MBA Mania

Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune. – Interview / GD Experience
By Richa Kholkute

Questions related to Group Discussion / Group Exercise

Q. Was Group Discussion or Group Exercise part of selection process?
A. There was Group Discussion and Case Study as part of the selection process.

Q. The duration of GD, size of the group, number of panelists, etc.
A. The GD lasted around 20 minutes. The groups consisted of 8-10 people and was judged by a panel of 3.

Q. What was your GD topic?
A. Our GD topic was ‘Ethics in Politics’.

Q. Tell us about your GD experience?
A. Fortunately, my group exhibited “excellent group dynamics” and the whole discussion was carried out without creating a ruckus. Since all of us had become familiar with each other prior to the GD, we resolved to have a fruitful discussion with pertinent points sans any shouting matches.

Q. How was the environment during discussion?
A. Though everyone was tense and wanted to speak, each allowed everyone to have their take on the matter at hand and the process was conducted very smoothly.

Q. Describe your impression of the your team members and overall GD process ?
A. Out of 8 people in the team, 5 of us got through the process. The people chosen were of diverse backgrounds and were a good mix of freshers and those with work experience.

Q. Some handy tips that would be of great help.
A. The judges, I believe, are looking for good content, communication and good team work. Because of the organized and peaceful GD that we had, a majority of us got through the process. So, I believe that it really helped.

Q. Were there any set norms of Group Discussion?
A. No.

Interview-related Questions

Q. Date and location of Interview. Were you given the option to choose? Was the interview date fixed or rescheduled couple of times.
A. The date and the location of the interview was as mentioned in the call letter and there was no option to choose. All the interviews were held only on the SIBM college campus at Pune.

Q. Can you tell us about the panel that interviewed you?
A. The panel had the Dean of SIBM, Mr. Vishwanath, who is an alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, and has had several years of work experience in the corporate world in India and abroad. It also included Mr. Jagdish Kini who was the CEO of Bharti Enterprises and now runs his own consultancy.

Q. How long was your interview?
A. My interview lasted around 15 minutes.

Q. What was the first question? The most interesting question? The most difficult question?
A. I was first asked to make a presentation as the President of Union Carbide defending the Bhopal Gas Tragedy. This was an extempore speech that I had to make. Several cases were thrown in front of me that were related to ethics in advertising, celebrities in advertising, etc. These were the questions apart from the usual questions of why MBA, work experience related questions, goals in life, passions, etc.

Q. How did you prepare for the interview? While facing the panel, were you confident, did you feel prepared?
A. I had prepared for the frequently asked questions apart from keeping myself updated about the latest updates in the corporate world. I was confident when I faced the panel.

Q. Was any feedback given to you? What feedback did you receive from the panel at the end of session?
A. I didn’t receive any feedback.

Q. Did work experience help in getting the choice of your school and also in dealing with the curriculum?
A. Yes, my work experience has definitely given me an edge since it has given me an insight into the working of the corporate world apart from honing my people management skills and enhancing my analytical skills.

Q. Getting into and sailing through a B-school is easier for a Science Graduate than for someone from Humanities background. Your comments please.
A. With respect to the entrance examinations that are conducted, the Humanities stream students may find number crunching a more difficult proposition than the science students. They also may not have the analytical abilities that engineers possess.

Q. Will an MBA degree add on to your existing career plan or did you decide to switch / start a career in management?
A. An MBA will make a drastic change to the direction of my career path that was initially heading the technical way. Marketing in the FMCG industry that I am looking at is a totally different ball-game than the profile of a ‘Process & Proposal Engineer’ in B2B industry.

Q. Why did you decide to do MBA from this school?
A. SIBM was the only institute offering Marketing Communications. Marcom interested me since it is a blend of marketing and subjects such as Brand Management, Advertising, PR, Media etc., which are an intrinsic part of marketing.

Q. Were you able to get the school of your choice or did you compromise and opted for the best option that was open / available for you?
A. I aimed for the IIMs, but I do not regret settling for SIBM.