From Aerospace to MBA: Navigating the GIM Interview with 42 Months of Work Experience
Candidate Profile
- Background: B.Tech in Aerospace Engineering
- Work Experience: Approximately 3.5 years in the IT services industry, primarily in offshore projects
- Academics:
- 10th Grade: 95%
- 12th Grade: 87.2%
- Undergraduate: 68.2%
- CAT Percentile: 93.07%
- Interview Panel: 2 Male Panelists (both in their 50s)
Interview Questions & Candidate's Approach
1. Icebreaker & Profile-Related Questions
🟢 M1: Tell me about yourself (TMAY).
📌 Tip: Always start with a structured approach: education, professional experience, and then personal interests. Keep it crisp and confident.
🟢 M1: Why did you shift from Aerospace Engineering to IT?
📌 Tip: Show how skills are transferable. Explain your interest in tech, market demand, and career alignment.
🟢 M1: What are your views on Work from Home (WFH) vs Work from Office (WFO)?
📌 Tip: Express your preference clearly, but back it up with practical reasons (collaboration, culture, productivity).
🟢 M1: Why is it okay to work remotely for your client but not for your employer?
📌 Tip: Anticipate counter-questions. Justify with examples—difference in team dynamics, frequency of interactions, and nature of collaboration.
2. Technical & Analytical Questions
🟢 M1: What is Escape Velocity? What is it for Earth?
📌 Tip: Revise core engineering concepts. Even if you’ve moved fields, domain knowledge from your degree might come up.
🟢 M2: Why didn’t you choose the Business Data Analytics (BDA) program?
📌 Tip: Highlight alignment with your career goals. Clarify how the general MBA suits your aspirations better.
🟢 M2: How would you explain C++ to a layman?
📌 Tip: Use analogies—like how C++ is a language that gives instructions to a computer, similar to how recipes guide cooking.
🟢 M2: How can C++ help in the workplace?
📌 Tip: Mention automation, performance efficiency, and backend logic—especially in product-heavy environments.
3. General Awareness & Opinion-Based
🟢 M2: Do you think we can move to a paperless office?
📌 Tip: Be optimistic but realistic. Discuss tech advancements, but also consider practical challenges like compliance, adaptability, and infrastructure.
🟢 M2: What extracurricular activities were you involved in during college?
📌 Tip: Don’t just list them—highlight your role, impact, and learnings (leadership, collaboration, time management).
🟢 M2: What was your CAT percentile?
📌 Tip: State it confidently. No need to justify unless asked further.
Key Takeaways for Aspirants
- ✅ Be ready to justify career transitions with logical, thoughtful reasoning.
- ✅ Expect questions related to your academic background even if you’ve switched fields.
- ✅ Communicate preferences (like WFH vs WFO) with clear examples.
- ✅ Prepare to simplify technical topics for non-technical interviewers.
- ✅ Have honest answers for program choices, extracurriculars, and exam performance.
Disclaimer
🔍 The above interview experience is based on real candidate interactions collected from various sources. To ensure privacy, some details such as location, industry specifics, and numerical figures have been altered. However, the core questions and insights remain authentic. These stories are intended for educational purposes and do not claim to represent official views of any institution. Any resemblance to actual individuals is purely coincidental.
📢 Stay tuned for more B-school interview experiences and preparation tips!
📢 Stay tuned for more B-school interview experiences and preparation tips!
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