Aha!!... ISB Interview Experience
I know its been a long time I gave my ISB interview but it would be hard on my part if I dont share it with the world. Had posted this long back on the groups (isb-pgp) but was a bit apprehensive about sharing it on the blog as I didnt know if the interview was worth enough to get me through to ISB.. :)
So here it goes...
Had butterflies all inside me after reading Yugita's interview experience.. :)
Reached the venue almost 45 minutes early at 1045am. Got an essay on Adventure from the reception. Was called in exactly at 1130am in Conf room 5. Was greeted by Ms. Hema (Ad com), Mr. Ravi (either ad com or academics) and Mr. Vinay (Alumni). I wanted to break the ice myself.. so started off somewhat like this.
Me: Sorry about this but I hope you dont feel as if you have met a pack of incense sticks.
The panel: Why do you say that?
Me: I came in a cab and the driver had a couple of think incense sticks burning ferociously all the way from mulund to gateway and I was fearing that I might have caught the smell.
All of them smiled.. I took my seat.. :) I handed over the essay to Ms. Hema and then she started to go through it, when Mr. Vinay started off.. The series of questions ...
Mr. V: Your address on your resume says California but you are here in Mumbai for the interview.. why so?
Me: I was in Cali till around 10 days back.. This is my new resume with the updated address (handing over the resume, one to each of them).
Mr. V: So tell us something about yourself, your hobbies and your future growth plans.
Me: I am a reapplicant... blah blah blah..
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer) Before I could tell them about my hobbies..
Mr. V asks me about Modeling (which was a small part of my career)
Mr. V: You said you left Modeling. Why didnt you make it your career?
Me: Modelling was not my final goal. I wanted to use my available resources as I was not getting the so called elusive job. Also had some personal reasons for leaving the industry. Casting couch experience with some GUYS.
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer)
Mr. V: You left modeling because of this reason (casting couch). Why didnt you stay in the industry and try to eradicate the problem? What do you think would be the solution?Me: Not all model coordinators and agencies have this casting couch thing. Infact 90% dont have such an attitude.. but these 90% are so busy that they are approachable by the new talent. If they are open to new talent, the debutants need not go to the 10% peolple who have set this casting couch trend.
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer)
Me: You had also asked me about hobbies, can I continue on that?
All of them: Yes pleaseMe: Blah Blah..
Mr. V: You said you were working for Red Cross. What job was it? How did you manage to get in there?
Me: When I had been to the US for the first time, I could not figure out on how to use the free time I had, apart from cricket. In my second trip to the US, I had an idea on how to utilize my time for something humanely good. Also I wanted an out and out task for volunteering and the only such option was being a driver for delivering the blood collected at the Red Cross donation centers to the local hospitals.
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer) Once I was done with my future growth plans, I was asked about the client I was working for in the US.
Mr. V: Which client? Telecom?? Cool.. Which country has a good telecom future? India or China?
Mr. V: What kind of tasks are you into in the project?
Me (yet again): Blah Blah... :)
Mr. R: Which software or tool you used for Testing?
Me: (need I tell??.. :).. )
Mr. R: Ok.. you are from the TECH domain.. you are a techie (wellll am I???.. I dont think so.. neither do many people who know me.. :).. ).. But I am a completely non techie guy... so can you explain me what all different testing happens in the lifecycle of a software application...
Me: yes... these are the different type at different instants in the lifecycle of the application.. blah blah..
Mr. R: Ok.. you said Performance testing.. how is it done?? Have your heard of Winrunner?
Me: (I am bored of writing blah blah..:)..)
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer)
Mr. R: What is the future of testing domain?
Me: Great.. explaining them why so? (they were pretty convinced)
Mr. R: Then if its so goody goody.. why leave it and come to ISB? Why not grow in that domain and reach the top?
Me: Blah blah..
Ms. H:(Is watching me answer)
Both the male interviewers then looked at Ms. Hema and she dropped a bomb...
Ms. H: What is your fallback plan if we dont select you this time as well?
Me: (Stumbled for a couple of seconds but then continued...) Blah Blah yet again... :)
Ms. H: Any questions for us?
Me: My last blah blah.. :)
The interview was good.. no grilling or anything.. absolutely professional approach. Hope this helps who reads it!!...
So here it goes...
Had butterflies all inside me after reading Yugita's interview experience.. :)
Reached the venue almost 45 minutes early at 1045am. Got an essay on Adventure from the reception. Was called in exactly at 1130am in Conf room 5. Was greeted by Ms. Hema (Ad com), Mr. Ravi (either ad com or academics) and Mr. Vinay (Alumni). I wanted to break the ice myself.. so started off somewhat like this.
Me: Sorry about this but I hope you dont feel as if you have met a pack of incense sticks.
The panel: Why do you say that?
Me: I came in a cab and the driver had a couple of think incense sticks burning ferociously all the way from mulund to gateway and I was fearing that I might have caught the smell.
All of them smiled.. I took my seat.. :) I handed over the essay to Ms. Hema and then she started to go through it, when Mr. Vinay started off.. The series of questions ...
Mr. V: Your address on your resume says California but you are here in Mumbai for the interview.. why so?
Me: I was in Cali till around 10 days back.. This is my new resume with the updated address (handing over the resume, one to each of them).
Mr. V: So tell us something about yourself, your hobbies and your future growth plans.
Me: I am a reapplicant... blah blah blah..
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer) Before I could tell them about my hobbies..
Mr. V asks me about Modeling (which was a small part of my career)
Mr. V: You said you left Modeling. Why didnt you make it your career?
Me: Modelling was not my final goal. I wanted to use my available resources as I was not getting the so called elusive job. Also had some personal reasons for leaving the industry. Casting couch experience with some GUYS.
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer)
Mr. V: You left modeling because of this reason (casting couch). Why didnt you stay in the industry and try to eradicate the problem? What do you think would be the solution?Me: Not all model coordinators and agencies have this casting couch thing. Infact 90% dont have such an attitude.. but these 90% are so busy that they are approachable by the new talent. If they are open to new talent, the debutants need not go to the 10% peolple who have set this casting couch trend.
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer)
Me: You had also asked me about hobbies, can I continue on that?
All of them: Yes pleaseMe: Blah Blah..
Mr. V: You said you were working for Red Cross. What job was it? How did you manage to get in there?
Me: When I had been to the US for the first time, I could not figure out on how to use the free time I had, apart from cricket. In my second trip to the US, I had an idea on how to utilize my time for something humanely good. Also I wanted an out and out task for volunteering and the only such option was being a driver for delivering the blood collected at the Red Cross donation centers to the local hospitals.
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer) Once I was done with my future growth plans, I was asked about the client I was working for in the US.
Mr. V: Which client? Telecom?? Cool.. Which country has a good telecom future? India or China?
Mr. V: What kind of tasks are you into in the project?
Me (yet again): Blah Blah... :)
Mr. R: Which software or tool you used for Testing?
Me: (need I tell??.. :).. )
Mr. R: Ok.. you are from the TECH domain.. you are a techie (wellll am I???.. I dont think so.. neither do many people who know me.. :).. ).. But I am a completely non techie guy... so can you explain me what all different testing happens in the lifecycle of a software application...
Me: yes... these are the different type at different instants in the lifecycle of the application.. blah blah..
Mr. R: Ok.. you said Performance testing.. how is it done?? Have your heard of Winrunner?
Me: (I am bored of writing blah blah..:)..)
Ms. H: (Is watching me answer)
Mr. R: What is the future of testing domain?
Me: Great.. explaining them why so? (they were pretty convinced)
Mr. R: Then if its so goody goody.. why leave it and come to ISB? Why not grow in that domain and reach the top?
Me: Blah blah..
Ms. H:(Is watching me answer)
Both the male interviewers then looked at Ms. Hema and she dropped a bomb...
Ms. H: What is your fallback plan if we dont select you this time as well?
Me: (Stumbled for a couple of seconds but then continued...) Blah Blah yet again... :)
Ms. H: Any questions for us?
Me: My last blah blah.. :)
The interview was good.. no grilling or anything.. absolutely professional approach. Hope this helps who reads it!!...
posted by Mahesh Shenoy at 5:29 AM
8 Comments:
good work .. perhaps this page of ISB Essay Tips might be found useful by current ISB applicants..
Pls let us know wat that blah blah means,,,, we want to know the answers than the questions
This comment has been removed by the author.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hi,
There is a website started by ISB alums Apphelp Consulting
I was highly impressed by the results and the profile of reviewers.
Just thought that it might be useful to you guys.
Disclaimer: This is just a suggestion.
Kapil
hi,
I also found some free interview tips on GoISB.com
1. Tell me about yourself
2. In what ways do you believe you can make a contribution to your peer group?
3. What skills have you acquired in your most recent job(s) and how do they relate to ISB?
4. What skills are you planning to acquire at ISB ?
5. What are your short- and long-term career goals? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
6. Do you prefer working alone or as part of a team, and why?
7. What are your greatest strengths? What are your weaknesses?
8. What would you describe are your greatest achievement to date?
9. Describe occasions when you have demonstrated initiative.
Writing down answers to the above forces you to structure your response and reinforces your thinking process. You will be more relaxed during the interview because your answers are well organized. While practicing your answers, you must, however, also not appear to sound too rehearsed during the interview.
Don’t Ask Me
We all have areas in our pasts that we would rather not talk about. These may include poor grades, being fired from a job etc. Most people, when asked a sensitive question, have a natural tendency to apologize and confess, and before they know it, they dig themselves into a hole that is very hard to get out of. By anticipating and preparing for such questions, you will be able to emphasize the positives and minimize the negatives of the situation. The key is to be prepared.
Review your CV and prepare questions that you would rather not be asked in an interview. How could you answer each of these questions in an honest but positive way?
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hi fellow Aspirants,
www.goISB.com looks really promising to me. I called ISB for knowing something abt interview dates and thats when i heard the about it again from Adcom.
Anyways, keeping my fingers crossed for r2 interview calls.
cheers
-Asif
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