IIM Calcutta

Its not known as the hedonistic capital of IIMs for any reason. IIMC defines pleasure and they know how to mix it with business.

The day before the interview i was on gtalk and

"fucker!.. when will your college announce results?"

"Announced already.. and you have made it...."

"Where is the fuckin link?.. i don't see any link on the home page. What bullshit website man!"

NITIE was also a hit.2 on 2.

The interview was in the morning and i was again unable to catch sleep the night before.

My head was pounding by the time i reached venue. In the waiting room there were two staff from IIMC checking all your certificates and putting a "verified" seal.

We were divided into groups of 10 each and my group entered a room which had a panel of four proffessors, a middle aged professor(MAP), a bald professor(BP), a old professor(OP) and an young professor(YP).

After we had taken our seats along the 3 sides of rows of chairs in U-shape while the panel across a table completed the rectangleYP got up , came in the centre and

YP:"We will now have a business case discussion for 15 minutes and then each one of you will be told to summarise the discussion in random order for 1 minute each"

And then handed over a copy of the case to each one of us.

It was case about a mechanical engineering automation firm which was finding it difficult to recruit talent beacuse it coould not match the lucrative offers of the IT industry.

It was a good and peaceful discussion. Various solutions were given.

The first guy's interview went on for about 30 minutes. Then i was called in..

MAP:"So you were opposing your own industry?"

VC:"Sir, i was just being objective about the situation. I was expected to solve a problem and thats what i did"

YP now opens my interview form and reads it loud for the rest of the panel

"vishwachetan is another software engineer in another software company. He is another guy who has 19 months experience"

Then handed over the interview form to OP.

OP:"So you did come out with a lot of solutions in the discussion. You were trying to help your rival sectors."

VC:"Its good for the economy to have a mix of sectors doing well. If the whole economy id dependent on software then it way become troublesome in times like these"

OP:"What do you think is the GDP contribution of software sector?"

I mistook it for the biggest contributor towards GDP, while he was asking the number.

VC:"Service sector.."

OP(angry):"First listen to the question properly"

VC:"I am sorry sir i don't know"

YP:"whats the percentage of software developed in India in that total exports of software sector"

VC(smile):"I dont know sir"

OP then opens the file and

OP:"Tell me about this go-green initiative"

VC:Told in detail.

BP:"Have you done cost/benefit analysis of this?"

I messed up big time here. They were asking something while i got a little emotional about my stuff and started defending it. It just went haywire.

YP:"but how is this a hobby?. you just initiated it"

VC:"Sir i do spend my free time on it"[Lied point blank]

By now they were pretty distraught with my answers.

MAP:"So you have written so many things here. What you actually wanted to do?"

VC:Basically retold the same thing as in the form.

MAP:"You don't know what you want to do. If a fresher was saying this i would have been fine but such answers from a guy with close to two years experience?"

This interview was done and had reached a bitter stalemate.

BP:"Do you have stock options?"

VC:"Yes sir"

BP:"What was the highest and lowest prices in the previous year?"

Told him.

BP:"The highest and lowest ever?"

Told him those numbers also.

OP:"ok.. we will stop here."

I got up and left.

Was pretty distraught at the way things went after an awesome GD. Cal was gone.