‘Recruiters essentially look for self-driven and motivated individuals’ -

Rishabh Agarwal is a mechanical engineer who is currently pursuing his management education from IIM-Indore. He graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology in 2007 and joined L&T Power Ltd as a Marketing & Business Development executive. In 2010, he cleared the CAT and has been pursuing a 2-year management programme at IIM-I.

Rishabh tells Serena Kallian about his experiences at the selection rounds, his post-MBA goals and shares a few strategic tips for CAT aspirants.

How did your selection process at IIM-I go?  
As most students would already be aware, IIM-Indore doesn’t have Group Discussion. My selection procedure consisted of one-page essay writing, psychometric test and an interview. The topic for my essay was: ‘Should the government put a regulation on the number of vehicles owned considering the population growth of India’. Some of the other topics that my batchmates got centred on subjects like corruption, renewable energy, India & Chinese economy.
I don’t expect this pattern to change a lot in the coming years as business schools are giving more importance to writing skills and a logical thought process.

My interview, conducted by two faculty members from IIM Indore, mainly revolved around my life experiences and work. Questions like the meaning of the logo of my college of graduation, few monuments from the city of Delhi (my hometown), why the state of Gujarat was named so, were also asked.
I think it’s important to know thoroughly about oneself and awareness about the things that have touched our life. At the same time, if the candidate does not an answer to something, he should not guess. He should politely, yet confidently, admit so.

How did you decide upon IIM-I as the institute of your choice? Tell us more about your decision to do an MBA. What influenced your decision?
I took up mechanical engineering as a choice. During the course of my graduation, I gradually realised that I had sharp people skills was also good at coordinating events. That’s when I started toying with the idea of pursuing management studies. However, I wanted to some real work experience before pursuing an MBA. My parents and their colleagues in senior positions in the industry gave me the same advice.

Even while working, my seniors suggested that an MBA programme would broaden my horizons, help me learn every aspect of business and also to integrate them together. My goal has been to be able to reach a position whereby I can take decisions of significant business impact that create value not only for my organisation but also for the society at large. An MBA programme was thus a logical choice, as it gives a holistic knowledge through theory and case-studies in a short duration. My parents and family supported and motivated me towards this decision.

What exactly are you looking to learn from your MBA? How has your journey at the college been so far?
The MBA experience at IIM-Indore has brought me in touch with a number of sharp and self-driven individuals. We definitely learn from the classroom teachings, but a lot of the learning experiences also come from participating in the plethora of activities that take place on the campus. These help bring together a number of practical experiences of different individuals.

The hectic journey so far has been a great mix of case studies, presentations, night-outs and also handling myriad responsibilities in committees, clubs, and organizing major events. These activities give you a great platform to network, learn to work in teams as well as to hone your leadership skills, which I feel are some of the most important experiences in an MBA.
Participating in the various prestigious business competitions held on campus, with live case studies, has also added to the knowledge of tackling complex business problems across various domains like marketing, finance and operations.

What, according to you, do recruiters expect from graduates at IIM-Indore?
IIM Indore has always had the best of the names from the business industry coming down for recruitments. In fact, this trend has steadily become only better in terms of the quality and the number of recruiters.
According to me, recruiters essentially look for self-driven and motivated individuals who are knowledgeable not only in their domain but also of the world around them. Through its commitment to be a socially relevant management institution, IIM-Indore has some very unique programmes, like rural immersion, Himalaya trip & PURA by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, which give students a deep understanding of the real world environment.

Your parting advice to MBA aspirants
Today, everyone wants to do an MBA and it has become like a rat race. Though there is nothing wrong in pursuing this dream, the aspirants must realize that an MBA is not the be-all and end-all of corporate success. It is certainly not a guarantee to a fat pay cheque or an easy life. On the contrary, the competition only gets stiffer and life gets more hectic afterwards. One should introspect well before taking the plunge and follow their heart.
For those focused towards an MBA, preparation is essential. Taking GD / PI sessions is quite helpful as it gives useful practise and helps boost confidence.