Placement Diaries- Day -1

Day -1 Indus Insights
Test- Written, mix of DI and LR.
Process- Guestimate interview, Case study, HR

After a long and grilling semester, topped by a sequence of events including the end term examinations and CAT, followed almost immediately by daily placement tests, and the whole process of moving to Roorkee from Saharanpur(that last bit was a rather nice change of scene) my first interview shortlist was at Indus Insights, a consulting firm. The test was conducted en-masse in the Convocation Hall, of all places, and there was no Pre Placement Talk to tell us anything about the company. There were three company representatives dressed impeccably in formals, and who seemed to take themselves very seriously. The test was conducted with the same seriousness, and one thing strongly in my memory is the steady and confident crunching sounds made by the company representatives’ shoes as they marched purposefully back and forth, to ensure a fair administering of the test.

 This firm was notorious for having a reputation of recruiting hardly anybody. After some decent preparation for the guesstimates, things were complicated by the test schedule for Snapdeal coming out on the same day as the interview. The Snapdeal test was a 12 minute test (cue raised eyebrows) scheduled at 8.00 am. And my Indus Insights interview was in the first slot- 8.45 am to 9 45 am. 

Getting up in the morning at 7 in the winter is rather unpleasant in itself. Having to bathe and get dressed in the cold, with the thought of the a back to back test and interview on your mind, then, is best described by a variety of adjectives that I cannot use here. The bruise of the experience was somewhat tempered by the effect of pulling on my armor for the battle. There is something about the business suit that exudes confidence and authority, and recognizing this fact is a big confidence boost for the wearer as well. An interview is rather like a joust of minds, and to stand your ground it is essential to be as properly equipped as your opponent is.

Following this, I rushed to the Computer Center for the exam right on time. The Computer Center was locked. Yes, the exam was scheduled at 8.00 am, but the center was still locked at that time. Surely, it would only be a couple of minutes delayed? After a rather tense half hour of waiting, I was able to give the test which had around 50 easy questions. Buoyed by the confidence of acing the test, I ran to the TPO where the interviews were scheduled by around 9 am, fearing I was late, only to find that the company officials had not even arrived yet. I was soon to realize that this pattern of sloppiness and outrageous delays was routine in the placement process.

Ultimately I ended up waiting not for an hour or two, but until 1 30 in the noon, as other people who had to give the Flipkart Software test were prioritized ahead of me. Before the interview, our group was made to sit apart in a conference room at the TPO. All phones were kept outside, and we were asked to finish our interviews, collect our things, and leave immediately.

After the long wait, I was led to the interview room by an alumnus of our college, a man whose long hair and trimmed beard somehow went well with the business suit he wore. The interviewer was a tall, bespectacled intelligent looking young man. We shook hands, and he apologized for the delay. Then, very elegantly, he explained to me that we were going to go through a guestimate, which we would be solving together in a conversation, adding the caveat that of course, he would be constantly judging me. I was to think aloud and make it a conversation.

The question was to estimate the revenues of the Taj Hotel group in India. It was a rather straightforward question, which I approached in a pretty effective way- I had prepared for guestimates and case studies from the book Case In Point and the Internet earlier.
I estimated the revenue from the supply side, by considering the total number of hotels, the rooms per hotel, the different classes of rooms, the occupancy rates in different months, and also the income from the restaurants. The interviewer was extremely encouraging, ‘uh-huh’-ing all my statements. In hindsight, where I erred was in being quite untidy in my approach-it’s important for a consultant to be organized-and also leaving out revenue that could be earned from parties and functions organized at the hotels.

 Because of the untidiness, I struggled to add up the multiple components. Finally the interviewer noted down the value I got just for the rooms. I did not manage to calculate the final compiled figure. The last thing asked to me was for any other sources of income not considered in the model- bonus points for creative thoughts! I mentioned catering services which would add up in the restaurant revenue, and revenue from tie-ups with tourist organizations, which the interviewer duly noted, but could not come up with anything else. The interview lasted for around 15 minutes.

Upon leaving, I went back to my room for a quick rest. The results arrived soon, at around 3 in the afternoon, and I discovered I had not been shortlisted. Relieved to some extent- I was exhausted- I began preparing for my interview at EXL, another consulting firm, for which I had a day free to prepare.

I heard a little bit about the further stages of the process for Indus Insights later, and the feedback I received confirmed the rumors that they were very picky-in fact they gave a distinct impression of wanting to hire candidates who could go straight in and start doing the job, and not just those with potential, as evidenced by their stringent judgment of the candidates who made it to the second, comprehensive case study round.