God's Own Interview

I was 9th in a group of 9 for the IIMK interview, held in the afternoon of 20th March 2006 , which meant that I had an awfully long wait ahead of me. Candidates went in and came out one after the other; all informing us that they were concentrating on academics (by the way, 5 of them in the group were kids with less than one year or no work experience) and some complained that the panel were trying to stress them out. Finally, after almost two hours of wait, my turn came at around 4.30 pm. Hungry and tired, and a bit apprehensive of acad questions that might be posed to me, I went in. P1 and P2 were sitting across a table and I (Me) greeted them with a warm Good Afternoon. I was offered a seat, and I thanked them.

P2: Anu, when I saw your name first, I thought it was a girl.
Me: Sir, my name gets often confused for a girl’s.
P2: So, I am not the first person?
Me: Not at all. In fact (I almost started narrating a very funny incident, then I thought better not go there. So stopped at the ‘in fact’).

P1: So you were waiting there till all the other 8 candidates had their interview. Plus you would have talked to people in the other panel. Why don’t you give us some feedback?
Me: Sir, as far as I could gather, interview was revolving much around academics. But then, since most of them did not have any significant work experience, that is what one could expect. So, I would say that the interviews are going along expected lines.
P1: So you don’t have any complaints?
Me: None whatsoever, sir.
P1: Are you prepared?
I couldn’t understand in what context he was asking this.
Me: Excuse me, Sir?
P1: Are you prepared for whatever we all are here for?
Me: Yes, sir.
P2: What do you expect for your interview?
Oh…here is a golden chance; now or never!Me: Sir, since I have some experience to back myself up with, I don’t expect much acad related questions.
P1: See, you are here for admission to post graduation, and the qualification required for the same is graduation. Work experience is just an added flavor.
Me: Sir, I am not ruling out the possibility of Acad questions. But I think the emphasis will be lesser on acads.

P2: OK, so you ase working in xxx. Where are you posted?
Me: Mangalore.
P2: Mangalore?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: Does xxx have an office at Mangalore?
Me: (It transpires so, doesn’t it?) Yes sir. In fact Mangalore is xxx’s first office outside Bangalore.
P1: So tell us about what is happening to the IT Industry? Talk about KPOs.I begin the usual knowledge session on moving up the value chain.
P1: Asks me to explain the value chain.I take anticipatory bail saying I will explain within the confines of my knowledge and start right from the voice based services and goes up till consulting. When I reached application development, P1 interrupted and asked me what it was. I explained it and went further.
P1: So how is KPO different?I talked about knowledge being the key aspect here, outsourcing companies having experts who could analyze data and things like that.

P2: So you are a Mechanical Engineer?
Me: Yes sir.
P2: How comfortable are you in taking questions from Mechanical?
Me: Not very much comfortable, sir. I passed out in 2002, and it has been almost 4 years now, and I am very much out of touch.
P2: But you can’t escape it.
Me: I am not expecting to escape it sir. I know I might have to take up questions from there also. But I just wanted to tell you upfront that I might not be able to answer questions really well.
P2: OK. What is Carnot’s law?
Me: Carnot’s law?
P2: Yes, thermodynamics.
Me: I don’t remember such a law, sir.
P2: OK, OK, OK. Tell me zeroth law of thermodynamics.
Me: Sir, zeroth law states that if a body A is in thermal equilibrium with a body B, which is in turn, in thermal equilibrium with a body C, then A is in thermal equilibrium with C.
P2: OK, what are its applications?
Me (thought for a while): Sir, they are applied in thermometers. Explained how.
P2: You said you don’t remember anything.
Me: I didn’t mean so sir. I meant I don’t remember advanced mechanical stuff. I do remember the basics.
P2: OK any other applications?Me (thinking)…Luckily, P1 interrupts.

P1: How comfortable are you with mathematics?
Me: Just like Mechanical Engineering sir; I am comfortable with basics.
P1: How about differentiation and integration?
Me: I am pretty much confident of basic differentiation and integration sir ( I just wanted this to go very well into their heads)
P1: Is there any differentiation other than basic differentiation?
Me: There are advanced things like partial differentiation, sir.
P1: What is a partial differentiation?
Me: Differentiating an equation in multiple variables treating all except one variable as a constant.

P1: Write down an equation in multiple variables.
I start to write ‘f(x,y) =’ P1 says: Not the general equation. Write an equation which is usually used.I think for a second and thought equation of circle is a good choice. I write down x^2 + y^2 = a^2 and rewrite it as y = sqrt (a^2 – x^2). Write down dow Y / dow X = Alas! I can’t differentiate sqrt (a^2 – x^2). I forgot how to... I admit I can’t proceed, hearing which P1 says, why don’t you write a simple equation and proceed?I wrote down z = x + y and did the partial differentiation with respect to x

P1 turns to P2 and asks, do you have any more questions?
P2: You have been working for almost the past 4 years.I corrected him that it is almost three years now.
P2: What do you know about the market?
Me: Do you mean the economy?
P2: Yes.
Me: Nothing much sir.
P2: Why is that so? You have been working for so long.
Me: Well, sir. My work doesn’t involve anything that requires the analysis of economy. It revolves around everyday…
P2: (Interrupts me). It is not about analysis; it is about awareness.
Me: As for awareness, I have a good deal of awareness, I believe, sir.

P2: What is the size of IT Industry in India?Me: Around 75000 crore rupees, sir.
P2: What is that? Revenues?
Me: Yes, sir. The revenues.
P2: How many people are working in it?
Me: Around a million sir?

P2 (exclaims): A million?????P1 and P2 starts laughing
Me: Yes sir (I start smiling)
P2: How much is that?
Me: Ten lakhs.P
2 (Still with a hint of a laugh) : Ten lakh people in IT Industry?
Me: Sir, IT and IT Enabled services put together.
P2: It comes to a million, eh?
Me: I am not exactly sure sir. But I think it comes to around a million.
P2 (to P1) : Do you have anything else?
P1: No…Thank you Anu.
Me: Thank you very much sirs.
P1: And all the best.
Me: Thank you very much sir.

I get up and leave the room and seeing an empty corridor at the CPP block, I run out of IIMB.