Economics, Finance & Confidence: How This Fresher Handled the IIM Kozhikode Interview with Poise

Candidate Profile

• Background: Bachelor’s in Economics (Honours), graduated 2020
• Work Experience: Fresher
• Academics:
  • 10th Grade: 90%
  • 12th Grade: 90%
  • Undergraduate CGPA: 8.0
• Certifications: Cleared CFA Level 1
• CAT Percentile: 98+ (General category)

Interview Panel

• Number of Panelists: 2 (1 Male, 1 Female)
• Panel Number: 6
• Interview Date: 24th March 2022
• Duration: 8–10 minutes
• Overall Tone: Conversational and friendly; male panelist particularly lively

Interview Questions & Candidate’s Approach

🔵 Female Panelist: When did you graduate?

Candidate: 2020

🔵 Female Panelist: Why do you have a gap since graduation?

🔵 Female Panelist: You’ve done Economics Honours. What is a Giffen good? Can you give an example?

🔵 Female Panelist: Give examples of elastic and inelastic demand.

🔵 Female Panelist: Are you following any current news?

Candidate: Yes, the Amazon vs. Reliance case.

🔵 Female Panelist: What are they fighting for?

Candidate: Over the Future Group acquisition.

🔵 Female Panelist: What strategy did Reliance use?

Candidate: They went for lease transfer to take over store properties.

🔵 Male Panelist: You’ve done CFA. Shall I ask you some finance questions?

Candidate: Sure, sir.

🔵 Male Panelist: Which subjects are you comfortable with?

Candidate: Derivatives, portfolio management, alternative investments, equity—but sir, you can ask from any topic.

🔵 Male Panelist: If I sell a put and the stock price increases, is it good or bad?

Candidate: The put option will not be exercised; for the writer, it’s good—he keeps the premium.

🔵 Male Panelist: What’s the Sharpe ratio?

Candidate: Defined correctly.

🔵 Male Panelist: What if we replace the denominator with beta?

Candidate: Explained beta but couldn’t recall the ratio name (Treynor’s ratio).

🔵 Male Panelist: If I want to measure a fund manager’s performance, which ratio should I use?

Candidate: Treynor’s ratio.

🔵 Male Panelist: Who is the SEBI chairperson?

Candidate: Madhabi Puri Buch, an IIM Ahmedabad alum.

🔵 Male Panelist: You’re from LSR—who is Shri Ram?

Candidate: Explained founder background.

🔵 Male Panelist: Which industry was he in?

Candidate: Knew it was a mill, mentioned family business, upper circuit trading, couldn’t recall exact name (Delhi Cloth Mill/ DCM).

Candidate’s Turn – Closing Interaction

🔵 Male Panelist: Thank you, all the best.

Key Takeaways for Aspirants

• ✅ Even a short interview can cover multiple subjects—prepare to be succinct.
• ✅ If you have a gap year, own the narrative and justify it constructively.
• ✅ Know your core subject definitions and real-world examples.
• ✅ Stay updated on business news—it may connect directly to your academic background.
• ✅ A pause to think is respected—better to answer after reflection than blurt out wrong information.