My TISS GD/PI Experience

I do keep getting messages to share my GD/PI experiences of TISS and I give a standard reply that I did it long time back in Pagal Guy interview threads. But to save people time in searching, I am copy pasting the content here  on the very same day I had given interview 3 years back :) :)

I have not intentionally shared the answers I have given, as there would be no right or wrong answers and depends very much on context and your personal back ground

Wishing every one all the best for interview process

PS: One other article on TISS interview process
http://anvesh87.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-observations-on-tiss-interview-part.html

This post is written just after my interview process ( in 2011) and hence reflects my feelings at that point of time ( Ofcourse, its quite memorable to think of that time now :) )

Here goes my exp from 9th march (it brings all the pain full memories )

profile: 10th 81.8
12th 87.4
B.tech 70.07
work ex: 33 months in IT biggie in the training dept

GD: HR case study( its already mentioned in previous pages
5 mins to think 15 mins to discuss)

NOTE: TISS had done away with GDs from 2012 batch and instead is having essay writing


we were warned that unruly behaviour will attract negative marks
total 10 members in thr group (but 3 of them had 2-3 min monologues and gave others hardly a chance to speak )

i chiippped in with valid points but only twice :(

PI:
my GD had completed at 9:30 in the morning and interview at 5 PM in the evening and i didnt even know when they will call me

@ seniors : its a suggestion,might be u can atleast give indicative times some thing like ur interview starts after 4  etc...)

Almost every one had 15-20 mins interviews

my panel intervied 19 members altogether and most of them are s/w guys

out of them 9are from my company and 3 are from my dept :(

questions:
tell me abt urslef(this is very imp and i screwed in this question.... misplaced confidence on my abilities )
other questions were taken from 1st question and they are as below in no particular order

what are PSU's in vizag (my home town)
problems in APSRTC (my fathers organisation)
why will there be labour unrest
is region aids in labour uynrest
whats ur biggest dream in life( i answered i have no big dreams)
NOTE: This question was answered by Mulla sir  and exact answer I gave is some thing like " I don't have any big dreams and live life as it comes by ) and I got that trade mark smile from Mulla sir, the meaning of which I got to know during Guruvandana ( Last formal meeting at the end of second year)

why don't u do M.tech and join academics?

As this is my 1st interview after almost 4 years after my campus interviews .i am very nervous and waiting for almost 9 hrs didn't help me either...

but the interview panels were very friendly and even when u say some thing wrong they won't change their expresions...

i spoke at a very rapid pace and answerd as soon as i was asked question (one of the member even asked me to take time , thgink and answer but i didn't:drinking:)

my chances of conversion are almost Nill ...but i do believe in miracled:lookround:

few tips:
take some book to kill time
taking some fruits would also help( there are not many items to try in canteen)

Thanks to the seniors who are there and more than willling to answer all our questions

special thanks to yogesh and Raju singh (1st year seniors)

Overall the entire conduction of interviews is very professional (except for the long waiting for PI)

all the best to every one

definetely TISS is the place to be

Status update:Converted with 78/100 marks in GD/PI(129.8/175)

lesson learnt:Its not always what u percieve abt interview.....be genuine....and the rest would be taken care of

My TISS GD/PI Experience

I do keep getting messages to share my GD/PI experiences of TISS and I give a standard reply that I did it long time back in Pagal Guy interview threads. But to save people time in searching, I am copy pasting the content here  on the very same day I had given interview 3 years back :) :)

I have not intentionally shared the answers I have given, as there would be no right or wrong answers and depends very much on context and your personal back ground

Wishing every one all the best for interview process

PS: One other article on TISS interview process
http://anvesh87.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-observations-on-tiss-interview-part.html

This post is written just after my interview process ( in 2011) and hence reflects my feelings at that point of time ( Ofcourse, its quite memorable to think of that time now :) )

Here goes my exp from 9th march (it brings all the pain full memories )

profile: 10th 81.8
12th 87.4
B.tech 70.07
work ex: 33 months in IT biggie in the training dept

GD: HR case study( its already mentioned in previous pages
5 mins to think 15 mins to discuss)

NOTE: TISS had done away with GDs from 2012 batch and instead is having essay writing


we were warned that unruly behaviour will attract negative marks
total 10 members in thr group (but 3 of them had 2-3 min monologues and gave others hardly a chance to speak )

i chiippped in with valid points but only twice :(

PI:
my GD had completed at 9:30 in the morning and interview at 5 PM in the evening and i didnt even know when they will call me

@ seniors : its a suggestion,might be u can atleast give indicative times some thing like ur interview starts after 4  etc...)

Almost every one had 15-20 mins interviews

my panel intervied 19 members altogether and most of them are s/w guys

out of them 9are from my company and 3 are from my dept :(

questions:
tell me abt urslef(this is very imp and i screwed in this question.... misplaced confidence on my abilities )
other questions were taken from 1st question and they are as below in no particular order

what are PSU's in vizag (my home town)
problems in APSRTC (my fathers organisation)
why will there be labour unrest
is region aids in labour uynrest
whats ur biggest dream in life( i answered i have no big dreams)
NOTE: This question was answered by Mulla sir  and exact answer I gave is some thing like " I don't have any big dreams and live life as it comes by ) and I got that trade mark smile from Mulla sir, the meaning of which I got to know during Guruvandana ( Last formal meeting at the end of second year)

why don't u do M.tech and join academics?

As this is my 1st interview after almost 4 years after my campus interviews .i am very nervous and waiting for almost 9 hrs didn't help me either...

but the interview panels were very friendly and even when u say some thing wrong they won't change their expresions...

i spoke at a very rapid pace and answerd as soon as i was asked question (one of the member even asked me to take time , thgink and answer but i didn't:drinking:)

my chances of conversion are almost Nill ...but i do believe in miracled:lookround:

few tips:
take some book to kill time
taking some fruits would also help( there are not many items to try in canteen)

Thanks to the seniors who are there and more than willling to answer all our questions

special thanks to yogesh and Raju singh (1st year seniors)

Overall the entire conduction of interviews is very professional (except for the long waiting for PI)

all the best to every one

definetely TISS is the place to be

Status update:Converted with 78/100 marks in GD/PI(129.8/175)

lesson learnt:Its not always what u percieve abt interview.....be genuine....and the rest would be taken care of

A Collection of my favourite quotes :

·         The best and safest thing is to keep a balance in your life, acknowledge the great powers around us and in us. If you can do that, and live that way, you are really a wise man. – Euripides

·         The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work. - Agha Hasan Abedi

·         Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out. - Ronald Reaga

·         To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all. - Oscar Wilde

·         If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams

·         The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it. – Michelangelo ·         Nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge   ·         If you’re enthusiastic about the things you’re working on, people will come ask you to do interesting things. - James Woolsey   ·         Nobody can prevent you from choosing to be exceptional. - Mark Sanborn   ·         It is always safe to assume, not that the old way is wrong, but that there may be a better way. - Henry F. Harrower   ·         You have to perform at a consistently higher level than others. That's the mark of a true professional. Professionalism has nothing to do with getting paid for your services. - Joe Paterno, Penn State University Football Coach   ·         You seldom improve quality by cutting costs, but you can often cut costs by improving quality. - Karl Albercht   ·         Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy they are, who already possess it. - Francois Rochefoucauld (17th Century French writer)   ·         All that is not perfect down to the smallest detail is doomed to perish. - Gaustav Mahler   ·         To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. - Emerson, Ralph Waldo, American Poet

 

 

 

5 Management Lessons from Singapore

Recently I had been for a 2 day trip to Singapore and I am back not just with memories of the place but more valuable lessons which holds true in day 2 day life or in corporate world

(1) Keep It Simple and Simple :  ( How can I say stupid , when i am praising them :P )
Starting from collecting feedback at immigration dept ( where you can provide feedback on experience with Singapore immigration process by a simple tab  on the touch screen) to connecting Metro Rail service directly from airport , Singapore authorities seems to have a clear understanding on what they are doing.

The country is comparatively smaller in size to most countries and attracts a huge number of tourists either for shopping or site seeing. It took me exactly 2 minutes to get metro train card which i can use to pay for bus tickets, tourist attractions and i don't know what not....No unnecessary hassles or long queues....all u need to do is swipe the card at entry station and exit station to record the fare and deduct the amount from the card.

(2) Empowerment in truest sense:   I went to one of the tourist attractions and bought a ticket for SGD 15( INR 750) . Thanks to my super intelligence that i have not set singapore time in my mobile and ended up waiting outside the performance area for next show to begin ( Jakarta lags Singapore by 1 hour). I realised my mistake when only they started locking the doors. When i went back to the counter to enquire if any thing can be done ( though very sure nothing going to happen) , to my surprise they made a note of my passport and returned 15 dollars. No paper work . The decision is taken on the spot by front end cashier and not some manager . what better example would there be for customer experience or empowerment to front line people

(3) Understanding the end users:

The above picture shows one of the pedestrian crossings. what is special with this is that if some one senior citizen wants to cross the road, they can tap the card before crossing and it ensures green light for pedestrian crossing stays longer than normal.

(4) Rewarding the behaviours we would like people to emulate:
The cost of buying cars in singapore is very high, so are the exorbitant parking fees. These things coupled with readily accessible Metro Rail Systems ensures that most people use public transport. I could also see a good number of parking spaces designed for cycles which shows what the priorities of Singapore are

(5) Providing clear directions: Right from the moment i came out from airport there are maps which give clear indication on how to travel, where to reach in Singapore. Every street has a name and travelling was made so simple that i would not have dared to roam out till 11 PM on day 1 in a new country visiting for the first time even with out checkin  at the hotel. BTW I reached my hotel through these maps only

Definitely Singapore is one place worth visiting if not for gold shopping ( they don't tax tourists on gold purchase) , to understand and appreciate the best management lessons in action

 

My Observations on TISS Interview Part 2

Almost 2 years back I wrote the post " My Observations on TISS Interview Part 1" .
It can be read here :
 http://anvesh87.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-observations-on-tiss-interview-part.html

Till date it remained the most read post in my blog despite my numerous attempts in posting humorous posts and intellectual posts ;)

But in one way it served the purpose.....when I started preparing for TISS entrance exam and searching seriously all over the net for experience, life at TISS etc  ..hardly there were any blogs or content, so I made it a point to write the series "Life at TISS" once I joined in TISS ...any how to cut this already long epilogue....I am planning to write  part 2 for the  post "My Observations on TISS interview Part 1 "

Having spent 2 most valuable years of my life at TISS and close to 1 year in HR field after graduation, I believe I am better informed about TISS as a college and interview process in general...

So here is the plan, as I can see the traffic for blog had increased in recent past with announcement of TISS results, I can safely assume that some of TISS aspirants are visiting the blog to know more about TISS....So when you visit next time, leave a question in the comments section of this post .....I would come up with one article covering all questions on 16th February ....if there are no questions, I would believe I have covered every thing in part 1 and part 2 is just as unnecessary as Dhoom 3 :P :P

Thanks for reading and all the best for actual test in TISS selection process ...Interview

PS: Don't be so lazy  in asking questions such as "Explain TISS interview process"...I am as lazy in not answering such questions if not more ;)

4 Mistakes to avoid during campus interviews

Its been close to an year that I had given a couple of interviews during campus placements ( Well more than a couple infact). In retrospect, I can see that there are couple of mistakes which I had repeatedly done in multiple interviews which I should have avoided ..........

So the following post is a summary of those mistakes. Since these are what I perceive to be mistakes which may not actually be , take the advice with a big teaspoon full of salt :)

• Too much rambling:  Everyone would appreciate short and sweet conversations. But nervousness during interviews can make one ramble too much , in other words beating around the bush. Doing this shows that either one is not prepared enough or not confident enough

• Being too rigid: Last year there are couple of interviews where I mentioned that I am very much interested in Industrial Relations and would love to start my career in that area. Though I have taken caution in ensuring that I said this point in those companies with IR profiles, I now think that not many would be interested in taking a person who is hell bent on one area. A rather better answer would have shown my inclination towards IR , but at the same time open to other areas

• Missing out on areas mentioned as favourite/Interest:  In one of the interviews I mentioned a particular project I had done in one of the fieldworks is of much interest to me, but as luck would have it, I have not gone through the project before the interview and did not remember some of the factual basics from the project. My interview went on downward spiral from that point on wards ....In another interview , I have stated upfront that I am interested in IR and that's my strong area. For the best part of the interview , panel tried to prove it wrong and they were quite successful at it :)

• Leaving out the behavioural questions: This should have been a no brainer ,because most of the interviews start with the question "Tell me about yourself" . Unless answer for this is prepared well in advance there is a good chance of rambling stuff...There are other questions "strengths, weakness etc" which should be prepared well in advance

Some last words of advice : Since its a final placement, most companies would like to hire some one who will fit well into the culture of the organization. So its a good idea to have a word about work culture ( whether its an aggressive organization, kind of work done , how people interact etc) . Last but not the least, when some one asks whether one would be flexible with relocation, answer isalways expected to be YES ( unless there are genuine concerns with location)

So best of luck to every one sitting for placements  :) :)

 

7 Things to do while at TISS

Its just close to 4 months that I have passed out of college and started working. In retrospect, I don't have any qualms on how I spent my 2 years at TISS. Some areas I have done well and in other areas I would have loved to spend a little more time

It also doesn't mean that no one ever told us these things when we were at TISS, most of our alumni are kind enough to share the wisdom but I never put it into practice.

So my list of things in no particular order

(1) Learn Stats: If there is only one subject if you want to study in the entire 2 years, that is usage of stats and statistical tools. Data has absolute power and interpretations from data is much more powerful than hi-fi theories or frameworks. I never really understood stats, but planning to start learning it again from scratch. So when time is still there make the best use of it

(2) Powerpoint presentations : Though many would become pro in this aspect having done absolute awesome presentation in plain 10 minutes time, its one area spending some time on. Ability to express oneself clearly in minimal possible words is an art in itself and its worth practising

(3) EXCEL: Excellence in excel helps you almost every single day. we constantly deal with data and mastery over different functions of excel will help u in the long run

(4)Fieldworks: Though we (Tissians) always pride ourselves about how our course curriculum is so relevant to industry with 4 Fieldworks and 1 summer internship, the real importance I could realise only when I am on the job.
Most of the activities we take up in organizations are either done by us in our fieldwork organizations or atleast one of our friends could have worked on them.

(5)Downloads: This is one area where I have serious regrets. Instead of downloading 100's of GBs of movies ( I know movie download is now banned in TISS....Sarcastic smiley :) ) , I should have spent the same time in downloading research articles . Each article priced any where above $30 is not some thing you would like to buy in personal capacity. So it would be very prudent to have a data base of research topics on all areas of interest.

Need to reiterate Mulla sir's words here: If u are not reading atleast one research paper a day, u would soon be obsolete. Though not a paper every day, we should be in touch with latest happenings...My batchmates and seniors would agree on this

(6)Usage of facilities: I used to stay in hostel 3 which is right next to gym and indoor badminton courts. Though I had spent some time in both these places, having to cough up so much money to avail the same facilities outside now, I think I should have spend some more time in them. Its not an exaggeration when I say that there are people who passed out of TISS with out ever visiting these places

(7) store the data: It doesn't matter whether you have taken the subject or not. Its always better to keep a proper record of all the copies shared by faculty. I have not taken T&D as an optional in college but then my first area has much to do on training and palo madam's articles are of much help

That's it as of now. I have initially named the post as 10 things but as of now cannot think more..I have not included the fun aspects as that's some thing every one is damn good at ;) and HR parties always carried that aura in college