ambitionbox sample placement guide

ABOUT AMBITIONBOX

Ambition is at the very core of success and extraordinary accomplishment. Given the right direction it

can become a constructive force turning eager desires into reality. It gives the necessary thrust that

drives you through the thick and thin and lead a happier, more rewarding life. At AmbitionBox, we plan

to build products that connect users with their true ambition in a well-structured progressive manner

and help them build happy careers.

AmbitionBox (an IIT-M alumni startup) gives you free access to authentic reviews and Interview

Questions of companies you want to work for. We do this by taking in highly detailed & structured

reviews and interviews from employees of those companies. Our mission is to help you prepare and

research exhaustively about any company you set your eyes on.

We believe in the power of an Individual. An Individual’s Experience. An experience is powerful. But

what is more powerful is an experience shared. It resonates. It simmers, sinks in and shapes us,

directing students towards new knowledge, polished insights, forming a clearer picture of their goal.

An experience shared is an experience remembered!

We wish the IIT-M Batch of 2015-16 all the best for their placement preparation!

Founders, AmbitionBox

1 | Placement Guide 2015-16 Batch AmbitionBox.com | Knowledge Partner

FINANCE

Introduction:

The umbrella term Finance incorporates jobs like financial manager, financial analyst, personal financial

advisor and financial examiner. Financial workers stay abreast of economic developments, tracking and

predicting changes in order to increase efficiency and profit. Their solid money skills can be the backbone to a

successful business or personal investment.

Growth Opportunities:

The growth for financial sector in India is around 8.5% per year. India's banking industry could become the

fifth largest banking sector globally by 2020 and the third largest by 2025. In the next 5-10 years, the sector

is expected to create up to two million new jobs driven by the efforts of the RBI and the Government of India

to expand financial services into rural areas.

Profiles:

• Business Analyst: The responsibilities include managing liquidity risk, fund-raising requirements,

assessing the creditworthiness of the firm’s counterparties, monitoring market risks associated with the

firm’s trading activities, designing and operating systems to support financial management, building risk

models to support new businesses and derivatives analysis; managing the firm’s relationships with

regulators, rating agencies and creditors; and providing broad analytical and regulatory compliance

support across all businesses Exit Opportunities: Private Equity, Venture Capital, Hedge Funds, Start-ups, business development.

• Investment Management: It involves working with clients, from individual investors to large financial

institutions, to develop advanced portfolio management strategies to help them achieve specific goals for

their own or their institution's financial future. It can further be organized into Private Wealth Management

and Assets Management. Exit Opportunities: Hedge Fund

• Venture Capital: The primary work profile is to finance innovative but potentially risky new companies and

their projects. This financing may be concluded by loans, direct investments, or other financial

manoeuvring between a company, the venture capitalist, and third party investors. It involves analysing

the financial strength and credit risk of potential investments, and research the potential market for a

company’s offering. Exit Opportunities: Another VC firm, Start-ups.

• Investment Banking: The profile involves responsibility in identifying and securing funds, merger and

acquisition deals, managing and investing large monetary funds, and buying and selling financial products

on the behalf of the clients. Exit Opportunities: Private Equity, Hedge Funds

Skill Sets:

Good at crunching numbers, Communication skills, Writing and presentation skills, Listening and asking the

right questions, Fluent English, Team skills, Problem-solving skills, stamina to work for long hours, passionate

about finance in general, financial markets knowledge, Numeracy skills, Organization and Time Management,

Global Outlook, Basics of Accounting and Economics


Preparation material:

Courses:

Minors - Operations Management, Industrial Engineering, Development Studies, Management, Economics

Mathematics – Linear Algebra, Probability and Statistics, Graph Theory, Money Markets, Econometrics,

Applied Economics, Optimization

Examinations & Certifications:

CFA – Chartered Financial Analyst

NCFM – NSE’s Certification in Financial Markets

BCSM – BSE’s Certificate on Securities Market

BAT – Bloomberg Aptitude Test

None of these are compulsory but if you give them it adds to your finance knowledge and helps you build a

better profile. Also having CFA on your resume can be a add-on as this is one certification that has immense

credibility compared to others.

Tips:

You must follow Economics Times/Business Standard and try to understand the terms.

These magazines are a good read: Economist, Wall Street Journal

Some articles about financial crisis, etc you could refer from Reuters, Bloomberg websites.

A finance internship always helps to get a basic exposure to the sector but is not compulsory. Though

a Finance Internship might look good on your resume it sometimes can backfire because companies in

this sector then expect you to know the basics and if you don’t then it gives a bad impression. You are

better off sometimes

Puzzles and standard case studies

Understand the industry and market dynamics

Improve your quant and analytical skills, good with numbers

The exams/certifications mentioned above are really helpful

Sometimes opening up a Demat account and doing some basic trading also helps to understand the

finance jargon and basics of trading concepts.

Investopedia.com animated videos are very helpful to learn the basics.

Helpful books:

The Intelligent Investor, Rich Dad Poor Dad, “Damodaran on Valuation” by Aswath Damodaran, The Essays of

Warren Buffett, “Barbarians at the Gate” by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, “Too Big to Fail” by Andrew

Ross Sorkin, “Too Big to Fail” by Andrew Ross Sorkin and there are many more.

Helpful/Inspiring Movies:

Billion Dollar Day (1986; documentary; 30 minutes; forex trading)

Trillion Dollar Bet (2000; documentary; 48 minutes; option pricing)

Wall Street 1 and 2

Floored (2009; documentary; 78 minutes; floor trading)

Wall Street Warriors (2006–; documentary series; 30 minutes each; entrepreneurship)

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2011; drama; 133 minutes; moral hazard)

Other People’s Money (1991; comedy; 103 minutes; corporate takeover)

Margin Call (2011; drama; 107 minutes; financial recklessness)

Barbarians at the Gate (1993; comedy; 107 minutes; leveraged buyout)


Rogue Trader (1999; drama; 101 minutes; equity futures trading)

Boiler Room (2000; drama; 120 minutes; securities fraud)

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005; documentary; 110 minutes; accounting fraud)

These are some of the most famous ones.

Videos:

The Causes and Effects of the 2008 Financial Crisis - http://y2u.be/N9YLta5Tr2A

Global Financial Meltdown - http://y2u.be/VQzEWeGJLP0

Investopedia Videos - http://y2u.be/JrGp4ofULzQ

The Stock Market Explained Simply - http://y2u.be/CgM68Yf-C0Q

http://y2u.be/N9YLta5Tr2A

http://y2u.be/VQzEWeGJLP0

http://y2u.be/JrGp4ofULzQ

http://y2u.be/CgM68Yf-C0


AEROSPACE ENGINEERING

Introduction:

Aerospace Engineering deals with the research, design, development, construction, testing, collaboration

processes, science and technology of aircraft & spacecraft, and their products. It involves the study of science

and engineering behind the physical properties of rockets, aircrafts and spacecrafts. This domain is a complex

subject and essentially requires superior & sophisticated tools. Aerospace Engineers also deal with

development of new technology in aviation, space exploration & defence systems.

Sub Sectors:

Aeronautical Engineering: Deals with aircrafts operating in the atmosphere of Earth.

Astronautical Engineering: Deals with spacecrafts operating outside the atmosphere of Earth.

Growth Opportunities:

Aerospace Engineering is more than hundred years old, but still this discipline requires a lot of innovation for

development of next generation Spacecrafts, Launch Vehicles, Hypersonic Aircrafts, etc. Thus, this specialized

field has become an ever-evolving discipline that is offering exciting career opportunities and challenges. With

several private players entering the Aerospace Industry, job prospects for fresh graduates are very bright.

There is ample of scope to grow within the sector or pursue higher studies and then join the industry again

after studying further.

Also, there are plenty of job opportunities in countries like US, France, UK and Germany. Indian Aerospace

Engineers are employed with NASA as well.

Aerospace Engineering students have various opportunities in India and in foreign countries. In India, we have

companies that do computational work i.e. CFD and FEA, defence, structural analysis of an aircraft, engine

manufacturing and a few more that deals with control systems. But it is always preferred to have a more than

a B.Tech degree since this field demands it. There is scope for research and development and much more. In

foreign countries, there is a broad spectrum of opportunities ranging from manufacturing to research and

development.. The barrier here lies in the nationality of an individual, since many companies are engaged in

building military planes for their countries and there are always confidentiality issues.

Exit Opportunities:

Since the students of Aerospace Engineering are known to have a strong background in Mathematics they

have various exit opportunities. They can join a finance company as an analyst. They can also join insurance

companies. Students can also go for big data and data Analytics. Also, depending on the computational skills

they have mastered they can go for those jobs where these skills are required. After gaining a lot of knowledge

of this field the students can join consultancy firms too.

Skill Sets:

Strong foundation in the fundamental subjects of Rigid and Flexible Body Mechanics, Fluid Mechanics,

Thermodynamics, Propulsion, Strength of materials, Structures and Controls. Mechanical design skills,

Structural analytical skills, life cycle analysis skills, POR’s, extracurricular skills, leadership skills and

communication skills would help. Also, students would do well if they would have some basic programming

skills in C/C++ and also the basics of some high end technical softwares like ANSYS-FLUENT and Matlab.


Companies:

Eaton GE

General Motors Honeywell Technology Solution

Lennox India Technologies Rolls Royce

Shell Tata Motors

Cummins DRDO

Airbus GKN Aerospace

Altair Ansys

Preparation material:

Books

Introduction to Flight-Anderson Aircraft Structural Analysis-Megson

Strength of Materials-RC Hibbler Fluid Mechanics-Kundu and Cohen

Principles of Ideal-Fluid Aerodynamics-Karamcheti Modern Compressible Flow-Anderson

Fatigue of Materials-S Suresh FUndamentals of Aerodynamics-Anderson

Low Speed Aerodynamics-Katz and Plotkin Theory of Vibrations with Applications

Gas Dynamics Elements of Gas Dynamics

Modern Experimental Stress Analysis Fundamentals of Gas Turbines

Gas Turbine Theory Shock Wave Reflection Phenomenon

Introduction to the finite element method

Blogs

http://aerospaceengineeringblog.com/

http://www.isro.gov.in/

Courses

Computational Fluid Dynamics Grid Generation Boundary Layer Theory

Unsteady Aerodynamics Computational Aerodynamics Turbulent Flows & their Prediction

& Computation

Helicopter Aerodynamics Acoustic Instabilities in Aerospace

Propulsion

Combustion, Explosion, Detonation

Physical Gas Dynamics Rocket Propulsion Combustion and Flow Diagnostics

High Temperature Gas Dynamics Finite Element Analysis Composite Structures

Impact Mechanics Mechanics of Damage Tolerance Elasticity

Structural Dynamics & Aero

Elasticity

Micromechanics Contact Mechanics

Introduction to Aerospace

Engineering

Fluid Mechanics Basic Strength of Materials

Aerodynamics Propulsion Aircraft Structures

Gas Dynamics Flight Dynamics-I & II Vibrations

Experimental Aerodynamics Introduction to Space Technology Aerodynamic Design

Structural Design Advanced Flight Mechanics Aerospace System Control &

Estimation

Flight Dynamics and Performance Object Oriented Programming for

Scientists & Engineers

Mathematics for Aerospace

Engineers

http://www.isro.gov.in/

CREDIT SUISSE

Profile: ENO Industry : BANKING

"This review has been posted by Srishti Jain Dual Degree student of Engineering Design Branch"

SELECTION PROCESS

Resume shortlist--> Group Discussion--> HR Interview--> HR Interview

ROUND 1: RESUME SHORTLIST

ExperienceThere isn't much I can write here in terms of my experience. But it wouldn't be fair to skip this as this was thefirst selection criterion.

TipsHave a neat readable resume- not too crammed, not too blank. Get it checked by atleast 10 people. If youare from a non-finance background, they want to see your enthusiasm to learn. Be sure to write aboutrelevant stuff - certification exams, relevant projects and courses (economics, accounting,operationsresearch) taken up in the institute, conferences, business plans etc.

ROUND 2: GROUP DISCUSSION

ExperienceWe were a group of 9 people - 5 girls and 4 boys; a ratio in line with the topic given to us. Each of us wasinitially given 40 seconds to talk and then a discussion of 10 minutes followed. It was necessary to make a markin the beginning since these 40 seconds were uninterrupted.

I started by declaring that I would wish to discuss this topic first at a national level and then at a global level. Ifyou can relate to a current issue, you have started well. I mentioned a few points about empowering womenfrom PM Modi's speech delivered on Independence Day. I also built on one of the points raised by a member inthe group. As I was the last one to speak, I took advantage of it and gave structure to the upcoming 10 minutesof discussion by declaring 3 major issues to be tackled when it comes to empowering women - Education,Employment and Safety. All of them around me agreed and the discussion was constructive. I was told, "Alwayssummarize" and I did so when we were told that we were left with two minutes only.

P.S. - I was told later that I was ranked the highest in my round.

TipsWhat gives you an edge above the others is

- Making a new/different point

- Structuring your ideas/thoughts

- Connecting to current affairs

- Summarizing at the end


ROUND 3: HR INTERVIEW

Q1: Walk me through your resume.Q2: Where do you gain your interest in finance from?Q3: Technical questions (based on idea generation, implementation and financials) on winning Business PlanQ4: Technical questions on an academic project - Product development from design till launchQ5: You seem to have a consult-based resume. Why finance then?Q6: Trap question: Just because you couldn't make it to a consult firm, you want to join Credit Suisse?Q7: What is something in you that you would want to change?Q8: Pitch Credit Suisse to a Manager for 1 minute.Q9: What is the difference between the roles being offered at Credit Suisse for IITM students?

ExperienceOh this was an enjoyable interview. Once the ice was broken, we were having more of a conversation settingthan an interview one. Credit Suisse definitely wants to see your inclination towards a particular division with aclear notion of why you picked one over another. The lady who interviewed me had just moved from the divisionof Prime Services to Private Banking(PB) Americas. I wanted to join PB and laid down my motivation for thesame. Towards the end, I asked her about the learning curve and her 6-year experience at Credit Suisse. Sheasked me about my significant achievements (non-academic) in my undergraduate years.

TipsKnow your resume inside out. Expect anything. Carry documents/certificates that will increase yourchances. I carried a copy of my Business plan and she had a question to ask for every page sheturned. Stay relaxed. They don't have a stress round but the interviewer wants to interview someone whodoesn't have well-prepared answers. If you can get the interviewer to have a casual conversation withyou, it's likely he/she will recommend you for the next round.


Q1: Tell me about yourselfQ2: Why do you want to join Credit Suisse?Q3: Is your father a Private Banker?Q4: How often do you speak to your Banker?Q5: If your account balance was multiplied by a million, what would you do with it?Q6: Considered doing an MBA? Why not?Q7: Been to 11 countries in the world, but not the U.S.A.(Immense finance activity hub)? Why not?

ExperienceI pride on telling everyone that I didn't have a Puzzles round. The selection process right from the GroupDiscussion seemed very smooth and I was directly sent to a Senior person for supposedly the last interview.Istarted with a line in Swahili (the national language of Tanzania - a country where I lived for around 15 years).The translation to English brought a smile on his face and I knew he was one who was looking for somethingdifferent in a person. At a point, he asked me whether I had been to the U.S. and then with much excitement, he


himself started telling me about the Financial Hub, his tales from Morgan Stanley and his experience of 15 yearsin Prime Services.

TipsUnderstand what the interviewer wants to buy. And then sell accordingly. This was certainly not aninterview where the interviewer had a fixed set of questions.

The answer to "Tell me about yourself" drove the entire interview. So be smart and steer the conversationallowing you to talk about stuff off your resume - some interesting experiences and your hobbies.

KEY SKILLS TESTED IN THE PROCESS

1: Communication skills2: Finance3: Accounting

TipsJust be fluent in whatever you say or explain. Usually client side roles demand that otherwise even that isnot a must. Knowing basics of finance is a must so that you know what kind of profile you are getting into.Finance is a big field and has lots of divisions where you can try your hands on. Like Investment Banking,Private Equity / VC, Private Banking, etc

PREPARATION MATERIAL THAT HELPED YOU BUILD THE REQUIRED SKILL-SET

BOOKS

NCFM Beginner's module WetFeet Insider Guides

CFA Level 1 books FRM Level 1 books

BLOGS/ARTICLES

1. http://aswathdamodaran.blogspot.in/

WEBSITES

1. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com2. http://www.investopedia.com/3. http://www.financialexpress.com/4. https://www.learnwithflip.com/


COURSES/CERTIFICATIONS

1. Principles of Economics2. Principles of Management3. Fundamentals of Operations Research4. Marketing Management5. Accounting and Finance for beginners6. CFA Level 1 Certification7. FRM Level 1 Certification8. NCFM Certificates

CLASSROOM COACHING

1. Pristine Classes2. Chennai

VIDEOS

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx_LWm6_6tA2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYhDkZjKBEw3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQzEWeGJLP04. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ECi6WJpbzE5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrFSO62p0jk6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A3YLOfxNd4&list=PLlYbZvQL-lkqqEbFBGt6foQA7yKr1jqx6

GENERAL TIPS/ADVICE

Getting placed during the campus placement season is a huge achievement.Start preparing early. Andremember, placement prep never happens alone.

Irrespective of the kind of profile you are looking at, pair up with friendsand study together.

YOUR MOTIVATION FOR APPLYING TO THIS COMPANY

CreditSuisse has a long tradition of meeting the complex financial needsof a wide range of clients, offeringadvisory services andinnovative products to companies, institutional clients and high-net-worthprivate clientsglobally.I applied to Credit Suisse specially for their Analyst role inthe Private Banking Americas division whichwas set up in Mumbai in March 2014.

The pre-placement talk on campus by Credit Suisse officials, a neat jobdescription on the institute placementportal made the role very appealing andtalking to IITM alumni at Credit Suisse helped me strengthen my choice.


FUNNY MOMENTS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE

Since I have studied till 10th in Tanzania, Africa they asked me to speak in Swahili :P I not only spoke but alsosung a Swahili Jingle.

Find more interview experiences, questions & tips of Credit Suisse from the link belowambitionbox.com/credit-suisse-interview-questions


http://ambitionbox.com/credit-suisse-interview-questions

FLIPKART

Profile: Graduate Trainee Industry : INTERNET

"This review has been posted by K.n.s. Pavan Kumar BTECH student of Metallurgy Branch"

SELECTION PROCESS

Test--> Group Discussion--> HR Interview--> Case Study Interview

ROUND 1: TEST

ExperienceThe questions were mainly from Verbal ability, Reading comprehension, Mathematical ability and logicalreasoning. All of them were MCQ with +3 for right answer and -1 for wrong answers I think.

ROUND 2: GROUP DISCUSSION

Experience100 students were divided into 16 groups. That comes something like 6-7 per group. The duration of the GDwas 15-20 mins depending on the group. The evaluators mainly looked at our body language, the way we putacross our points in the discussion, the quality of the points we told and finally our involvement in thediscussion.


ExperienceThere were two rounds of interview:1st round: This round was a good mix of technical and HR questions for about 25 min if I remember correctly. Iwas asked a few puzzles,a guesstimate and HR questions like:Tell me about yourself,What are your strengthsand weaknesses?,Why do you want to join Flipkart ? Tell me the latest news about Flipkart ? Estimate themarket size of groceries in India?,Do you think entering into e-grocery business is a good idea? Some puzzleswere also asked 2nd round: A few cases studies I prepared for Finance and E-commerce. I took 3 Finance courses (one of thembeing my minor) from the Institute and registered for a few online Finance courses to gain insights into thesubject.Also did a small project as a part of my minor.I have been following E-commerce industry closely from2013 by reading articles online and the ET.

TipsDo’s: 1. be confident; Follow the company on media if possible to increase your confidence 2. Know thecompany & profile well before you go to the interviewDon’ts:1. don’t lie to the interview about thing that you have not done or about something you do nothave much idea about. 2. Don’t discuss anything relatedyour pay scale. If the interviewer brings up that,gently brush it aside

ROUND 4: CASE STUDY INTERVIEW


Q1: How do you make 720 with 6 zeroes using mathematical operators?Q2: Flipkart charges a shipping charge if the order amount is less than Rs. 500. How do you avoid it if you havean item which is less than 500 yet you do not want to pay for shipping?Q3: Given the probability distribution of the sales in various areas, how do you make sure that you group itemsordered at different points of time so that it reaches the customers within the shortest possible time?

KEY SKILLS TESTED IN THE PROCESS

TipsAugust would be the right time to start.

Rather than starting early, I think having a time-table for self would help a lot and make us stress-free.The material provided by the placement website is sufficient. But please form a coherent groupof your wing-mates or friends so that you are not stressed out in your preparation. Group preparationdoes more good than harm. But make sure not to waste time! Pre-final semester....very precious!!!

GENERAL TIPS/ADVICE

Choose your passion!

Don’t be chasing things which others think are ‘cool-stuff’ to do. If you are really talented in your passion youcan become the next ‘cool’

1stYears: Try to put fight to get an awesome CGPA in the two semesters. It will be easier to maintain a good CGthereafter. Say NO to other extra-curricular activities but do keep track of them as you SHOULD do some for agood resume. A simple vol-ship may be okay if it is not time consuming.

2ndyears: Decide whether you want to pursue your branch further or not. If yes, start reading more about yourinterest, do some projects and learn some academic software like MATLAB, Origin Pro etc. If you are notinterested, then try various fields like Finance, Analytics.

3rd& 4thyears: Don’t leave any opportunity in your chosen field and make use of all that insti can provide you


YOUR MOTIVATION FOR APPLYING TO THIS COMPANY

I got selected for Flipkart because I was well oriented for E-Commerce industry and well-versed with the jargonof that industry.

Find more interview experiences, questions & tips of Flipkart from the link belowambitionbox.com/flipkart-interview-questions


http://ambitionbox.com/flipkart-interview-questions

ambitionbox sample placement guide

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