Name/username: Amit989
Age : 32
Country/Location : India / Odisha
Under-Graduate School : Silicon Institute of Technology (Biju Patnaik University of Tech.)
Under-Graduate GPA: (7.15 / 10)
GMAT/GRE Test scores: 730 (Q47 V44)
Total Work Experience : 10 years
Pre-MBA Industry : Working Capital / Order to Cash, Digital Marketing, Auto - Manufacturing - Function was always IT (Started of as Developer > Business Analyst > Product Owner > Project Manager
Target industry post-MBA : Auto - Supply Chain and Manufacturing Industry
Brief about Work Experience : Was working as Sr. Project Manager in Nissan. Work involved evaluating, planning and executing digital solutions.
What is your relation to the Recommenders?(Manager. client etc): My recommenders were ex- team leads/ managers/ customers with whom I had a very humble work relationship and who had done their MBA from premier institutes [familiar to the process]. They were also able to visualize what exactly I could gain from an MBA since they had gone through the process themselves
Volunteering/Extra-curriculars: Sports (University level, had organized tournaments, had won open tournaments in various districts). Since this was my area of passion I never missed an opportunity to let the adcoms know about this. Extra essay, during the interviews, I put it very clearly.
International Experience : 2 years in Brazil + 1 Year in UK + few months in Japan(Highlighted my exp. and learnings here)
Scholarship Given? : Nope, did not opt for it
The motivation for MBA and why Now brief? : I understood that I have exhausted my skills and to take the next leap. Even to handle additional responsibilities in the future I need to gear up. Therefore the MBA. Why now - with 10 years of exp in the hindsight I was in a sweet spot to relate theoretical knowledge to corporate situations + I was already feeling challenged and I desperately needed an upgrade
Short-Term Goal : Sr. Product Manager - To own all products (for a specific client) end to end not only just designing solutions but also brainstorming what the solution should be. Even stepping further to price and market the products
Long-Term Goal : To move to the role of Chief Product Officer responsible for multiple products within an org.
Link to your interview debrief:
1) Was greeted with a smile and the first question was how did you like waiting in the lobby - I admitted that although I was pretty confident about my preparation, I was pretty nervous.
2) Asked me whether I remember/use anything from my undergrad in my current job - To which I said NO
3) Gave me an equation for the production of vehicles and asked me the growth - Was able to answer with a little help. I admitted that it was the nervousness and the rush to answer quickly, so they advised me to drink some water and relax
4) Gave me another grown problem based on Indian Economy - Identified it as Geometric Progression and solved it
5) Another problem on Compound Interest formula - in how many years will the economy fall to 0 .. answered it with the equation did not solve for it to which they were ok. The profs mainly wanted to see the approach
6) It was only one prof asking so far. The second one was observing. He then broke his silence and said I like your type. The "clean slate" type. To which I said Thanks. He asked me why did I thank him and that I should be careful next time. By this time I realized I was caught in his trap. So I smiled all way long. I said I thought it was a compliment. He asked me why did I think so -- I had no answer to this so I ended up asking him what he meant by a clean slate. To which he replied clean slate meant one who does not learn and whose growth is zero. So basically questioned my existence
. I smiled and disagreed, did not feel the urge to prove myself there and the smile did work. The other prof intervened and appreciated me smiling
7) What is the salary that you are expecting and what percentage is it of your current salary -- I quoted and explained why I am aiming at a figure above the college avg. He sarcastically smiled at my expectations and said "Good to know!"
8) Was asked questions about my company CEO , CIO...recent stories etc.
9) Was asked about my hobby- Volleyball (present champion, some rules, etc.)
My advice - Please be as honest as you can, you have been shortlisted for a reason. Your genuine character has to come out during the interview. If you are pressed too hard on something just relax and smile, if you aren't convinced accept that you aren't convinced and provide a reason if asked. If don't know something at all accept it..if you have a faint idea mention what you recall. Not all answers should be perfect. One wow answer can get you selected if the rest are average or just abv average
Did you use the help of an MBA Consultant? : Yes, I did. Though I wrote my essays, having a consultant helped me question every thought or word in that essay: something similar to the 5 WHYs concept. Also, they helped me architect my essays better -- what should be first, what can be detailed. At times things might be too dear to you but they might not be of interest to others so having a second pair of eyes always helps.
Any comments, feelings, advice to share?: Good Luck !
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20 Jan 2021, 10:52
