Interview Experience with A4

Life at a B-School is a real learning experience. From being just another engineer, we have come to be aspiring managers. In addition to that, we are at IIM, and trust me you have to live up to that name every moment of your life.

After getting settled in the hectic life around here, the next big stage started, i.e. recruitment of clubs and committees. You think it's easy and you could just fill on forms and get in the clubs you want, but wait, the answer is hell no! It is one of the most difficult tasks around here! You have innumerable forms to fill, trying to sell yourself to each club and telling them how you fit in, what you bring to the table, why should they take you, etc. etc. Consider it as a preview of the placement process you are going to face on the later stage. In the process you discover more about yourself, your strengths and much more than you could have thought.

After going through the huge list of the Clubs and Committees at IIMU, I shortlisted the ones I was interested in and applied for them. With so many clubs, its a difficult choice to make of which club to select, and you bear the risk of not getting selected into any of them after the recruitment process. One of my top priority clubs to join included A4 (Alumni and Allies Association). I fill in the form and am called for the interview.

So, my interview is scheduled at 9:30 pm at the Saints hostel. I complete my dinner hurriedly, and run to reach the hostel for my interview. The interview was earlier scheduled at Room 126 at Saints (hereby referred as ST). I was nervous yet excited. This was the very room I had partied with my Seniors and had all that crazy fun, and here I was again for a formal interview. Wouldn't it be weird? Yes, of course it would be! But to my relief, the interview was scheduled in the ST Common Room. Phew!

I enter in the room, all confident and revved up, determined to impress my seniors! There they are, sitting with serious faces (as though trying to scare you). All my excitement turns into nervousness! Will I be able to impress them!? Damn, I cant remember anything! #Wondering What I will do?! 

The panel included Gaurav, Kushal and Chaitanya. You know like they say that they have one of each kind of person on the interview panel. So, here was Chaitanya the silent observer, Gaurav the friendly face and Kushal who could scare you like anything! (Initial perceptions)

So, here's a preview into the interview :

Gaurav smiles..

Me (in my mind) : Yes, a familiar face! Feels so good to see a familiar face around.

Gaurav : Tell us about yourself.

Me (in my mind) : Just tell them everything interesting! They gonna like you!)

Me (in real) : Ummm....I am an Electronics and Telecommunication engineer.

Me (in my mind) : Really, is that all you could come up with!? What's so interesting or different about that now!?

Gaurav : Smiles 

Me (in my mind) : Feel comfortable, and relaxed with that smile...

Me (in real) :  I have done this and that...and goes on to explain everything exciting and interesting

 I have done till now. (Smile does makes a difference you know...)

Me (in mind) : Feeling good...Yeah, bet you'll like me...I know I am interesting! :p

Kushal : Why do you want to join A4?

Me (in my mind) : Provides platform for networking and hangout with awesome seniors. Learn from them and party with them simultaneously. What could be more exciting? Plus, you get to do a lot of new things around, given that A4 is a newly formed club (only an year old). But with the seriousness on their faces, will I ever be able to speak all this in the correct way? Not so sure about that...

Me (in real) : Speaks something similar to what I was thinking put into more sophisticated words. 

Kushal : What new initiatives you think you can take with A4?

Me (in my mind) : We could hold regular events for seniors living in the same city to connect with each other and the juniors around. Wouldn't that be interesting? But, is it really feasible given that they have so much work to do? Not so sure.

Me (in real) : I am sorry, I cannot think of anything new at the moment. I apologise.

Kushal (disappointed)

Me (in my mind) : I should have spoken something! I am gone! : (

Kushal : Do you want to give the task now?

Gaurav (wondering...) : yes, we should But what? 

After thinking...they assign me the task to give a funny description of the interview.

Me (in my mind): Happy yet scared. Will I be able to do justice? Will I be able to get into A4? Will I be able to write good enough to impress them? and the list goes on....

In the process, Chaitanya the silent observer seemed undecipherable....Still, have no clue what he was thinking...He didn't ask any question, but he had a smiling face (Makes a huge difference to see a smiling face when you are in an interview!). 

I come back and wonder about the interview. In the small process of giving an interview, how many things you think about, wonder about, ponder upon....It is like a mini life changing experience. Every interview gives you something to learn more about yourself. After this interview, I realized how important that one smile is for the person on the other side of the table giving the interview. Also, that if you have ideas in your mind, you should speak them out. You may not get another opportunity.

So this was on the serious note, the real problem at hand still remains!!! Getting into the club!

Do they decide to let me into their Clan? Are they impressed? Was I good enough to be in the team? ...To find out, what happens next, keep reading my blog! Will post soon with my other experiences at IIMU!

xoxo