My IIM B interview experience

Reached B'lore in the morning of March 6. The push for a better infrastructure in the city seems to have made a leeeetle impact. Roads seemed to have become a bit better than the last time I was in B'lore.

Anyways, let me come to the point.

My interview was at 2.30. GD started with a case study. I was 5th in the group of 8 (1 guy did not turn up).

GD was a very simple topic. I started to speak and on the whole I think I did quite well. Easily among the top three performers and arguably the top performer. But I guess GD does not matter much.

Then the PI starts

2 profs took the interview. One person a very cordial smiling face. Let me call him P1. Second prof a bit of a serious type and "Cut the bullshit" look. Let me call him P2.

I go inside

P2: Let me see your certificates

P1: So Bala. Tell me about yourself. Not the usual stuff. We have read your SOP and all...but tell me something more about you as a person
Me : Usual start....then blah blah about my strengths. Told him about my nature and stuff. And then went on to hobbies....blah blah more...

P1: So you are a creative person. What have you done that makes you think you are creative...

Me: Sir, I blog. I write short stories, they have come in oracle magazine, and famous websites...blah blah.....
Also I make advertisement and posters for the Ora Vol Club and Emp. Club at oracle (wanted to take and show him the posters I had done from my file, but he said "thats ok...we believe you")
Also in my own team I have done this and I have done that blah blah blah...

P1: Hmm...so are you a deviant?
Me: <>Hmm, sir, are you asking in a positive sense or a negative sense?
P1: I dont know. You tell me.
Me: If I take it in the postive sense then yes. I am not someone normal. I have certain abilities that make me special. I am creative. blah blah..more nonsense...
P1: So , you dont follow rules and ethics?
Me: No sir, if I take "deviant" to mean someone who does not follow ethics then I am not a deviant. I follow ethics.
P1 : So , tell me 2 people from India who are creative.

Me : Thyagaraja swamigal in carnatic music is a creative genius...he has done this he has done that blah blah
P1: Is he one of the trinity?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Ok enough. Tell me someone who is alive.



Me: Infy Narayanamoorthy

P2: Ok tell me what he did that makes you think he is creative.
Me: Outsourcing. Pre 1991 Economic reform era. He was a person who spotted opportunity where there was none...blah blah
P2: Was it just him or his team?
Me: It was also Nandan Nilekani and others in his team
P2: Who else were there?
Me : I am not sure of the names of the others. But there was a team.
P2: So is Narayanamoorthy creative or his team?
Me: The team.
P2: Ok, so tell me, is being creative being innovative?

Me: ...sir could you repeat that?

P2: If I say that I am creative, am I also innovative.
Me: Yes.
P2: So if I just sit and think about atoms and me flying amidst them , and doing arbit things, am I innovative?
Me: Sir, no. Just thinking about it is not enough. One should put his ideas into action, only then he becomes innovative.

P2: Ok, now to the GD. You were suggesting that the person use a AC Taxi, and reimburse the fair for non AC right?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Now you are oracle sales head. Larry asks you to go to Argentina...
..............
..........

lots of stories. And then he gives me an ethical vs. unethical drama...

Me: I chose to stick on to ethics at the cost of losing my money.

P2: So you will lose so much money from your pocket?
Me: Given all the conditions I would.
P2: Ok, then next larry asks you to repeat that excercise.....
Me: Oops. That puts me in a tricky situation indeed.

.....they decided to move on...

P1: Who are Oracle's competitors and what is oracles most serious threat today....
Me: I wanted to take the ERP story....started off with acquisitions, SAP .....
P2 cut me
P2: Is ERP oracle's primary business?
Me: No sir it is Databases.
P2: Then tell me about the competitors of Oracle DB
Me: Sir they are, IBM DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, Sybase, Teradata, MySQL

P2: Tell me about MySQL
Me: Sir it is a freeware
P2: Freeware?
Me: It is an open source Software
P2: Is open source same as freeware.
Me: No sir. Open source is not same as freeware. But My SQL is a open source available for free download on the internet (I think I went wrong here...not sure if it is a free download)


P2: Compare My SQL and Oracle
Me: Gen fundas....basically more robust...blah blah
P2: Yahoo.com uses MySQL. Why?
Me: some more fundas....Gave some large customers who use oracle

P2 was not satisfied and he said...
P2: Dont tell me why Oracle is good. Tell me how yahoo manages with MySQL
Me: Some fundas...such as Yahoo may have a lot of servers to handle the number of requests...

P2 went on to the next qn.

P2: So why MBA
Me: The usual fundas.
P2: Hey come on, why not a neurosurgeon. You can be a neuro surgeon and have all the things you just said.
Me: Sir, not in my interest....blah blah...
P2: Why here?
Me: Esteemed faculty, peer group...student exchange blah blah...
P2: Boss. You are not coming here to look at our old faces are you? There is something in you that motivates you to come here. What is that.
Me: Down the lane I want to be a business leader in the IT Space and I think IIM B is the right platform to get there.
P2: That is what I wanted to know. That will be all. Thanks for your time.


Me walked out...not knowing how it went...

Guess I will know soon....

Keeping fingers crossed for now...

yo
cb