come at a decision. 
7. It’s a myth that some companies have a hit list although it can be the case that you may feel that you are at a lower priority but if you perform better than everyone else then you will be the one hired. 
8. Try not to put your foot in more than 2 sectors or 4 companies on the 1st day. 
9. Once you are qualified for the interview round then CPI can never be the reason for not selecting you. Keep in mind that you are never rejected, either you are selected or not selected. And, it’s just a beginning to your career.
10. From whatever I learnt form asking people is that 10-15 years down the line everyone would be almost at the same level independent of your starting package and you will be thinking how stupid you were at the time of placements running madly for money or brand name. So, go for what you want rather than what your wingie or any XYZ person wants.
Skill Tips: Energy Systems both 1st and 2nd (for ME study pumps separately)
Skills: Energy Systems, Thermodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, Theory of Machines
College Name: IIT KANPUR

Round: Resume Shortlist
Experience: A shortlist is prepared based on your CV. Points are given for academic record, extra curricular, positions of responsibility and projects and internships.
Tips: Fill in the subjective questions after a lot of introspection, don’t just write down anything. Also make sure that what you are writing is true because they may grill you about it.

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: A Group Discussion of around 8 people was held. A total of 15 minutes were given and the time to think was deductible from those given 15 minutes only.
Tips: Try to put up valid points, don’t just speak for the sake of speaking. Be fluent and don’t scream or shout. Remember to always remain calm.
Duration: 15 minutes

General Tips: ust be thorough with your department and remain calm, then you will have a very good chance.
Skill Tips: Always pays to have a CGPA of 8.5 - 9. ITC doesnt mind if you have a 9+ CGPA, but in that case be ready to justify why you are not going for higher studies such as an MS degree
College Name: IIT KHARAGPUR

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: There were around 8-10 of us.
Tips: 1. Be calm and confident, do not speak too much or speak forcefully just for the sake of speaking.
2. Best method would be to classify the items into groups and prioritizing the groups as a whole before jumping into the individual priorities inside these groups. 
3. Come up with innovative usages of the items, justifying their importance. Conclude properly.
Duration: 15-20 minutes

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Panel was of 2-3 interviewers, usually seniors having 2-4 years of experience and lasted for 15-20 minutes.
Tips: The no. of such questions will depend on how many you answer correctly.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Panel was of Senior executives from the Company (usually region-heads) and interview lasted for 15-20 minutes.

General Tips: 1. Be confident in both GD and PI, learn/revise the core courses thoroughly, Be yourself, demonstrate your real-life practicality skills if asked (situation-based questions).
2. Try to divert the interviewer to your area of interest. Else he may ask from any topic.
3. Don't think too much over a question or give wrong answers. Accept that you don't know- It doesn't leave a bad impression.
4. Don't forget to shake hands firmly and wish the panel before sitting down.
5. Don't speak too much. Be brief and concise.
6. Be ready to crack a joke if asked to! (They asked me)
Skill Tips: Questions from your area of expertise/projects(For eg: they asked me from Robotics and about PID Controllers)
Skills: Thermodynamics (Laws and Cycles), Turbomachinery , Fluid Mechanics , Viscosity, Solid Mechanics, Engineering basics, Pumps and Compressors
College Name: IIT KANPUR

Round: Group Discussion
Experience: There were 8 people. Some people try to read the case beforehand. I don’t think one should do so as your views regarding the topic get biased and usually people don’t follow the natural course of discussion.
Duration: 20 minutes

Round: Technical Interview
Experience: Panel was of Two senior persons (One has been with ITC for more than 6 years and the other one around 3 years) and the interview lasted for 1 hour. They also discussed about my family, my hometown Ayodhya, Dramatics, my long term plans and how does joining ITC helping in that.

Round: HR Interview
Experience: Panel was of One senior person from Tobacco division and One from PSPD.

General Tips: 1. Take the form seriously and don’t fill anything without proper thinking.
2. Try to be as honest as possible and don’t try to cover up your mistakes. Tell them what went wrong and what you learnt from it.
Skills: Power Electronics
College Name: IIT KANPUR

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