Good academic record as well as sound work experience did lend a lot of weightage to my candidature…

...says Shubhajit Lahiri, a mechanical engineering graduate from VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology). He has worked with TCS for 3 years and has a passion for arts. He is currently doing his MBA from IIM Shillong. In this interview with Reshma Majithia, he shares his insights on MBA education

Tell our readers a bit about yourself and why did you want to do a management programme?
I was born and brought up in Calcutta (Kolkata), and did my schooling in the city. I graduated in Mechanical Engineering from VIT (Vellore Institute of Technology), in 2007 and worked for around three years at TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), after which I joined the management programme at IIM-S in 2010. I have a passion for arts. I love reading novels (both in English & Bengali), and watch movies from around the globe. I maintain a blog called Cinemascope for which I have reviewed around 440 movies till date. I have been contacted by TCM, Warner Bros. and Columbia Classics to review box-set releases in my blog.

My work at TCS was core technical (Mechanical Engineering) but my aim was to get into managerial roles. I felt it would be imperative to have some work experience under my belt and spend some quality time in the industry before I attend a management programme. In 2009 I gave the CAT, as I felt it was the right time to go for management studies. In management programmes, even though one might specialize in some field of his/her choice, one needs to study courses from every field in the 1st year, as a result of which one’s knowledge and awareness increases. In my opinion this experience along with work experience makes one a well-rounded person to take up any managerial position.

Can you tell us about your work profile at Tata Consulting Services? How do you expect it to be different with a management qualification?
At TCS, contrary to popular perception, my work had nothing to do with the kind of work that the IT majors are known for. I worked in the field of Engineering Design & Analysis, and, more specifically, in the niche domain of Finite Element Analysis (FEA), or Engineering Simulation in laymen’s term, i.e. core Mechanical Engineering work, for various projects for an account in Kolkata. I worked in the capacity of an Analysis Engineer, and have been involved with a variety of projects like New Product Developments (NPD), Design Improvement projects, Functional Analyses, etc. I received individual recognitions, and was also part of an award-winning NPD for the design from scratch till launch of a next-generation medical device for laparoscopic surgery. I also had the added responsibility of a Training Coordinator for the account I was part of.

As I have spent some quality time in the industry and done some good work, I think it will add a strong dimension to my professional side. Moreover, since I already have the professional experience, not only will it help me in the future, I would say that they are helping me in the various case studies that we have to do, as well.

When did the idea of doing the CAT come about and did you face any hurdles in your preparation and how did you overcome that?
My initial plan was to appear for CAT 2010, since I was not prepared; but in the middle of 2009 I felt that it would help to start preparations and I sat for the exam in 2009 for the experience. I enrolled for the IMS’ Intense programme in early September. Initially I found myself at sea since the course is aimed at those who already have significant preparations and want to take it to the next level. Nonetheless, being in the classes and trying to solve seemingly impossible questions, I realised where I stood and prioritised my preparation given the short time-frame. Since 2009 was the first year to implement online exams, there were also a lot of worries among aspirants, but the simulated tests conducted by IMS gave us a feel as to what to expect and come up with strategies that would best suit us.

Studying after work was tough, and I was guilty of skipping studies on a few days. But I did put in some effort, especially in the weekends and holidays and over time could sense the improvement in my preparation. That was also corroborated by the fact that my percentiles kept improving in the various Simulated Cats that I gave. Having started late, I missed applying to a lot of institutes – some due to deadlines having passed (like IIFT), some due to sheer bad luck (like TISS & JMET), and some as I felt then that I didn’t have much chance in getting through (like NITIE & FMS). Nonetheless, I was quite surprised that I did reasonably good in XAT with a percentile of 96 (I missed XLRI shortlist by a whisker, and got through XIM-B & Great Lakes), and was joyous with my CAT percentile of 98 as I’d never expected to score that high with the kind of crash preparation that I had. Though I missed nearly all the IIM’s due to my surprisingly low percentile in the Data Interpretation (DI) section, I was happy to be shortlisted and selected by IIM-Shillong and MDI-Gurgaon, though I missed SP Jain, again by a whisker.

Tell us your personal experience with the selection process at IIM S, vis a vie with the other institutes you got a call from.
The selection process at IIM-S was conducted very well at a luxury hotel in Kolkata. The GD (which was case-based) was the easiest part in my opinion, and the PI too was not a stress-interview but did touch a lot on the engineering fundamentals. Both the rounds went quite well for me. And the fact that I had good academic record as well as sound work experience did lend a lot of weightage to my candidature. The GD at both XIMB and MDI were highly competitive, but the interviews went exceedingly well for both. The GD (case-based) at Great Lakes was, on the other hand easy, but the PI was a stress-interview that I didn’t really like much. My GI experience at SP Jain was also quite good, and was quite perplexed when the panel offered to include me in a stream in which I hadn’t applied for, which I courteously declined.

Why did you choose IIM Shillong? What is the USP of the institute?
The first and foremost reason for choosing IIM Shillong over the others was that it is an IIM, a brand that would always be there in my resume. And though it is a new institute, my relatives and teachers at IMS felt that the name would help me immensely in the long run. The fact that it had got good placements for its first batch, similar to even well-established institutes, was also extremely encouraging. Also, after having joined the institute I realise being part of a start-up can be quite rewarding. The small batch size too is a huge positive, as I know every member of my batch along with most of those in the senior batch personally. And finally, there was always the lure of spending two years at a place like Shillong.

What are your long-term aspirations and how do you see the MBA degree helping you achieve the same?
Though a standard question in most interviews, I haven’t really given too much thought to long-term aspirations. What I felt while opting to go for an MBA was the fact that at that point of my life and career, an MBA was, or rather is, the right thing to do. I strongly believe, as my parents do, that higher education is a must in today’s world. I was not inclined towards an M.Tech and an MBA felt to be a better option in furthering my career without having to leave India. Further, even if one does rise despite not doing an MBA, often one experiences a mid-career crisis. An MBA will also add dimensions to my persona, not just in terms of academic knowledge, but also getting used to cut-throat competition and surviving skills. Also the connections that I make might stand me in good stead as all the people in the institute are essentially very capable people who are sure to make it big sooner or later.

Does being an engineer help with the initial preparation and the period of the course?
Yes, I certainly feel that being an engineer does help a lot with the preparation for CAT as well as during the period of the course. Most non-engineers tend to have mathematics and analytical subjects as their weak links. And numbers, irrespective of whether that’s right or not, tend to feature a lot, during preparations and in the course. Being comfortable and adept at mathematics and analytical subjects is something that comes comparatively easily if one has an engineering or science background. There certainly are exceptions to that, but that’s my general observation.

How would you describe your life at IIM-S?
Life at IIM-S has been quite enriching and interesting so far, to say the least. Life at any IIM, especially in the first year, is very tough, with a barrage of projects, cases, presentations, assignments, surprise tests, etc. thrown in along with long class hours on a wide variety of subjects. So, one must be mentally prepared for the hectic lifestyle. One must also be able to prioritise one’s schedule and be good at group work because a lot of work is given to groups as opposed to individuals.

Nonetheless, having said that, I have also had my share of fun and enjoyment in the 2 trimesters that I’ve spent there. We all try and find some time so that we can go out for dinners, or watch movies, or simply chat with our friends. We have a lot of fun during the birthdays of every member of the institute. We also have various events from time to time that break the monotony of the course. The friends that I have made here will hopefully last the lifetime.

What would you like to tell the MBA aspirants who probably want to get into the IIMs?
While preparing for the CAT I feel one must not think much about IIM’s. Rather one must strive towards covering as much of the syllabus as possible, and concentrate more on what one feels one is weak at. Thus it is essential to know where one stands and the areas one isn’t very comfortable in, and thus do prioritising, as it is not possible to study everything all the time. One must also, based on one’s preparation and the exam pattern, form strategies instead of just blindly studying. It is important to be good at a few things instead of being moderate in everything. It is also very important to give mock tests at regular intervals in order to know where one stands and how good the preparations have been. Class-room programmes can be helpful as one gets to know one’s capability vis-à-vie those around him/her, and at the same time get some good advice, suggestions and expert tips from the faculty. Hard work doesn’t have any alternative, but in my opinion, smart work is as important as hard work.

As for GD/PI, it is important one is well-read. Thus one must have the habit of reading, and contrary to what most people say, not just magazines and newspapers, but also fiction, as it is important to have a good hold over the language. If one is not confident while speaking, it is imperative one does so whenever there is a chance. It is vital that one is aware of all the latest proceedings, which would help him/her in expanding while in GD. I don’t think one can know everything, so one shouldn’t really try doing that. It is important to have opinions on what one has read, but one must be careful that there is no personal bias or prejudice in it. Also it is important to make the evaluators feel that he/she has an open mind and is not a rigid, dogmatic or conservative person. One must also be confident in oneself and stop worrying much about results.