Please do prepare well

It might sound like a very general advice. Yes it is but still really important. I would attempt to make it a little clearer now (can’t make it clearer more than a little). Here “Prepare well” means, one need to be well prepared according to one’s own expectations. The main intention is gaining a genuine confidence that comes after preparation. This will remove any performance anxiety. Confidence and thorough preparation will make one capable of handling both expected and unexpected questions with ease. For me “Prepare well” means preparation about the background of organisation (for which applied for or interested), basic details of Job, preparations for personal questions such as strengths, weakness etc, preparation about project details (FW, OTS and MTS) such as methodology, main findings etc. After all this, one can also prepare for the subjects that are most relevant for the job applied for.

I appeared in two interviews NDDB (For Deputy Manager-Planning) and FINO. NDDB interview experience was really tough for me. First question was, “On which page number of Placement Brochure we can find your details?” I replied, “I do not know sir.” They again asked, “Have you ever seen it?” I replied, “Yes I have but have not specifically remembered the page number”. They asked, “Then how can you help us here?” I said, “Sorry sir I cannot help you in this” (Here perhaps I got wrong, perhaps I could help them there by myself finding it in the placement brochure and then giving it back to them). Then they asked about my OTS organisation, I started answering but they did not let me speak more than 3-4 sentences and came up with another question from their armour. This was, “What is the population of Karimnagar district (My MTS study population were two villages of this district in Andhra-Pradesh)?” I replied, “Sorry sir I do not remember it”. They again asked about major findings and I answered to my satisfaction but not to their. They then questioned about methodology and I explained however they did not look very convinced and said that the methodology was not scientific in the absence of baseline data. However these are incidental factors and possibly might not be applicable to any body else. The basic take-home is, “Be well-prepared about the projects.”

Second was my encounter with FINO people. They just asked about my previous job, my family, my place of schooling, how I came to IRMA and how interested I was in working in rural India. They gave a lot of time to answer any question unlike NDDB (planning) and also listened to every crap equally seriously. All questions were personal in nature and finally they gave me the offer. Only point which I was perhaps able to convey was, “I was quite interested to work for rural India and have no problem in being posted in any corner of our beloved nation”. May be they were looking for that only.

Disclaimer: All he information given above is highly contextual in nature hence generalise at your own risk and follow with utmost caution. One suggestion with this respect, “Prepare more than what I have mentioned after-all it is important, isn’t it?”

- KUMAR ABHISHEK

Action speaks louder than words…

From the very first day of joining IRMA, i was clear about, what i 'DON'T WANT TO DO' in my career, but was not bit clear about what i wanted to do. I was never bothered about my IRMA grades, but was feeling very apprehensive about getting a job as i was securing just average grades. From January 20 onwards the place com ( i too was a part of it) was hardly getting any time for studies and their own preparation for GD/PI. I was finding it difficult to balance all the stuffs, but then i realized one thing that 'Responsibilities are more important than circumstances' and then i started devoting more time for place com. I was very much sure that if i get shortlisted for interview by any organization, i can crack that interview, but the question was that ' would any organization will select me having a grade of just 2.689/4' , any ways i was shortlisted by ITC, BASIX,FINO, HiWEL but not by AP Tribal welfare department. After being shortlisted by my dream organization BASIX, i was sure that i am going to clear the interview. The night before the interview went very hectic due to some important place com work.
The D-day (07-02-10) came with new sunshine but without a suit for me, but finding that one of my close friend Amit bharadwaj is also not in suit, even he have not wore a tie, i was relaxed that i am not any odd man out. The PRM 30 volunteers were doing an excellent work and suddenly 3 of them came to me saying you are having GD for ITC, interview of BASIX and FINO at the same time, i ran for GD of ITC, just after coming back from there i found Anup Bajaj (my biggest motivator) is waiting for me to take me to FINO's interview, at the same time i got to go for BASIX interview, so i decided to appear for BASIX interview, first.
In the BASIX interview panel there were 5 members and as i entered the room the first question was on my health ( donno y ppl r so much concerned abt my health). The interview started and as usual i started answering the questions in my tailor made style. During the interview the panel was highly impressed with me (still donno y!!!) and they said me during the interview that i am going to be the part of BASIX, i accepted the offer and as per rule now i was not allowed to sit for any other interview untill the whole batch is placed. I was happy for the job at the same time upset as now i can't go for the AP Tribal welfare departments’ interview; i consoled myself and got busy with the place com work.
Next day HiWEL was coming for interview, and it was a good offer for anyone who wanted to start his/her career with a World Bank project. Next morning Dr Jani and Parvati were placed, who were very specific with their choices. After that all the offers were open to all, i appeared for HiWEL, it was a grilling interview. The panel screwed me for almost an hour, and that day i realized why engineers are preferred everywhere (certainly they are more analytical than a commerce graduate), but i was answering them very confidently and i used my workex excellently to answer their situation based questions. After the interview i went to sleep as i have not slept for past 2 nights, i put my mobile switched off. Suddenly after 2 hrs Nishant kumar came to room saying that i craked the HiWEL interview, i thought i am dreaming as i was in 'kachchi neend' but then sankar da told me that i am selected. I went to ETDC for some final formalities with HiWEL, where i negotiated on my designation and salary. All went well and now i can definetly tell u that, grades does not matter much but your positive attitude and a bit of sense of humour.
I am a kind of person who never ever minded the criticism or whenever people questioned my ability or calibre, as i know my potential and strength very well, so was just waiting for the right time to answer my critics and other fellows who always tried to make fun of me...
I think i proved myself that i m not just a boy next door or any 'aira gaira'... once again must say 'Action speaks louder than words'....
Now i am very clear about what i want to do in my life.

-SUMAN KUMAR GOPE

The D day experience...

This was my first ever placement interview and I was very nervous. I had started revising d main concepts of d subjects like FM, EARM, MC, IGB, MM etc. and following d newspaper sum 1 month before. This gave me the confidence to face the interviews and helped me to clear both the written exams of NDDB and GCMMF. I gave only two interviews- NDDB and FINO as I was quite sure that I would make up to in either of the two. The first question that was asked to me was- “Tell me about yourself”. You are really lucky if you get this question- it has the potential to change the entire course of interview. For example in FINO, I started telling about my OTS project which was technology related while in NDDB I shifted the interview to my MTS which was more focussed in institutional building. I was also asked certain questions from MC and LECL in NDDB and d rest were general questions like are you ready to work in remote areas, where would you prefer to work (location), do you have any question to ask etc. one advice I would like to give – Be yourself and Be confident. If you don’t know any answer, straightaway tell them that you don’t know (as I did) and everything would fall in right place.

- N NIDHI NEGI

“UNWED” Theme !!!

My theme paper saved me….!!! When I sat for the AP Govt. – Tribal interview, I didn’t have much to say about development, nor were my projects in the field of NREGS/Development. When the interview started I projected myself for marketing (as written in the CV), but added that I had done my FWS in a tribal village of Wayanad in Kerala. Also said about the theme paper “unwed mothers in Thirunelli Village” issue during my introduction to the interview. It turned the entire interview in my favor. They were ignorant about this problem and I engaged them with my studies/stories about unwed mothers.

I think one should project the things which are relevant for the organization to make the interview a success. J

the d-day!!

so...when the day finally arrived, i was bit scared and bit excited. scared as i wasn't prepared much for the placements and excited as it was a totally new experience for me. The excitement proved to be helpful as I didn't panic when was not given a spot offer in my first interview, while others did get in that same organization. So, i moved on to the next which was NDDB. The interview was not very impressive on my part but i did answers all the questions though with minor defects. My OTS/MTS projects came to my rescue as i was at least able to answer all questions related to them. (So, revising one's projects is essential). Though in my case i was not able to revise adequately all the stuff..but whatever i did read was helpful in building some confidence which helped me sail through without major hiccups!! (So, try and revise the essential subjects). Also if the interviewer tells you to ask a question...do ask something but it should be genuine and not "jaali CP".

P.S. Do carry a sheet with your strengths and weaknesses written on it and keep reading it when u get some time in between so that you don't start pondering over when the interviewer asks "tell me something about urself". Tell weaknesses which you can improve upon through some efforts.

JUST TO THE POINT!!

Well guys I also wanted to write some experiences of my interview but I just can’t, bcoz don’t have much to write about something which lasted just for 5-7 minutes followed by the offer.

The few days before the D day are always full of anxiety, some nervousness and tension. But you have to control the feelings, mostly at the times when you get the shortlistings from the organizations and your name is not there. Guys plz hold your nerves at that time……It is difficult. But it is always better if u handle it with maturity. This is just not the end of the world.

Remember a line very much overused but of utmost use & importance in this context. ……

‘’WHATEVER HAPPENS AT THE END, HAPPENS FOR A CAUSE AND YOUR GOOD ONLY’’

And specially at the times when we are a confused bunch of people with a lot of things resting on luck and chance.

And finally…..

1)If u get rejected by some organizations, then don’t think that u don’t have it in you, but they just need someone else or it is just a matter of luck and plz plz…. dont go on blaming your misfortune……just move on.2)Choose your area, sector or what you want(Money, work , organization or a balanced mix).Be focused, don’t get affected by what others are getting or what others are thinking…….If u stays focused (of course no need to show it;))……..at the end of the day you will be very happy.3)In this way if you are focused, try it from the time of choosing your OTS and MTS. Though choice is again not completely in your hand, but always try for what you want to have in future as a career. It gives you exposure, learning and it really pays.4)Believe that at the end of the day you are going to be placed. And if you don’t get what you wanted, then just don’t panic…….its just the first job for many of you…..just the beginning and not the end……and you always have a strong network of IRMANs and your personal networks as well, and you can get a definitely better deal within few days. Believe in you and the brand name ‘’IRMA’’.5)Enjoy your life and time before placement, don’t overstrain,…….but yes don’t neglect preparation completely . In a short period for preparation, just focuss on the area which is needed by the job applied for, in detail about your projects, your deliverables, learnings, and everything what you write in your CV.6)See for many organization there goes a shortlisting , and if your name is not there, then just don’t get panic. If the vacancies are more, then you will definitely get the chance (PC is always there to help you all). If not

Swati Nayak

Tribal Welfare Deapartment

Plainspeak....

You always hit a bottom even if you are sinking. I hit my bottom on the D day in IRMA but then there was only one way from there. You want to get into ITC, you prepare for it, sit for mock interviews, get good feedbacks only to discover that you have not been shortlisted for the first round. And the reasons are beyond comprehension. But then my neighbor who is among the toppers also didn’t get one. Chalo..koi nahi. Ye MPDPIP ka bhi job accha hai na. Bahut mann hai CEO banke pura manage karna ka. Huge opportunity to learn. MF mein to jaana nahi hai. But BASIX FINO and IFMR acche paise de rahe the. Inko bhi try kar lete hai. But sab jagah short listing and all are short of my name.

On the eve: Ajeeb chakkar hai. Pata nahi chal raha kya chahiye. Education background, work ex, grades all are intact, but nobody seems to be impressed. Ok ITC, BASIX nahi to kal FINO, IFMR to hai. Slept with a little disturbed mind.

D day: Early morning was no better. However I pulled out of the bed and got ready. Wahan jaa ke pata chala ki FINO and IFMR are also not interested in me. I literally became a volunteer helping out with the placements of my colleague waiting for my one chance to appear in an interview. Good news from all sides. People getting placed left, right and centre. Mujh par bhi kuch rahan kar bhai. Ek interview mein to baithne de. From 8.15 to almost 11.30 I waited for my moment. Koi ro raha hai, koi bahut khush hai. Saala apna to koi puch hi nahi hai… kya rhyming hai…

Pahli call. Sir aa jayie NDDB ka interview hai. Chalo bhai itna suit buit ka kuch to faida hua. Appear kiya NDDB planning ke liye jiske liye kabhi apply hi nahi kiya tha. Waah bhai waah. Panel mein jaa ke bol diya ki maine to NGC ke liye apply kiya tha. How cld they recruit me after all that. And worst of all they got stuck with milk.. Milk ka composition etc etc…Bachaooooo….

Next interview NDDB NGC. Haan this is something that I know. Had a good interview. Came out confidently. But bhai ab tak to almost 65% batch place ho gayi hai. Mere biradari waale, family and extended family sab. Koi nahi Nitesh. Something big is in waiting. Lekin sab big to nikal gaye… MPDPIP. Haan I still want to go there. As if I had any option left..:P

Wait wait SKS bhi to hai. But no guys are dumping their spot offers. So Nitesh give it a try. But Nitesh to Nitesh hai. Interview dete samay hi bore ho gaye. Their what-if question made me lost and I was wanting to come out of the panel. When it was all over I told them that just in case you plan to recruit me, let me know. I want to negotiate on the package. Saala naukri to hai nahi… Akad itni. Haan bhai jab doob hi rahe hai to shaan se doobenge. Mujhe SKS nahi jaana unless of ciurse they pay a lot.

GCMMF has come out with its shortlist. Don’t know if my name is there or not. Don’t know if I want to be with GCMMF or not. But I got a call and in I went for the interview. Goddd..i have never faced such an interview in my life. The panel was so chilled out. It was like sitting in your drawing room and chatting with your friends. The colonel had some serious questions to ask from”I too had a dream”. Pata nahi kya sujha tha. I had read that book and answered him well. Sardar says ki “le lo jee isko, le lo”. So I knew I was in. Ok, lunch ke pahle ek virtual job to haath mein hai.

But saala jaana hai MPDPIP. During lunch I got calls saying that BASIX and FINO had opened the panel for all. Not enough students to appear for their posts. But main nahi jaata interview ko. I am committed towards MPDPIP.

Lunch ke baad gaya to GCMMF ka result aa gaya. Finally I had a job for me. But I got another call for FINO and GCMMF ko hold pe rakh ke I went for FINO. In their, I again ended up asking them for their criteria for shortlisting. I wasn’ t happy and it came on my face. When they asked me what is my first choice, I bluntly said MPDPIP. And it was almost time for that panel. FINO se bahar aake I had to decide my next moov. Talked to placement co-ordinator. Told him that I want MP… And so off I was sent in as the first candidate fro MP… interview accha hua. Things came out from within. I was desperate for them. They offered me the job. But ye kya… In the end they told me that there is not much of government help and certainly no gaadi, bunglow. And haath mein only pachees (casto mukherjee style….) hazar. Kya be… Biswas (Placement coordinator again) Sir ko pucha. He says sign the GCMMF one. It is a going concern. Nothing is sure about MP….

Nothing left… but wait… Kamal came running. He says that BASIX interview is on and that Giddu (Jospeh) will help me attend the interview. Ok, I will give it a try. In I went for the interview and I knew by the end that I had turned it for me. So here I am in BASIX and frankly speaking I wasn’t overjoyed. I felt no different from inside. Probably it will take some time to sink. Or probably I never cared much for what I got. GOD bless IRMA. I surely knew that I wld end up with a job even if a day or two went blank for me. Ab AAALLLL eeeiiiissss Well. Sab khush hain.

My D day Venture

“Four options are before you. One is a problem involving insurance product. Second, data of a village.....1000 houses, 6500 people and so on. Third, documentation of a particular process or research. Fourth, liaison activities between certain groups. Which one do you think you are good at?” Immediate question I faced when I entered room for IFMR-CIRM interview. When I opted for the first one, next question was ready. “Can you solve this question?” A paper and pen was provided to solve a weather insurance product problem. Please be prepared to face unexpected questions and attitudes from the panel at any point of time. Other questions were, how many insurance providers are in India? What is the difference between life insurance and non-life insurance? Should there be different regulations to handle these 2 difference insurance domain? If yes/no, why? My favourite rural development projects (both successful and failure).Most of them were technical in nature.

IFMR-CIRM was my first interview and I had entered the room without even knowing what CIRM stands for!!! I wanted to be in marketing field and waiting for my turn in GCMMF which did not disclose my name in the initial lists. Hence instead of wasting time, I wanted to have mock interview experience and went to IFMR-CIRM. That was disastrous!! I wanted to give the interview to federation and BASIX, but my name was in the middle of the list. My second and last interview was with IFMR Venture. It was very long....Some of the questions asked were

1. Which concept at IRMA I liked the most? and why?

I told about new generation cooperative (NGC) and panel aggressively tried to convince me that NGC is no way better than traditional coop.

2. Regarding my work experience and how it is relevant now

3. I was asked to choose between rural energy and rural drinking water as Venture currently working on these two sectors and I may work for one of them. I chose rural drinking water.

4. I was asked to explain how I would implement drinking water project in a village (assumption was right technology is available). I spent lot of time in explaining my thoughts.

5. Series of questions related to failure of many government project related to providing drinking water. What is the main reason for the failure etc

6. The takeaway from IRMA and work experience.

My only request to you is try to build your own perspective in each topic. During the interview time, your original thoughts help you but not the borrowed and shortcut answers. There can’t be two answers for technical questions. But when they ask you to opine on certain issues or when they give live problems, it is your strong perspectives that help you respond convincingly. This is only about the experiences in the interview room. But how you prioritise your organisations, interviews and choices according to the changes and surprises on D day make substantial difference to the outcome. So be flexible, confident.

Prashant Hegde

some thoughts abt the day....

Just a day after our MTS ended we had the pre placement talk from ITC and this was the start of so called "PLACEMENT FEVER" season .We all had a new topic to gossip and sometimes serious talks like “where will we land up” .As a member of Placement committee I knew the time has come where we all PC members will have to slog a lot and face the batch on important as well as some "trivial" issues.

Ok now not boring you with the pre placement time talks and gossiping let me start my experience. I was not shortlisted by ITC and then by Basix…Somehow felt that where our batch agreed to disclose the marks I was not shortlisted .IFMR,TERI ,AP govt,FINO,HIWEL,GCMMF and NDDB did shortlist me . Let me tell you that organizations coming for placement in IRMA shortlists participants in such a manner that you will find no correlation as to why a particular person has been selected and why the other one was left out. So never rely on organizations short listing criteria( important TIP). Just before the D-day I was pretty much busy with the PC work and had little doubt as to what am I going to say in the interview as frankly and honestly speaking I had not prepared for the interviews whether it be going back to the books of previous terms or keeping oneself updated on current issues and also not even reading the newspapers ..(these ingredients are always suggested for the interview and GD preps) .Luckily SKS divided the list of students to interview in two panels and mine was the first interview which was timed to start at 8:30.this was like mock interview. I was the first “bakra” in front of SKS people and they started asking all arbit questions like if your colleague is jailed how will you get him out.if any one of the three has to be saved then which one will you choose “1.boss,2.client,3.subordinate”.I thought I was not giving an Interview for a B school campus recruitment but rather for a Law school campus placement. They kept me questioning on similar lines and I kept on babbling the answers for an hour or so. After the interview I came to know that this organization is not fit for me. However they did not even gave the spot offer also (basically did not select me).Luckily within 15 minutes I was lined up for IFMR capital interview .thanks to PRM 30 people they did a good job in updating each one of us on the happenings taking place in front of the interview panels. But before that IFMR CIRM called me for the interview,I had no idea what this CIRM does and what are its functional areas .I was asked initially about myself then my interests and then question on how are my mathematical and analytical skills. Straight away after that I was asked to design a life insurance product for rural poor. I was given one minute to think on that.The next question was a numerical on Insurance product as in what will be the farmers inflow of cash and outflow of cash ,what will be the pay offs and was asked to draw a graph. After all these bouncers I was asked to design the MIS of the loan product.then before leaving they asked me about HDI ranking,how many insurance companies are there ,where I see myself in 5 years from now.I was pretty confident they will offer me a job.after coming out from interview I was called with in 5 minutes for IFMR capital interview. again the usual question introduce yourself and blah blah…..main bouncers were thrown when they asked me why interest in finance of MFI’s. then came train of questions what is securtization,capital adueqacy ratio, credit enhancement,delinquency ratio,off balance sheet method of financing MFI ….etc etc……as soon as I came out of room they offered me to join ,I asked them to wait for 10 minutes and suddenly they raised the package. Just after that I also got offer from CIRM and they offered a higher package then Capital.but till then I had already signed offer with capital.so this was my experience but people believe me it all depends on that day.how you feel about yourself.just be confident ….

PRASHANT BHARDWAJ

Anand talks...

I was interviewed at number two in the batch. My interview with BASIX went quite well and was positively expecting a call. After 7^th candidate, they came out with a list of 4 spot offers excluding me. All the four were agri students from a particular region in the country. I was an engineer with 3 yrs experience and it came out that BASIX people were looking for specific set of skills for their forthcoming foray into a particular region. Though later in the day when most of the people got placed, they made themselves open.

1. Take Home: If they had not picked you, it is not your fault; sometimes they are looking for some other things viz. background etc. Naturally they also have a predetermined set of things.

Then to chill out I went for NDDB interview (as I never wanted to go into dairy, there was no pressure to perform). Also I had to wait for my interview turn in FINO, my 2^nd choice company (I got a spot offer here).

2. Take Home: Don’t panic. Always keep 2-3 options. Always Remember!!! Recruiters have all the way to pick you.

3. Take Home: Do read Nitesh’s experience.

-ANAND PRAKASH

Jo bhi ho.. us din to lag jaati hai..!!

Then, I got a call from Puneet, my boss, offering me a job. I ll be in the team where I did my MTS. But then, it was just 3 days before the D day.

So, I felt the heat till I got the call. When I confess that this heat cannot be avoided, let me try to tell u how one could get the temperatures down. I would tell what I think went well for me.

Let me start with some context.

I was always clear that I ll be in finance. Finance is again too broad. I knew where I was interested to a bit more extent. So, the confusion is lesser here. Still, it all depends on who comes on campus. This only to some extent is in your hands. So, there is some heat which can be diversified and some which cannot be.

To make things easier for myself, I went on for few courses. The results were scheduled on 27^th January. I was occupied and my mind thought of only this result. Placements etc were not yet thought of. To avoid this result excitement and tension, I concentrated on a certificate course scheduled exam on 25^th. So, it’s like this. I was occupied with exam or its results. I had no time to think of placements. My mind was not idle and hence not a devil’s work shop.

So, the take home for you is: pre occupy yourself with something constructive which would help you in interview and also keep you away from diversifiable tension and confusion. Diversifiable risk is never rewarded by the market. Only beta is rewarded, mind you.

And then, I had to think about D day also. It is crucial. I thought to get thorough about whatever my resume contained. My work experience in railways, other exams and other things broadly. Other things included my achievements, how, what, etc. The important thing is to know about the organization.

One thing guys!! You should understand that an organization tries to get some feedback from those they know. So, try to get spotted and if this is done, try to be in their good books.

I feel, my case analysis sponsored by IFMR had a considerable impact on my selection. They observed me and my friend. They spot some of us. So guys, if IFMR is sponsoring UDAAN again, you need to be very active.

This is all I have for you. Don’t know how good this would be for you. Still…

Mohammed Irfan…

The day that was.....

Well….In my opinion, placements are 90 percent hype and 10 percent test of your ability. I feel, be it Group discussions or interviews, what matters on that day is your ability to think “common sensical things”- clearly and confidently. Knowing some basic facts such as your CV details, project details and some fundamental concepts in finance/marketing etc would be sufficient enough for someone to sail through. The unnecessary pressure which starts rising before 15 days of your placements creates unnecessary doubts about your knowledge, ability, skill and preparedness. People start wasting more time in unnecessary worrying about not knowing particular subject or project rather than actual working on those subjects/projects. But all said and done, such things are going to happen. It is easy to say now but experiencing it is as difficult as making Sunny Deol dance on the tune of “Beat it”.

Some of my experiences before-during-after the process have been documented on my blog – www.noviceshashi.blogspot.com

Our experiences with organizations such as NDDB and GCMMF which conducted written test showed that, you need almost no preparation to clear those exams. But then, preparation is always better to maintain your confidence level as in the end it is the only support which will help you on D day.

I appeared for four interviews during these two – IFMR –Venture, AP-Tribal Dept, Impact India and Hole in the Wall. Some of these interviews were with serious intentions while some were not.

Most of the time, interview revolved around my MTS, OTS projects - key findings, observations and learnings from these projects. Sometimes basic questions such as “for organization having no inventory, which ratio – Acid test ratio or quick ratio – would be used?” were asked.

AP government asked about water, land and forest management issues and their implications on NREGS etc. Impact India interviewed me by putting me in a situation where I was asked to find out reasons for sudden changes in their number of patients treated every year and solutions to tackle those issues.

Over all, all interview panels will make you feel at ease and if you have some eccentric information about yourself then try to mention it in your CV. During my IFMR interview, lot of air time was spent on my hobby of writing blogs. Many questions were asked on what kind of blogs I write and my opinion on Shiv Sena issue in Maharashtra etc. These things will keep you away from serious questions such as finance or marketing.

No one knows what is going to happen during those few hours. So, keep your options always open. Be ready with your preferences in case you have to take a decision. Never count on one single organization. You never know what factors would contribute on that day.

Opinions above are very personal and in no way should be taken at a face value. Whatever happened with me will not necessarily happen with all of you.

All the best!!!

SHASHIKANT PATIL

The Impact India experience

I did not go through any of the trials and tribulations like my batch mates. Hell, I didn’t even feel I am sitting for placements. I had chosen my domain way back, when I had joined IRMA. That simplified things greatly. There was only one organization which was offering what I wanted. So all I had to do was wait for it. Towards all other organizations, I was indifferent. And our place comm had created all the necessary hype about me “waiting”, so much so that my interview wasn’t even an interview at all. I could clearly see that my interviewers had already made up their mind. That it was just an interactive session. It was fun talking to them so calmly about everything. Even jogging! And I am really happy I got to help my friends the day they needed me the most, because of the choice I had made. I would like to say only one thing for this blog. Choosing your sector makes things really easy and simple. And it helps your batch mates too. You do not add unnecessarily to the competition, you do not waste anyone’s time, and most importantly, you are well prepared as all you have to do is learn as much as you can about your domain. And the rest is, well, “a bungalow on the beach” …. ;).

Parvati Singh

MY INTERVIEW EXPERIENCES

My very first interview with Department of Tribal Welfare, Govt of AP was unexpectedly amazing. I was put at ease by all the panel members out of whom one was IRMA alumni (PRM-27). There were a few things which came to attention of the panel at first sight from the placement brochure and resume:

Most of the times your graduation background is important to interviewer, generally not the college/ university of graduation. But in my case I derived an advantage of being a student of Banaras Hindu University since my interviewer was also an agri- graduate. So this can happen that belonging to a good, reputed institution may do half of your work. (After seeing this they generally don’t ask question from academics etc.) But this was very special. Don’t take it for granted.

Be ready for the questions from your MTS/OTS, not only in terms of work that you have done but also how do you see the organization. For instance mine MTS was in a CSR division. I was asked about the relevance of work organization is doing, whether CSR is a socially acceptable way to exploit people, what if the main organization due to which CSR created was not present in the area then do you think the economy would have been better in that area & if yes how? Etc-etc....

Generally hobbies & interests are written just for the sake of writing in CVs. These are one of the most neglected areas but be very careful in quoting your interests in resume. A good time of mine interview is spent on the interests I mentioned in the CV. Just for a case in point I have written: ‘Reading short stories in Hindi literature especially by Munshi Premchand.’ I was asked not only about to summarise one of the stories of my choice but also that what issues I found central to the stories of author. The can also ask you about the other authors of Hindi literature and one or two books written by them. So be alert in making your hobbies very specific, it’ll attract very particular questions also (like in mine case).

In the end of the interview, if panel asks you to question something from them, always ask a question. This shows that you are genuinely interested in the organization. But ask the questions that have to do something with the operations, working with the organization and that too simple one. You can also ask about the geographical spread of organization. For instance ‘Why BASIX is not working in UP while has good presence in all other neighbouring states?’ Don’t go for too technical questions and your compensation etc. Negotiation for salary is a completely different thing, keep that apart.

I hope that some of my experiences will help you to tackle your interview beautifully. The key message is: Just be yourself and everything will fall in place.

ALL THE BEST!!!!!

Neha Shankar

Tribal Dept., Govt. of A.P.

my experience AP gvt( tribal welfard deptt)

it was my first interview which lasted for about half n hr...

I was asked about my native place, my educational background, about the work(NREGS) i am supposed to do, my role in that and how can I add value to it. A few introductory questions about my MTS and OTS were asked...SWOT analysis of my job( AP gvt, NREGS).and questions regarding my hobbies also dominated the interview.

- Kamal Kishore Pandey

Beware: Free advices and unsolicited "gyaan" here!!

Two disclaimers:

1. Opinions here are very contextual and cannot be generalized!!

2. If u feel that i sound like a "know it all" while reading this, please excuse my tone of writing! I have tried to avoid it, but found it very difficult to do so!!

When i write this, the suits have been packed and put aside, the folders have been put back in the suitcases (where they belong) and the tension in PRM 29 is even lower by BHUTAN's standards!!

But assuming that you would be reading this at the time of your placements... U wud be generally jittery ,looking for quick fix solutions and "to the point" advice!! so i would try to make it that way..!!

so let me start by talking abt the ppts!!

first thing, try and attend all the ppts even when not made compulsory by the PC!! It so happened in our batch that the largest recruiters like BASIX and Govt. of AP were also the ones who gave the best pre placement talks!! Trust me on this..based on the ppt alone u wud decide whether to go or not to go for the orgn.! and if u are able to decide where not to go, that would be a huge benefit on the final "chaos" day!! SKS lost out this year just because of the ppt!! So try and be there!! Ask uncomfortable questions in the ppt abt salary, growth prospects, future outside the orgn..especially when the presenter wants to avoid them!! Use dummy candidates to ask them, if u feel that u can loose out on the impression front!! this would be the last time where u cud ask them!! dont end up asking them in the interview!!

Make ur preparation, as well as CV, customised to the organisation. Perspective building courses like CAC, RSP, DTP are best studied in their terms only!! Last minute studying wont do much good. So what can one do in the last 10 days?

Know abt the organisation where u want to apply!! and know it like the back of your hand!! one can gain amazing amount of confidence for the interview just by doing that! try relating the work of organization to the concepts of academics!! Just to give an example-if applying for ITC, agribusiness has to be relooked in the light of ITC and its requirements!!

Now, let me conclude by saying what happened in the ITC interview with me. The reader can then himself take what he wants to take from it!!

GD- Very general, does not need factual knowledge. It was a case where there is a plane crash and people are trapped in a forest! The group has to prioritize 15 items given in the list according to the groups need!!

so we all know that one has to speak and let speak in a GD! Dont end up forgetting this, which is very likely to happen!! and try to make headway in the group by being flexible! Dont be rigid!

Interview- Brush up all your projects like that of MM, finance, MC , MTS ,OTS and FW!! questions are bound to come up from them!! try to give in key learnings and insights when asked abt them! go into the details of things. Just to give you an example I was asked to name the constituents of an organic fertiliser, which was used in my MTS project!! obviously i did not remember it! then he told me to find it out using any means within 10 minutes!! so do carry a phone.

ITC people are somehow very fond of opinions and one is asked to give them on a variety of topics like politics of Narendra Modi, growth in Bihar, impact of NREGS on agriculture, organic farming and its effect on food productivity and environment etc.

They also asked abt the experiences of organising events like MILAAP, UDAAN etc. Usual suspects like strengths and weaknesses questions were there.

A few good questions like-

1. what do u feel abt the placement policy of IRMA of inviting maximum number of companies on the first day? how would u change it for better, if u feel so?

2. (this was the first question) what should be the strategy of a company like ITC for placements in IRMA? shd we take written and then give results in the end, or shd we also give spot offers? do u think we have changed our strategy today?

3. what will be your strategy as a student in such a scenario? (this was asked twice once at the start and once at the end)

4. what are your main take-homes from the example of e-choupal and the ppt given by sivakumar?

5. if a farmer is asked by a loan officer to give him a bribe, what would u do as an area manager?

In the end, i would again reiterate that please dont take it as a complete set of questions. Based on your context and CV, they may be different. But the undertone behind the questions remain the same!!

I believe this post of mine would be of some help to u guys in future!! In the end, it would boil down to maintaining ur composure!! and some very "in your face hard-selling" to the interviewer!!

- AMAN JYOTI