How to Face an Interview

Q. Tell us about yourself.

I have been working for SAIL for the last eleven months at Durgapur Steel Plant. During this time, I took a number of initiatives. I incorporated a CAE system for plate and sheet development for piping jobs. I have also been a faculty for AutoCAD and designed a new training module for it. I am also working on streamlining flow of jobs in the shop floor.

During my college days, I played pivotal role in bringing SAE student chapter to our college, helped establish a department newsletter, and also the flagship techno-cultural symposium of our college. I founded and led a motorsports club for two years. As part of the motorsports club we designed and manufactured two full size formula style racing cars, and participated in Formula SAE competition in Japan in 2008. We raised more than Rs. 10 lakh in cash, material and technical donations.

The motorsports club, effectively functioned like a small company. In fact there was a part of competition where we had to come up with a business plan to market and sell our product. And although, I had initially taken up the challenge for technical reasons, I came to enjoy the managerial aspect of the competition.

On a personal note, I belong to Jaipur. My father works for Bank of Baroda, my mother is a housewife. I have one elder brother, who is alumnus of this college and is now working for J&J. I enjoy playing and watching football and early morning bike rides.

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I belong to Jaipur, and come from a close knit middle class family. My dad works for bank of baroda, my mom is a housewife and my brother is an alumnus of this college, now working for J&J.

I have been working for SAIL for the last eleven months at Durgapur Steel Plant. During this time, I incorporated a CAE system for plate and sheet development for piping jobs. I have also been a faculty for AutoCAD and designed a new training module for it.

During my engineering years I played pivotal role in bringing SAE student chapter to our college, helped establish a department newsletter, and also the flagship techno-cultural symposium of our college. I founded and led a motorsports club for two years. We designed and manufactured two full size formula style racing cars, and participated in Formula SAE competition in Japan in 2008.

The motorsports club, effectively functioned like a small company. For example marketing the product to raise funds, managing human resources and keeping them motivated, maintaining public relations, effective money management, time management, it was all there. In fact there was a part of competition where we had to come up with a business plan to market and sell our product. And although, I had initially taken up the challenge for technical reasons, I came to enjoy the managerial aspect of the competition.

And realizing this, MBA presented itself as an option. That's why I am here.

Q. Why MBA? What are you hoping to gain out of two years program in management?

I am here because I want to gain a perspective on how a business is run. The skills acquired inside and outside the classroom, in a B school will help me gain a perspective on how a business is run. It is also an opportunity to interact with like minded people, a great faculty, business leaders and alumnus of the college. The skills I gain here, along with the brand value of XLRI will help provide a good platform to start a career. I also think, two years at XLRI will be very stimulating and will provide a powerful life experience.

Like for example I took the initiative back in my college days, and although those days were very gruelling, it has been one of the best experiences of my life. It enabled me to understand my strengths and weaknesses better. I am sure, two years at XLRI will have a similar, even better effect on me.

There is a lot that I can learn here, the skills that can be acquired in classroom and outside. It is also an opportunity to network with a great set of peers, alumnus and of course the faculty. The brand value of XLRI, will also help me start a career in a direction of my liking. Apart from all of that, the powerful life experience that comes with two stimulating years, is enough for anyone to yearn for a degree.

I am here for four things.. skills, network, brand, and a powerful life experience.

* Why an MBA

The MBA is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. It is a degree designed to give you the ability to develop your career to its fullest potential, at an accelerated pace. What will you get out of an MBA? Aside from a powerful life experience, the MBA degree should supply three main value propositions: Skills, Networks, and Brand.

* Skills

These include the "hard skills" of economics, finance, marketing, operations, management, and accounting, as well as the "soft skills " of leadership, teamwork, ethics, and communication that are so critical for effective management. MBA students acquire these skills inside and outside the classroom. Since MBA programs attract people from very diverse industries and cultures, a program should be able to leverage these differences and translate them into learning opportunities.

* Networks

An MBA degree program offers access to a network of MBA students, alumni, faculty, and business and community leaders. This network can be very useful when beginning a job search, developing a career path, building business relationships in your current career, or pursuing expertise outside your current field. For example, entrepreneurs need access to capital, business partners, vendors, and clients. Arts-related businesses need access to funding and strategic management in order to position themselves to be relevant in the marketplace. Global businesses need access to local business cultures as they expand their enterprises to new territories.

* Brand

The MBA degree is a recognized brand that signifies management and leadership training. The particular school and type of MBA program you attend also have brand associations that can help open doors based on the school's reputation. The strength of a school's brand is based on the program's history, its ability to provide students with technical skills and opportunities for personal growth, and the reach of its alumni and industry network. A powerful brand can give you the flexibility to make changes throughout your career.

Q. What are business