SPJIMR Interview Experience – From Economics to Business: A Fresher's Leap into Finance at SPJIMR
Candidate Profile
- Background: Undergraduate degree in Economics
- Work Experience: Fresher
- Academic Record:
- 10th Grade: 90%
- 12th Grade: 90%
- Undergraduate CGPA: 8.0
- SPJIMR Specialization Preferences: Finance and Business Management
- Interview Panel: 3 Male Panelists
- Interview Rounds: Group Interview 1 (GI-1) and Group Interview 2 (GI-2)
Interview Questions & Candidate’s Approach
🔹 Icebreaker & Personal Motivation
Q1. Tell me about yourself and why finance?
📌 Tip: Use this as your elevator pitch—highlight academic interests, any relevant internships or projects, and what draws you to finance.
Q2. Your favourite subject?
📌 Tip: Be honest, and connect it to your broader goals. Explain what specifically excites you about that subject.
🔹 Technical & Conceptual Questions
Q3. What is the Phillips Curve? And its real-life application?
📌 Tip: Keep your explanation simple—describe the inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment and mention recent economic scenarios where this applied.
Q4. What is the Black-Scholes model?
📌 Tip: Outline it as a pricing model for options and give a real-world context like stock trading or risk management.
Q5. What is the difference between derivatives and options?
📌 Tip: Clarify that options are a type of derivative. Support with examples to show conceptual clarity.
Q6. Do you know about behavioural economics?
📌 Tip: Mention key principles like heuristics, framing, or loss aversion. A real-life example (e.g., nudges in savings behavior) can make your answer stand out.
🔹 Situational & Ethical Dilemmas (GI-2)
Q7. How will you introduce yourself to an audience during an international exchange programme?
📌 Tip: Frame your response as a balance between humility and strength—touch upon your academic and cultural background, and emphasize adaptability and curiosity.
Q8. You discover your roommate is using drugs. Reporting could get them suspended. What would you do?
📌 Tip: There’s no perfect answer—balance empathy and ethical responsibility. Talk about having a conversation with the person and possibly seeking non-disciplinary help first.
Q9. What if their father is a DCP and they threaten you? You can either change rooms or stay quiet—what’s your choice?
📌 Tip: Stress your commitment to integrity, but also show practical reasoning. If safety is a concern, a dignified withdrawal (changing rooms) might be the wiser path.
Key Takeaways for Aspirants
- ✅ Brush up on core economic concepts, especially if you're from a non-finance background.
- ✅ Real-life applications of theory can set your answers apart—connect classroom to boardroom.
- ✅ Be emotionally intelligent during ethical dilemma questions—show maturity and empathy.
- ✅ Prepare for abstract and situational questions; SPJIMR values well-rounded thinking.
- ✅ Practice concise storytelling for questions like “Tell me about yourself” or exchange program intros.
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.
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