SPJIMR Mumbai: How This BCom Fresher Navigated a Finance-Focused Interview
Candidate Profile
- Background: B.Com (Hons.) with a strong inclination toward finance
- Work Experience: Fresher
- Academics: High academic achiever across 10th, 12th, and graduation (minor modifications applied for privacy)
Interview Panel
- Two Panelists – one specializing in Finance (F), the other in Marketing (M)
- Format – Three candidates interviewed together: Two finance-focused, one marketing-focused
Interview Questions & Candidate's Approach
🔹 Icebreaker & General Introduction
🔵 F: “Please introduce yourselves.” (Round robin style, starting with the candidate)
📌 Tip: Use this moment to weave your passion for your specialization subtly into the intro. Avoid generic statements and link past academics or activities to your MBA goals.
🔹 Technical & Analytical Questions (Finance)
🔵 F: “Can you name the finance courses you’ve done and their purposes?”
📌 Tip: Be ready to mention specific course names and what you took away from them—this shows clarity in interest.
🔵 F: Jumped between finance candidates asking:
- YTM vs. Yield to Call
- Debt vs. Equity: Risk perspective (for company and investor)
- Company liquidation: Order of payment
- Why debt is tax-deductible
- Investment advice for a 40-something investor choosing between debt and equity
- Call options: OTC or standardized?
- Commodity derivatives
📌 Tip: Finance questions can go deep quickly. Brush up on your basics, especially around instruments, risk, and financial strategy. If unsure, structure your thinking and admit gaps honestly but smartly.
🔹 Interdisciplinary & Business Contextual Questions
🔵 M: To the marketing-focused peer (M1):
- Why marketing?
- Thoughts on Red Bull's 2012 campaign
🔵 M: To the candidate: “If M1 tells you sales have increased, how would you be convinced as a finance head?”
📌 Tip: Cross-functional questions test your ability to understand other domains and respond with financial reasoning. Use KPIs, ROI metrics, or profitability analysis in your response.
🔵 M: “What do you do in your free time?” and follow-up on fiction books and cinema
📌 Tip: Hobby-related questions are often used to test personality fit and communication. Be enthusiastic and authentic—especially if your hobby can relate to creativity, strategy, or storytelling.
🔹 Business Acumen & Peer-Specific Queries
🔵 F: To F1 on her business venture: Probed into sales and margins
📌 Tip: If you’ve done a project, internship, or side hustle, prepare to analyze its numbers, decisions, and outcomes.
🔹 Candidate’s Turn – Final Questions
🔵 F: “Do you have any questions for us?”
The candidate opted not to ask any
📌 Tip: Always have a question ready—about pedagogy, values, or culture. It shows genuine interest and proactive thinking.
Key Takeaways for Future Candidates
- ✅ Know your finance fundamentals inside-out—especially if you're applying for that specialization
- ✅ Be prepared for interdisciplinary curveballs, even in a group setting
- ✅ Hobbies and personality questions are not fillers—they're tools to assess fit
- ✅ Always prepare a smart question to ask the panel
- ✅ Even in chill panels, depth of answers matters—structure and confidence are key
📢 Disclaimer: Real Stories, Modified for Privacy
🔍 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.
🔍 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.
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