Interview prep guide from iRikai

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Document Version: June 2015

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Contents FAQs .............................................................................................................................................................. 4

How should I use this guide? .................................................................................................................... 4

Is this guide for job interviews, PSU interviews, MBA interviews, or what?! ........................................... 4

Is this the complete document? I have so many more questions! ........................................................... 4

Can you clarify my doubt? ........................................................................................................................ 4

Why do you do this? ................................................................................................................................. 4

Do you guarantee results? ........................................................................................................................ 5

General Tips .................................................................................................................................................. 6

10 Points to remember while preparing for a Group Discussion ............................................................. 6

10 Points to remember while preparing for an Interview ........................................................................ 7

Checklist for verbal communication ......................................................................................................... 8

Checklist for non-verbal communication .................................................................................................. 8

Greeting the panelists ............................................................................................................................... 9

How can I contribute to a Group Discussion if I have no idea about the topic? ...................................... 9

Specific Interview Questions ....................................................................................................................... 10

Why was your CGPA / Grade so low during graduation? ....................................................................... 10

Tell me about yourself ............................................................................................................................ 11

What is your family background? ........................................................................................................... 12

Why did you apply for this job? .............................................................................................................. 12

Why do you want to become an SBI PO? ............................................................................................... 12

What are your strengths? ....................................................................................................................... 13

What are your weaknesses? ................................................................................................................... 13

What are your hobbies? ......................................................................................................................... 13

Why should we select you and not him / her? ....................................................................................... 14

How flexible are you to relocate? ........................................................................................................... 14

Why do you want to do MBA? Why MBA after Engineering / Commerce etc.? .................................... 14

What is the interviewer looking for in an IIM / MBA interview? ............................................................ 15

What are the types of questions in an MBA interview? ......................................................................... 16

How do I justify poor extracurricular achievements in an interview? .................................................... 16

Should I share my real salary in an interview or inflate it? ..................................................................... 17



How do I answer puzzles like “How many marbles can fit into a 747 airplane?” or “how many trees in

New Delhi” etc. ....................................................................................................................................... 17

How helpful are internships in an interview? ......................................................................................... 17

What should be the length of my resume? ............................................................................................ 18

Should I mention my failed startup experience in an interview? ........................................................... 18

How do I justify a gap year on my resume? ............................................................................................ 19

Do you have any questions for us? ......................................................................................................... 19



FAQs

How should I use this guide?

Do not try to mug up the answers as that is a sure shot path to failure in any interview. Instead, study the

model answers and suggestions to get a feel for the approach. Use this to formulate your own, honest

answers and you will never need to mug up an interview answer again. In general, you will find we suggest

3 principles for each answer: be positive while answering, structure your answers into 3 key points in your

mind before answering and stay consistent. Practice can help you with these.

Is this guide for job interviews, PSU interviews, MBA interviews, or what?! We helps candidates across all these categories, so you will see some answers which are specific to one

of these categories. However we still included these to showcase the principles of answering a question.

Remember that we do not encourage you to mug up any answer.

Is this the complete document? I have so many more questions!

This is a living document and we will add more questions and answers / approaches. It will be updated on

an ongoing basis with new questions and refinements to current ones. Like / follow us on Facebook

(https://www.facebook.com/iRikai.Learning) to know about updates to this document.

Can you clarify my doubt?

Sure! Just post your question on our FB page (https://www.facebook.com/iRikai.Learning) so that many

people get the benefit of the answer.

Why do you do this?

One of our major motivations to start iRikai was to solve problems we ourselves have faced. One of the

biggest problems we used to face was lack of proper guidance for interviews. We developed our online

mock interviews program on www.irikai.com to help candidates get interview practice and expert

guidance, no matter where they are. We have also been answering questions for many students on

various forums. We decided to consolidate all the answers into this guide so that students can refer to it

whenever they want.




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Do you guarantee results?

We intend this guide as a free resource. The information given here has helped many people crack

various interviews. We hope it helps you too – but the final outcomes are entirely up to you. We do

provide a satisfaction guarantee on our online mock interview courses though – you can check out our

website for more information.



General Tips

10 Points to remember while preparing for a Group Discussion

1. Make sure you are reading at least one newspaper and 1 weekly on a regular basis for at least a

month before your GD. You need to be aware of a broad range of topics if you want to contribute

meaningfully in a GD.

2. Speak in a clear voice – loud enough to be heard clearly around the room but not so loud that you

seem to be shouting.

3. Address everyone while speaking – when making a point, avoid keeping eye contact stuck on one

person. Instead, have brief eye contact with everyone around the room while speaking. This

achieves 2 important objectives: it shows everyone that you are talking to the group, not to one

person and it also lessens the chance that someone will interrupt you while you are speaking.

4. Be an active listener. Ways to show you are listening actively include: nodding while someone is

speaking, keeping your sight on the speaker, leaning towards the speaker, referencing a past point

while making your own, etc. A group discussion is as much about listening as it is about speaking.

It is a big plus if you meaningfully relate your own point to past point made.

5. Don’t interrupt when others are speaking. Wait for appropriate pauses or “troughs” in the

discussion to enter and make a point.

6. Do not get personal. Remain objective, and feel free to contradict others on the basis of facts, not

opinions. Make sure your phrasing is respectful. For example, instead of saying “You are

completely wrong!” say “Actually, a recent study by CII has shown that the proportion is 85%, not

20%.”

7. Do not argue. You are not in the room to pick fights, even if others are being aggressive. Do not

get caught in an argument with individuals.

8. Use the first few minutes that the panelists have given you to make notes. After that, however,

only refer to your notes and avoid making more notes as others are speaking – once a GD has

started, you should be focusing on the discussion at hand.

9. If you are a shy or generally introverted person, you need to make an extra effort in order to not

be lost in the room. In such cases, set yourself a target to at least make 2 meaningful contributions

to the GD – one within the first 3 minutes of the GD and the second within the last 3 minutes of

the GD. This ensures that your points are at least heard, and your visibility spans the length of the

GD.

10. Practice, practice, practice!



10 Points to remember while preparing for an Interview

1. Remain confident – remember that you have been called for the interview because you fit the

profile, not because of luck or fluke!

2. Find out about the company – use the company’s website, or better yet, talk to someone who

works there. This demonstrates your keenness to join the company.

3. Find out about the role – ask someone who knows, or do research on the internet. Before going

to an interview, make sure you have a good idea about the role.

4. Avoid being negative – “I am keen to join your firm because it is a leader in the field and would

offer great opportunities for me to use my existing skills and acquire new ones” sounds better

than “I want to join your firm because I hate my current job”

5. Know why you want the job – ideally, it should tie in with something you have done in the past,

or your current skillset, or relate to a set of skills that you are keen to acquire in the future

6. Know why you are perfect for the job – figure out at least one quality that you bring which makes

your profile stand out for this job and would benefit the firm if they hired you

7. Avoid canned answers – do not say “I work too hard” when asked for your weakness! Everyone

knows this is not really a weakness and comes across as fake! Instead, be honest about a real

weakness but make sure you highlight the steps you have taken to overcome it.

8. Rehearse your “Tell me about yourself”. It should be long enough to tell the interviewer about

you, but short enough not to bore him / her with your life story! One way to do this is to break

down your introduction into 3 parts – educational background, professional experience and

interests. Ending with your interests gives the interviewer a lead into asking questions about a

topic you are familiar with, thus helping to break the ice.

9. Ask questions, where relevant. These can be about the role or about the company. This gives the

interviewer a chance to speak as well, and shows that you are interested in the company and the

role.

10. Practice, practice and practice! Take as many mock interviews as you possibly can, with qualified

panelists. Identify and work on your weaknesses so that you can correct trouble areas before the

actual interview.



Checklist for verbal communication

1. Speak at a steady, comfortable speed that allows you to pronounce each word clearly

2. A high volume may demonstrate aggressiveness while a low volume may demonstrate diffidence

– both can be uncomfortable for listeners

3. Use a varying tone to emphasize specific words and keep listener interest

Checklist for non-verbal communication

1. Non-verbal cues form a significant part of our communication, some say as much as 90%!

2. Non-verbal cues include:

a. Facial expressions

b. Posture

c. Gestures

d. Eye contact

3. Make sure you are dressed and groomed for the interview, use the following checklist:

a. Hair trimmed and combed

b. Teeth clean (nothing stuck)

c. Nails trimmed and clean

d. Clothes clean and ironed

e. Tie properly tied and aligned (not going sideways)

f. Socks matching color of shoes (e.g. no white socks with black shoes!)

g. Shoes polished

4. In general, a dark suit (e.g. black or dark grey) with black shoes, black socks, and blue or white

shirt is acceptable across all types of interviews.

5. An open posture (legs uncrossed, hands not touching, elbows apart) usually signals interest and

receptiveness

6. A closed posture (arms and legs crossed, clasped hands etc.) may signal disinterest or discomfort

7. Leaning in towards a speaker may indicate interest and encouragement

8. Nodding signals being engaged and indicates understanding while tilting the head from side to

side may signal immaturity

9. Maintaining eye contact signals interest and attentiveness, as well as confidence

10. Avoid the following gestures that can seem unprofessional and signal nervousness:

a. Nail biting

b. Lip biting

c. Knuckle cracking



Greeting the panelists

1. Walk into the room confidently, at a comfortable, normal pace. A common mistake is to bounce

/ run into the room – it can make you seem overexcited or nervous!

2. Maintain eye contact with all panelists even when greeting them – if you greet one and ignore

the other, it is very rude.

3. Use “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” depending on the time of the day

4. Once you reach the chair, wait for a few seconds to see if they ask you to be seated

5. If they don’t ask you, ask for permission, “May I take a seat?” before sitting down

6. Once you are seated, wait for them to start

How can I contribute to a Group Discussion if I have no idea about the topic?

If you have no idea about the topic of a GD, here are a few strategies you could follow:

1. Lead the discussion. Yes, you heard that right. You can do this with the following:

a. Open the discussion: Lay out the context of the discussion, try and interpret the meaning of the topic

for the group and set the tone. Suppose the topic of discussion is "India should adopt the Chinese model

of government" Assuming you know nothing about the Chinese system, you can still set the context "India

is a democracy, with the Central government and state governments being elected through parliamentary

elections...The topic of discussion is India should adopt the Chinese system. While ours is certainly a very

participatory system, it also has some drawbacks, such as speed of execution and difficulty of achieving

consensus. We may discuss the pros and cons of each system in order to arrive at a conclusion"

b. Continue to "direct" the discussion. Do this by actively listening to the points being made, nodding,

encouraging, and helping others make themselves heard if they are getting pushed around. Do this

politely, not aggressively. Do not antagonize anyone.

c. Paraphrase often. If anyone makes a good point, paraphrase and repeat it for the rest of the group to

make sure it is noted.

d. Try to conclude the GD. Do not try to force an opinion down everyone's throat. Just summarize the key

points that have been made, including those for and against.

2. A second strategy (if you are less confident) is to actively listen to the discussion, pick up others' points

and try and build on those. Your aim here should be to get heard at least once every 3 minutes. This will

ensure your visibility spans the length of the GD and give your mind a target to achieve. Do not, however,

say blatantly incorrect statements as that will be a major negative.

In no case should you remain a mute spectator to the GD - panelists will not be able to assess you and will

give you a zero.



Specific Interview Questions

Why was your CGPA / Grade so low during graduation?

It's advisable to do some introspection before you set out to answer such questions. Also, it is helpful to

think through the repercussions of each answer. Take some examples from a stress interview:

1. Your answer: I was more focused on extracurricular activities.

Possible follow up questions: Does that mean you do not give importance to academics? Or are you no

good at multi-tasking?

2. Your answer: I was captain of the cricket team and was playing matches around the city and also in

other cities, which meant I had to miss a lot of classes.

Possible follow up questions: So why don't you pursue cricket as a career now? How many tournaments

did you win for your team? If not many, was it worth it to give up on academics?

3. Your answer: I was not interested in engineering. I took it as most good students opt for science and

then engineering and I had to follow the guidance of my parents.

Possible follow up questions: That shows you are a follower, not a leader - why should we admit you? Are

you also following societal norms to apply here?

There are many such cases. The purpose of highlighting these is not to discourage you - but to encourage

you think through really why you had a low CGPA, and what are the follow up questions you can expect

from your answer. Here is an example of a better answer:

1. My CG is 6.7/10, which actually still puts me in the top half of my batch. It appears slightly low compared

to my percentages in X and XII, but that is mainly because I used the time in college to develop myself in

other ways. As an example, I used to be an introvert while in school. However, in college, I consciously

took part in every debate and public speaking event in order to overcome my fear of public speaking. I

even won 3 gold medals in inter-university debating contests.

This answer does 3 things: states the CGPA upfront to show you are not shy or diffident about it; it

objectively states that you were actually in the top half of the batch; it subtly says your X and XII

percentage was actually high; it turns 1 weakness into 3 strengths – self-awareness (I was an introvert),

strong desire to improve (take part in every debate) and excellence (won 3 medals).

Possible follow up questions: How will your debating skills help you now in your MBA / your career?

Possible follow on answers: The reason I focused on developing my communication skills during college is

because I saw it as a major weakness. I think a lot of my work during MBA / my career will involve working



in teams, and contributing with my opinions, understanding others' points of views and influencing others.

These are skills that I have picked up during debating.

Tell me about yourself

1. Break it down into 3 parts – (1) your education, (2) your professional experience and (3) your

interests. Here is an example:

“My name is Sathish Kumar. I completed my graduation in Commerce from SV College of

Commerce in Bangalore in 2010. Prior to that, I did my schooling mostly from Hyderabad, and I

graduated from ABC International School in 2005 with 75% marks in the Commerce Stream,

including a 90% in Maths. Since graduation, I have been working at AB Financials as an Accounting

Analyst. My role involves daily bank reconciliations, receivables management and generating

reports from Tally. Outside of work, I am a keen follower of cricket and enjoy playing for a local

club as a wicketkeeper and opening batsman.”

2. Why do we say split it into 3 parts?

Because this focuses your introduction. There is a common tendency among candidates to lose

focus and ramble on and on till the interviewer stops them. Or, some candidates have such short

introductions that they do not give the interviewer a chance to ask any follow on questions.

3. How long should my introduction be?

Between 40-60 seconds is good

4. Is the order of the 3 parts important?

Yes. You should speak about the most interesting aspect of your personality at the end. For many

candidates, it is their interests (e.g. achievements in sports, or collection of rare stamps etc.)

Saving an interesting aspect for last means that it will definitely register on the interviewer’s mind,

and give him or her an opportunity to question you on that topic further. This is a great way to

break the ice and speak on a topic of common interest. If you feel your work experience is more

interesting and relevant or if you have a great professional achievement you wish to talk about,

feel free to put professional experiences last.



What is your family background?

Remain focused. Say brief sentences about your immediate family only. For example:

“I live in a joint family, with my uncles and grandparents living in the same house as us. My father is a

government employee, working with the City Works Department as a Civil Engineer. My mother is a home-

maker. I have a younger sister who is preparing for her XII class Board Exams.”

Why did you apply for this job?

1. Focus on the positives, not the negatives. Instead of saying “I am applying to this job because I want

to get away from my current job”, say, “I feel this job would give me good growth prospects and would

be a better match for my skills and interests.” or “this institute has the best faculty in India for finance

subjects, and studying here would give me a solid foundation in financial management. Besides, I

would get exposure to a set of brilliant colleagues who I can learn from and access to a vast alumni

network” instead of “I want to do this course because I don’t want to get into IT”

2. Focus on what “pulls” you to this role, not what “pushes” you away from your current role.

Why do you want to become an SBI PO?

1. Here, even though the question is why SBI PO, you may choose to expand the answer to include: why

you want a banking career, why you want to join SBI, and why you want to join SBI as a PO

2. Some pointers for why banking:

a. It relates to your past academic and professional experience: I have a background in finance

and have been working at a bank for 2 years. I would like to stay within the banking sector

b. Banking is one of the most important sectors in the economy. It facilitates the efficient flow

of credit towards productive activities and contributes to nation building.

c. Banking is one of the areas of focus identified by the current government, owing to the

importance of the sector in driving economic growth. I am very optimistic about the growth

of this sector and would like to be part of the process of nation building through financial

inclusion.

3. Some pointers on why SBI:

a. SBI is the largest bank in India with more than 17,000 branches and USD 388 Billion in Assets

b. SBI is one the biggest brands not just in banking, but across sectors, in India. It truly serves as

a “Banker to Every Indian” (their motto)



c. Because of its size, SBI provides great opportunity to get exposure across different products

and geographies

4. Some pointers on why PO:

a. Within the banking sector, a PO role provides a great starting point to begin a long term career

in banking

b. A PO role provides comprehensive training, and exposure to different products, systems and

operations within a bank. This helps lay the foundation for a long term career.

What are your strengths?

When talking about your strengths, don’t just say “I am good at ABC”. Also give examples of why you are

good at ABC. For example, “one of my strengths is the ability to work hard under pressure. In my last job,

I delivered a 15% increase in sales during the off-season and under tight timelines.”

If you can relate your strengths to some desirable qualities for this role, that’s even better. For example,

an aptitude for numbers is an asset for a PO role. In such a scenario, you may want to highlight that you

are analytical.

What are your weaknesses?

When talking about weaknesses, don’t use clichés like “I work too hard”. Be honest and upfront about

your weaknesses, but make sure you talk about how you are addressing the weakness. For example, “One

of my weaknesses is my English communication. This is primarily due to the fact that I studied in Hindi

medium school. However, I have started taking English classes after work 5 days a week in order to

improve my English.”

Also be careful about weaknesses which would make it difficult for the interviewer to hire you. For

example, would you hire a person who says “I am dishonest” or “I am extremely lazy and like to get things

done at the last minute” There is such a thing as being too honest!

What are your hobbies?

1. One common mistake that students make is confuse “mild interest” with hobbies.

2. Your hobby is an activity that you enjoy pursuing regularly, therefore, it can reasonably be expected

that your knowledge of that activity is quite good.

3. Examples of hobbies that make for good conversation include: volunteering, running, sports (cricket,

football, tennis, badminton etc.), writing, reading, and so on.



4. Examples of hobbies / interests that DO NOT make a good impression include: gambling, partying,

drinking etc. Even activities like “watching movies” can seem frivolous, unless you are a serious movie

buff with interests beyond the latest Bollywood / Hollywood flick!

5. Ask yourself what is it that you really like to do – you do not need 5 hobbies! Even 1 hobby that you

are passionate about is good enough. Then, be prepared to answer questions about that activity. For

example, if your hobby is tennis, some reasonable questions for the interviewer to ask could be

related to the latest grand slam tournament.

6. If pushed to name more than 1 hobby, and if you are not comfortable with talking about any other

activity, you can always say that you do not get time from work / studies / preparation for other

hobbies but also name an activity that perhaps you pursued in the past. In such cases, however, make

it clear that you no longer pursue it actively.

Why should we select you and not him / her?

1. Identify 3 of your strengths relevant to the role.

2. In answering this question, say these strengths and position them as advantages to this role. For

example, instead of just saying “I am hardworking”, elaborate. “This course requires a lot of hard work

- I am hardworking and have consistently topped my college for all 4 years.” OR “You should select

me because my past work experience is very relevant for this profile, which will make it easier for me

to quickly adapt to the role. Given my aptitude for numbers, as shown by my scores in Mathematics,

I feel I will be more comfortable with the numerical and analytical aspects of this job.”

3. Never say negative things about other candidates – instead, focus on the positives of your own profile.

How flexible are you to relocate?

1. At this point, it is assumed that you are aware of the travel demands of this job and will be open to

meeting these demands.

2. Therefore, it would be best to say you are prepared to do what it takes in order to perform the job

well, and that includes relocation.

Why do you want to do MBA? Why MBA after Engineering / Commerce etc.?

To answer this question, you should know what skills an MBA is going to teach you which you may not

have picked up during graduation and while working. These skills are not just academic! For example:

1. Academic: You can study subjects in management which may be of interest to you from a career

perspective. e.g. Operations Management, International Finance, Advertising Management and so on.



2. Network: The networks you build at an IIM can last a life time. Besides, you also get access to a rich

alumni network - these can be invaluable as you climb up the corporate ladder.

3. Personality Development: The coursework during an MBA can be intense. Given the rigours of life at

IIMs, you end up having to work in diverse teams and under pressure. This can prepare you for a corporate

career where you need to perform under pressure while demonstrating team work, leadership,

ownership, accountability and other similar traits.

4. Career Change: If you are a graduate working in IT, you may not get an interview with investment banks

for M&A roles. If a career change is your goal, then an MBA can facilitate that.

What is the interviewer looking for in an IIM / MBA interview?

Each institute has its own criteria for selection. While your academic performance may be the focus for

one, it may be your work-ex that is more relevant for another. In general, however, you should be

prepared to be judged on the following parameters:

1. Your communication skills: Not just what you say (e.g. fluency, correctness, language skills), but how

you say it (e.g. tone, volume, body language, gestures, eye contact). Communication skills are important

not just in and of themselves, but are essential for you to be able to answer the other questions in a

coherent manner.

2. Your personality: this is judged with direct questions about your achievements, your strengths and

weaknesses, interests, motivation, goals, family background, etc. and indirectly through putting you in

hypothetical situations and asking you to respond. The intent is to find out whether you are coming to the

IIM for the right reasons and whether you will be a good fit for the program.

3. Your education: expect questions around your academics, especially if you are a recent graduate. The

purpose is to see how well you know your subjects and use that as an indicator of how well you might do

in the future. Even if you don't know answers, how you tackle that situation would also be of interest (e.g.

do you try to bluff? do you turn defensive? etc.)

4. Your work ex: this is again used to evaluate your expertise in your current career. Your interest,

knowledge and achievements in your current line of work can serve as an indicator of how you might fare

in the future.

5. General awareness and aptitude: Are you aware of your surroundings and environment? Are you quick

on your feet? These are essential traits to survive in a competitive environment like the IIMs. Questions

used to judge these traits are puzzles, opinions on recent events, general knowledge etc.



What are the types of questions in an MBA interview?

Broadly, your preparation should cover the following areas:

1. Your academic profile: Questions related to your subjects. Pick at least a couple of subjects you really

like and prepare thoroughly for them.

2. Your work profile, if you have work-ex. These can be related to the technical aspects of your job or

soft skills, such as leadership, initiative etc.

3. Your interests and hobbies

4. Personality / Fit questions: These include questions around your personality such as strengths,

weaknesses, motivation, long term career goals etc.

5. General Awareness: These can be from a broad range of topics that candidates are expected to be

reasonably aware of. These also include questions asking for opinions (e.g. what is your opinion about xyz

political party)

6. Puzzles and dilemmas: Puzzles, and moral / ethical dilemmas (e.g. would you hire someone who stole

to feed their family)

How do I justify poor extracurricular achievements in an interview?

Assuming you have been called for the interview, clearly lack of extra-curricular achievements is not a

disqualifier. There are several people who have made it to IIMs with "Blood Donation" as their major

extracurricular achievement, while others have failed even with debating and sporting honors!

If you are asked specifically, "why haven't you got any extracurricular achievements", you should be

prepared with a logical answer. What really was the reason for this? Were you focused on academics? In

that case, talk about your achievements in academics. Were you an introvert? In that case, say it has been

a weakness that you are working on. Or perhaps there were other activities such as social service you

were focused on - which do not necessarily lead to certificates and medals.

Depending on the real reason for your lack of extracurricular achievements, you can prepare an answer

that logically states why this was so, and highlight other positive aspects of your personality that may

make up for it.



Should I share my real salary in an interview or inflate it?

Well here are a few questions you should consider before you take a call:

1. Assuming you get the job, would you really want to base the rest of your career with that firm on a lie?

Do consider that people have been fired for submitting misleading information decades after they have

been hired!

2. After you are made an offer, suppose the HR asks for your salary slips. Have you considered the

consequences of this?

Instead of risking this career opportunity - why not be upfront about it, and say to the recruiter: "I earn X

right now. However, my target salary is X + 20%", and take it from there? Most good recruiters will find

an acceptable middle ground if you are a good fit.

How do I answer puzzles like “How many marbles can fit into a 747 airplane?” or “how

many trees in New Delhi” etc.

This type of question is called a guesstimate, and is particularly common in consulting interviews but can

be used in any interview to assess your logical thinking and problem solving abilities in particular, and

creativity in general.

As you can see though, it is highly unlikely that anyone has the exact figure as an answer. Therefore, the

approach is more important than the answer itself. The approach would involve – understand the

question > formulate and approach > ask for as much information as you need in your approach > if the

information is not available, make a reasonable assumption > use the information and assumptions to

come to a logical answer.

Common mistakes include: guessing without basis, using wild assumptions, going completely quiet and

trying to solve the problem on your own without asking for more information from the interviewer.

How helpful are internships in an interview?

They are helpful as long as you can express what you have contributed and learnt during the internship,

and how it will relate to your MBA / career choices.



For example, if your internship was in digital marketing, maybe you learned some basic marketing

principles. Now, if you decide to do your MBA in marketing, this knowledge can serve as a good

foundation. During the course, you will also be able to clearly identify what you were doing right and what

could have improved. In case your future aim is to get into marketing, by the time you graduate, you

would have built up a strong foundation in marketing principles in theory and practice.

At the same time, suppose you were recognized as a star performer in the internship or had a real

achievement (e.g. I gave inputs into the targeting strategy which improved conversion rates by 10%) >>

this kind of past performance is important to share, as it gives interviewers comfort about your track

record and future potential.

What should be the length of my resume?

Here is a general rule: If you have up to 5 years of work-ex - 1 page is ideal. After that, for every 5 year

block of work-ex, feel free to add 1/2 a page. e.g. For 5-10 years, you can use 1.5 pages, 10-15 years of

work-ex, 2 pages, for 15-20 years of work-ex, 2.5 pages etc.

Should I mention my failed startup experience in an interview?

If you feel talking about your startup leads to a stress free interview for you and you are able to give good

answers, mention it. Contrary to popular misconceptions, interviewers are not looking for topics to quiz

you on just to trip you up! They are genuinely interested in knowing about you in order to assess if you'd

be a good fit for their program. If there is something that interests them about your background, then

they will ask you more questions on it. If your startup experience is a good conversation topic for you and

the panelists, do mention it.

The challenge is to make sure your startup experience is portrayed correctly (e.g. what did you learn, what

would you do differently, why quit now, why not give it another year etc.) so that it is not just "interesting

experience", but productive and well planned. In addition, link your startup experience with what you

hope to get out of the MBA or contribute to the job role. For example, perhaps knowledge of customer

targeting and segmentation may have helped your startup – you can certainly learn this during your MBA

Marketing subjects. Or, if you learned how to manage and negotiate with vendors during your startup,

this can be a valuable skill to have for your job.



How do I justify a gap year on my resume?

Depending on the actual reason and the interviewer, it may actually be taken in a neutral or even positive

manner.

If you have nothing convincing to say, or say something which is extremely naive, such as "I did not know

what to do with my life, so I stayed home for a year", or "I was just taking a break" - you can be sure you

will not be making a good impression.

A convincing reason could be "I had just graduated from college and had a few job offers. However, I was

not convinced about which field I wanted to start my career in. So instead of joining any firm in a half-

hearted manner, I decided to take more time to think about the direction I wanted my life to take. During

this time, I worked as a volunteer with an animal shelter, backpacked across India, and focused on my

hobby - writing. I feel I have gained a lot of perspective from this time, and am more confident about

wanting to join XYZ field."

Note that it provides an honest background, explains what you did during the time which is quite

interesting, and relates it to how you will be better on the job because you are now more confident of

your choice.

Do you have any questions for us?

1. Don't feel under pressure to ask questions if you don't have any - asking a forced question will only

lead to a negative impression. Examples of forced questions include all questions whose answers you

could easily have found by searching on the internet or by looking through the job profile, or questions

which have no bearing on the role.

2. Asking no questions is not a negative in most cases. One of the few scenarios where this can be an

exceptions is if you have been very quiet throughout the interview and are being pushed to ask questions

by the interviewer (possibly with the intention to make you open up).

3. Asking a genuine, good question is worthwhile. This gives the interviewer a chance to talk as well (i.e.

moves it from an "interview" to a "conversation"), and explain a point worth explaining. An example of a

good question can be: "you already have 7 engineers working on this project. How do you see my role

evolving in this team?" The question acknowledges that you already know something about the role and

project, while seeking clarity on your own possible contribution. Note that a good question in one context

may not be a good question in another. For example, the above good question will suddenly look very

stupid if the past few minutes of the interview were spent on explaining your role.

So again - don't feel under pressure to ask "good" questions or "witty" questions. Read the situation and

ask only questions that you genuinely feel you need answers to



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Recruiting & HR

Interview prep guide from iRikai