iblitz 2009

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

1/19

September 17,2009

[I-BLITZ SUMMER SPECIAL]

We KnowWhat You

Did Last

Summer!!

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

2/19

September 17,2009


7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

3/19

September 17,2009


IT -titude Most of us know Amandeep Malhari as the Systemix coordinator who is always there to give apatient hearing to our technology related woes. But there is more to Malhari, as he is popularlyknown, than meets the eye. Malhari joined IIFT with a comprehensive work experience of 33months, out of which 21 months were spent at IBM India. Though his profile made him a suitable

candidate for IT companies he was quite certain in his belief that he wanted a change in career pathand a different role and profile than the one he had left behind. Thus during the summerplacement process he purposely didnt apply for each and every IT company, rather he was quitechoosy about the profiles they offered.

It was at the end of the second trimester, when he was away at home that Malhari got theopportunity to appear for the internship process at IBM India Research Lab. Out of the 30 B-schoolstudents shortlisted from 12 of the major campuses across India, Malhari was the only one to beoffered an internship by the company. Speaking about his experiences, Malhari believes his prior

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

4/19

September 17,2009


experience of working for the IBM family worked in his favour. Talking about his interview process,Malhari recalls how different the 3 rounds of interviews he faced were different from each other. Inthe first round, his future mentor quizzed him on his technical knowledge, which his time at IBMIndia had well-prepared him for. The second round was more on the sort of work he would bedoing during his summers and thus his manager questioned him on topics like the market for text to speech software. The final round was a very short interview with the HR Head and was all about different aspects of IBM.

It was not just the nature of his previous work experience that enabled him to handle thevolley of questions thrown at him during 3 rounds of grueling interviews. Another important factorwas his prior experience of working for the IBM family, which made him a good fit for thecompany. He could thus concentrate on the job from day 1 and not waste time in adapting himself

to the new work life. For example, he was already quite comfortable with LotusNotes which is usedin IBM as a mail client instead of Microsoft Outlook.

At IBM India Research Labs, Malhari had a typical B2B IT marketing profile. He wasresponsible for 3 research assets or technical products, which were meant to solve a particularbusiness problem. His job involved working on these softwares and understanding theirfunctionalities. Next, he had to come up with potential uses for these softwares in different companies and identify possible sectors where they could be profitably applied. Thus he had tozero-down on potential clients and work on marketing pitches to justify their investment in theseresearch assets. Malhari also devised a pricing model for these products. Since these were newsoftwares, he recommended a value based pricing rather than a cost based one as the client wouldbe more interested in the value he derived from the product rather than the cost associated with it.

Malharis passion for his work is evident from the way he speaks of his time spent at IBM. Somuch so, that even this technologically challenged interviewer could relate to his experiences,thanks to his patient and lucid style of explanation. Next time all we non-techies need IT tutorials, weknow whom to approach!

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

5/19

September 17,2009


May the Sales Force be with youFaguni Jain was one of the only 3 people on campus to bag a coveted summer internship withJohnson & Johnson Medical India, a Day Zero company. In order to make the cut, she had to face agroup discussion and finally an interview that tested her general awareness as well as hercommunication skills. In fact her GD topic was something very different from the oft-repeated subprime crisis. In fact it had more to do with saas-bahu serials than structured debt obligations, thetopic of discussion being whether Ekta Kapoor was a brand in herself.

Faguni believes she was quite lucky to have interned at Johnson & Johnson Medical because

of its well-structured internship programme. In fact the first week was devoted entirely to theinduction whereby the new interns were familiarized with the nitty-gritty of working for J&JMedical. They even spent an entire day at the Helen Keller institute as part of the companys CSRprogramme. Fagunis summer project at the organisation was based on the marketing of a certainprocedure from the J&J stable related to gynaecology. Her brief was to identify the problems ailingits popularity and suggest measures in order to rectify the same. Her work involved speaking tofocus groups comprising doctors, patients, etc and figuring out the problems that needed to beaddressed so that the sales of the offering would grow.

Looking back on her time spent at J&J Medical in Mumbai, Faguni recalls how they wereprovided with all necessary information and facilities in order to get their job done, somethingwhich not every intern can boast of. Her guide was willing to grant her a lot of freedom as long asshe met the deadlines and presented a solid business plan to back up her case. The flat structure of the organisation also meant that she was free to approach any of her superiors for help, regardlessof their position in the hierarchy. In fact she made her final presentation to the Managing Directorhimself.

As a word of advice to the first years about to face their summers, Faguni emphasizes ongeneral awareness in order to crack those all-important interviews. In addition to that, it is alsoequally important to have good communication skills and the presence of mind to tackleunexpected questions. One needs to be creative and bring value to the group discussion/task

without being overly aggressive. Also, one needs to be mentally prepared for the recruiters tothrow up anything. For example, for the Coca Cola process the applicants had to present a short story by using posters. For a marketing interview, it is absolutely essential to know Kotler like theback of ones hand. In fact Faguni herself had t o face a lot of questions on STP and retail anddistribution channels. Tackling the HR related questions is more about knowing oneself and onesstrengths and weaknesses rather than about mugging up answers by rote. Though some basic levelof preparation is necessary, one also needs to be spontaneous rather than mechanical whiletackling these questions.

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

6/19

September 17,2009


On a more practical note, Faguni draws attention to the extremely stressful nature of the

summer placement process. As the process continues, it gets extremely disheartening for people whohavent been placed in the initial days. With mounting desperation and stress levels, it is easier to messup interviews, thus continuing on a never-ending spiral. This is where one needs to draw upon all of

ones inner strength to motivate oneself. Again, with several companies conducting GDs and interviewsthroughout the day, it is always a mad dash from one venue to the other. And the full- formals dontmake peoples job any easier. So keep eating and drinking at re gular intervals to keep those fainting

sprees at bay!

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

7/19

September 17,2009


7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

8/19

September 17,2009


Fintastic!

For Ankur Pathak, it was always about choosing a company with a good brand name rather than afat pay-check. Thus during the summer placement process, this Chartered Accountant and B. Comgraduate from LJ Commerce College, Gujarat University applied only for selected companies whichoffered profiles of his choice and not the ones that offered the best stipend. On the revered DayZero, he only applied for Essar, Mahindra & Mahindra and ICICI Bank. Though his strategy paid-off as he bagged a summer project at the hallowed Bandra-Kurla Complex of ICICI Bank at Mumbai, hedoesnt advice the same for everybody. The reason for doing so is that it is not always possible to

predict which resumes are going to be shortlisted by a particular company. According to thisplacecommer, for the summers it is important not to be too finicky. Instead he recommends tryingout different sectors to in order to gain more comprehensive knowledge before zeroing down onthe industry of ones choice.

For the ICICI selection process, Ankur did not face any group discussions and had toappear for the interview only. In the 10-15 minutes that followed, he was basically asked questionsthat tried to gauge his interest level for the job. For example, he was asked why he was pursuing anMBA after successfully completing the CA program. The inevitable question on the sub-prime crisiswas also asked. Recalling his preparations for the summer placement process, Ankur believes that one needs to be thorough with the companys presentation as well as ones curriculum vitae. If one

prepares along those lines, then it is possible to logically anticipate the questions that one can beasked during the interview process.

Speaking of his experiences working for the retail banking major, Ankur recalls how it wasvery important to keep himself motivated about his work. Working in large organization like ICICIhe was not always under the direct supervision of his mentor and was mostly left to his owndevices to work on his summer project on the steel industry. His brief was to analyze the steelindustry with special focus on the European market. He thus had to analyse the impact therecession had had on the steel industry and also the future scope of growth for the sector. He alsohad to keep in mind the global trends regarding how the end-user of the steel industry was faring asalso the movement of the steel prices and the behaviour of raw materials. Thus using Porters FiveForces Model as an approximate framework he characterized the extent of opportunities andthreats in the industrys environment.

Now that he has been there and done that, Ankur feels that in order to secure that internship with your dream company, it is important to know everything about the organization.For this purpose, it is important to even go beyond the dossiers to differentiate yourself from therest of the crowd. And during those crucial two months as an intern, it is vital to be self-motivatedand enthus iastic about ones project. This is especially necessary if during the summers you are

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

9/19

September 17,2009


your own master and not always bogged down by deadlines. On a slightly different note, Ankurbelieves that ones career is not determined by ones summer internship; ra ther it is made over along period of time. Thus his advice to all the first years would be to keep an open mind throughout the process. Thus the emphasis should be on gathering valuable experience and picking up newerskills during the summers before making that all-important decision.

Leaving his TrademarkFor Sagar Gupta, it was always about learning on a broader level rather than settling down on anarrow specialization at the very beginning. But having a family background in rubbermanufacturing and the reputation which IIFT has when it comes to trade, he was naturally curiousto discover more about this field. From the outset, this NSIT graduate who hails from Meerut put ina lot of hard work for the Cargill and Louis Dreyfus interviews. So much so, that he put in his best effort for his BLASH sector analysis in order to switch from cotton to sugar. This was because one of his seniors from the 2007-09 batch had been offered a summer project in Cargill which was verymuch related to the sugar industry. Sagar recalls how his Louis Dreyfus interview centred almost exclusively on the sugar industry. He believes that he was able to sail through the interview not just because of internet based research, but also because of the initiative he took in meeting several

small sugar traders in his home town. Thus he had an in depth picture of the entire supply chainwhich worked to his advantage.

Given the fact that the CEO of Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Mr. Govind Ambadi was himself an IIFTian, Sagar had a great time working at the Gurgaon office of this trading giant. IIFTians werelooked upon as apna baccha and were well -respected in the organisation. The informalatmosphere and the freedom to approach his superiors in case of any doubt made working there aneven more wholesome experience.

Though initially his work was more ad-hoc in nature, it was soon down to business as Sagarimmersed himself into the sugar industry. During his time at Louis Dreyfus, he came up with a

method to calculate the industrial consumption of sugar in four different products, viz. ice creams,confectioneries, biscuits and soft drinks. In order to accomplish this, Sagar had to visit variousgovernment institutions to collect information that was not readily available. Thus he had to fullyutilize his people skills as he fixed up appointments with government official, met a variety of people and collected relevant data.

Sagars word of advice to all aspirants would be to take their sector analysis very seriously.Coming from a BLASH coordinator this should be no surprise, but it is essential to know at least onesector in-and-out. For people who are not involved in analyzing a particular sector, Sagar believes

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

10/19

September 17,2009


that even a 7-8 hour long research can throw up information vital for an interview. It is alsoessential to have good mathematical and reasoning skills as most deals get finalized in under 5seconds. A thorough knowledge of economics also helps as it enables one to understand the variousmacroeconomic variables at play that contribute to the overall picture. In order to make a career intrade it is essential to be comfortable in talking to a lot of people as that is what one ends up doingmostly. Simultaneously, one also has to keep on reading a lot to be in the know regarding the pulseof the market.

Being in trade is a full time occupation and is definitely not for people looking for a 9 to 5job. Thus one needs to be absolutely sure before zeroing down on trade as ones chosen field. Thisfocused nature is essentially what the companies also look for in a candidate during the interviewprocess. But Sagar believes that as first year students we still have enough time to think about these

choices so that we can make a more mature decision once we reach second year. In the words of Mr.Ambadi, who had such a profound influence on Sagar, It is very important to decide what you dont like. It is only after eliminating the wrong options can we find the right one.

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

11/19

September 17,2009


7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

12/19

September 17,2009


My Summer, My Story

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

13/19

September 17,2009


FinanceABHISHEK LOHIA

B.Com, CS, CA (Final) student, CFA-level 1, Work-ex- 0 months

Summer Internship- ICICI Bank

Many of you would be surprised to know that I joined IIFT to pursue an MBA in marketing andfinance. If I had plans to do an MBA in finance, I would not have undertaken so many finance relatedacademic qualifications. Initial days at IIFT saw me participating in a lot of marketing competitions,but the truth was that I dozed off in my first marketing lecture. Nobody pictured me in marketingprofile and thus I was forced into finance!

On a more serious note, Finance is something I actually love. My areas of interest include corporatefinance, valuations, mergers and acquisitions, technical analysis etc.

Preparation for the summers included constant awareness about the economic affairs around me. I

used to read a lot of articles and editorials from ET. I was anticipating Lehmann Bros. to come toIIFT but to my utter dismay the company went bust just two days after it visited our campus forPPT. My previous academic background made sure that I knew a lot of fundas of finance and hence Iwas not required to spend much time on it.

Before applying to any company one should read up about it, the profiles offered etc. and onceshortlisted the person should thoroughly research the company. For me one week of preparationtime was sufficient. The companies I applied for were ICICI bank, Mahindra and Mahindra and Coke.

ICICI shortlisted people on the basis of the CV and had a direct interview process. I was initiallyquite apprehensive about the company because I expected better fin companies to come insubsequent days and had tried to tank the process which I was unsuccessful at. During theinterview, I tried to remain adamant about the department I wanted as I did not want to end upwith any marketing related profile.

The interview started with questions on my academic background. They asked me certain corefinance questions regarding credit derivatives, recession, and the link between Japanese, US andIndian stock markets. Also the questions tested my awareness about ICICI bank and its variousdepartments.

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

14/19

September 17,2009


During my summers I was based in the northern regional head office in Delhi under the department called the Corporate Banking Group. I did two projects in the course of two months. The first oneinvolved the risk profiling and credit analysis of the Punj -Llyod Group which involvedunderstanding the construction industry, the countries PLL had presence in, exchange rate risk andcountry risk etc. I had to make recommendations about the sanction of renewed working capitalloan limits for the group. The second project involved the valuation and analysis of new drugapproval for Jubilant Organosys Limited. ICICI financed this project so they wanted to analyze thebenefits that Jubilant had by acquiring the generic drug license through its acquisition of a Canadiancompany.

Initially I was allotted a sectoral analysis of the sugar industry as my summers project like otherinterns but I could bargain with my summers mentor for a different project. I was doing my third

trimester at EDHEC, Nice as an exchange student so had to report for my internship within a week of returning back to India. On my return, I talked to the guide as soon as I was informed about theproject. My suggestion to all of you is that you should try to get a project that actually interests youand that you think can add value to you and your profile. Do not succumb to pressure from HRs. Tryto negotiate with your guide if possible.

The time I spent at ICICI was fun. All my co-interns were awesome and we used to hang around alot. We enjoyed our time with extended lunch times and watching movies and listening to music inthe separate room that we interns were provided.

A lot of you might be thinking that ICICI Bank is not a good bank to work with. Nothing could be

farther from the truth. The fact is that if you really want to learn something new then it is the placeto be. Yes, you have to be self- focused because the project guides wouldnt have time to constantlymonitor you. It can give you really good projects if you want and the bank is seen with a lot of respect in the industry, which is an added brand value it brings to your CV.

I also started my preparation for CFA level 1 during my summer internship in April. Initially I usedto carry some material to office but realized that it was not possible. So later on I used to preparewhen I came back to the hostel. I also found company in some other ICICI interns who were takingthe exam. The relaxed and bureaucratic system at ICICI was actually of advantage for me as I couldprepare well for the exam. The bank not having a PPI/PPO policy could be one of the disincentivesagainst putting extreme effort in your internship.

As far as advices for the junior batch are concerned; I would suggest that knowledge is the primarything. Nothing can replace it. So I suggest you know your stuff, specially the Accounting course fromyour first trimester.

Secondly, finance interview should not be based guess works. You should not try to fool aroundwith questions. Also one should know about the current happenings.

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

15/19

September 17,2009


Apart from this, there are certain standard questions about you and your choice of finance whichcan be prepared beforehand. If you deliver well on these, you can definitely lead the interview toany direction you want. Be very well prepared about your reason to take up finance.

Generally, interviewers in finance companies look for your knowledge, your flexibility of operations& how do you handle difficult situations and stress handling abilities. So be prepared on that front.

All the best!!!!!

MarketingSushant Jain

B.Tech (Mechanical Engineering), NIT Bhopal

Summers: Mahindra & Mahindra (Group Management Cadre)

Initially there was no particular reason for marketing as a choice. My profile suited more formarketing and being a fresher with no background in finance; marketing was what I could connect more to. My priority for summers was a good brand with a role preferably in marketing. Mahindraoffered us exactly the same.

We hardly got any time for preparation. During our exams, Pre Placement Talks and Mock Interview arranged by seniors built up the initial momentum. Trimester break was when the realpreparation started. I brushed up some fundamentals in important subjects which were taught intrimester one. I focused my preparation around the companies that were scheduled to visit thecampus. I also tried to prepare in and out on the projects that I had mentioned in my CV.I appliedfor all the marketing biggies that visited the campus. I kept track of the frequent questions asked inthe interviews and prepared accordingly. I made it sure that I knew the company well. This

included knowledge about the company, various divisions, industry overview and the recent developments taking place.

Mahindra Process: Initial short listing took place on the basis of a Form which we were asked to fillwithin a tight deadline. The form was pretty exhaustive and had 7-8 questions along with choice of the sector, which had to be filled very carefully. The Group Activity was something I found veryinteresting. We were divided into groups of around 12-15. Everyone was asked to suggest a person

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

16/19

September 17,2009


with reasons from the group who they thought was best fit for M & M. After this, subgroups wereformed and they had to come on a conclusion about one person who should be selected for M&M.

Based on the group activity again people were shortlisted for interview. My interview took place at 3 AM in the morning and lasted for about 40 minut es. It began with traditional questions like Tellme something about yourself . The interview focused completely on the choice of sector which inmy case was Automobile. I was given a case that Mahindra is planning to launch a new SUV in themarket, what would be the promotion strategy that I would suggest. They asked me to outline thewhole strategy on the white board. Being a fresher I was also asked various questions about myactivities in graduation, hobbies, interests etc. There were also certain questions on current happenings in the sector.

My summers were a truly new experience for me wherein I was allotted Channel Development andMarket Representations Department at M&M. I was based in the head office at Mumbai although it involved a lot of travel ling in Maharashtra and MP. My Project was Enhancing UpcountryPenetration of Mahindra Auto products and services. This focused on the entire three wheelersand four wheelers business of Mahindra and its reach in the upcountry space. The project was apart of ongoing activity in the Channel Development Department.

I visited as many as 22 places in Maharashtra and MP covering entire Vidarbha, Pune, Nashik andsome parts of MP. I had to cover not only cities but also the adjacent tehsils and few villages. Theproject required a primary research to understand the customer expectation from Automotive salesand service in the upcountry market and benchmarking of the sales and service infrastructure.

The overall experience was nothing short of fabulous. Exposure was immense. Visiting places likeChikhli, Yeola etc. which were unheard of, meeting new people completely on my own gave me agood understanding of the upcountry market as a whole ; not restricting only to the automobilesector.

About Mahindra: The best part about Mahindra is that they are a very ambitious group. They areventuring into a number of virgin businesses and segments and trying to make a mark there. So,there is no end to the challenges that u may face while working with them. The work culture is alsogood and they follow an open door policy. The high point of the internship was probably when wegot an opportunity to spend some time with Mr. Anand Mahindra. He is really someone to admire,

an inspiration for many.

For preparation, I would suggest that one should go through the basics of marketing especially afew important chapters of Kotler. You are not expected to rote the whole book but you should knowwhat is taught in the class. Also be thorough with your projects. Companies appreciate the ability toapply the knowledge in practical situations. So, it would be great if one can back the answers withpractical observations and experiences.

The marketing companies generally look for-

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

17/19

September 17,2009


1. Basic marketing gyaan.They basically test your knowledge to learn and deliver.

2. Good communication skills and a pleasant personality.You should be able to put forth your ideas in best possible way and should be crystal clearwith your thought process.

3. General understanding of the Industry.You should be aware of what is happening around in the world.

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

18/19

September 17,2009


TradePallav Sinha

Merchant Navy, Work Ex- 4 years

Summer Internship- RB International

Being from a background of merchant navy, trade as a choice came naturally to me. On thepreparation front, I didnt prepare fo r a specific company. I read about the companies on the net,the usual sources being the company website and Wikipedia. In the case of this company, it provided the proposed training projects two weeks before visiting the campus. So I focused onthose proj ects. The projects were venturing into organic cotton, to form JV with internationalfashion brands coming to India, exploring new markets like Brazil and Russia for existingproducts. So I read about organic cotton, international fashion brands and their opportunities inIndia, about venturing into new markets for textile etc.

7/31/2019 IBlitz 2009

19/19

September 17,2009


The company invited applications on the basis of which 3 CV s were shortlisted. On the proposeddate the company executives could not turn up for certain reasons, so we had a telephonicinterview with the director and head HR of the firm. They asked questions about the projectsmentioned by them beforehand. There were certain other questions which tested the ability toanswer spontaneously like step wise methodology for the internship project.

The internship was based in Kolkata. The company is a textile export house which has some verybig clients in international market. For any person interested in trade it is a great opportunity towork for a trade house as it provides a lot of hands on experience about international business. Thefirst project I started with was on organic cotton. Its objective was getting the complete supplychain, where to procure the material, fair trade certification, American and European markets,buye rs micro details etc. I also studied location, cost, best sources, and identification of sellers and

gave recommendations accordingly. The other 2 projects I took up simultaneously. The companywanted me to develop a holistic approach for my analysis and then suggest, whether theirinvestment would be sustainable or not and analyze the import export data. Also required was thestudy of international brands that plan to venture into Indian markets and want to have JVs.

My mentor was kind enough to give me a lot of attention. The projects were of prime importancefor the company and they took a lot of interest in my work as they were concerned about theoutcomes. Even the director took special pains to be informed about the updates in the project andhelped me with contacts whenever possible.

Advices for the upcoming summers-

1. When you are applying for trade profile, you should be aware of the basic nomenclature involvedand the products the companies trade. One should know about important documents like Bill of Lading, Bill of entry, Letter of credit etc. They might or might not ask you but its good to knowabout them.

2. A lot of companies show keen interest in trade fairs. One should know what trade fairs are allabout.

3. If RB is visiting again, I would advice some knowledge about the textile sector (a bit about fashionbrands also), its performance in the European markets, and strategies to enter new markets likeRussia and Brazil, (as they have this project currently on their minds they might ask you one or twoquestions about it).

All the Best for the summers...!!!

iblitz 2009

Documents