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1. How would you describe yourself?

I always like to describe myself as a confident, friendly and a flexible person. Often my friend say me
that I am a very cool minded and have a quality of judging people well.

My name is Haraprasanna Bhoi. I am from Bhubaneswar. As a person I am self confident, flexible and
jovial in nature. My strength is my easy adoptability to changing situations and my ability to see things
from positive side. In my spare times i do like to sit in front of the computer and exploring ideas from the
net. Also I like to involve myself in stamp collection activities. My aim in life is to remain happy always
living with honesty and truthfulness. Regarding my family background i am from a joint Hindu family
having a family member of ten. The family values that i have inherited in myself are the sense of mutual
understanding, cooperativeness. respect fro self and others as my academic credentials concerned, i
am a commerce graduate. .....

This is all about me.

2. What specific goals, including those related to your occupation, have you established for
your life? Or what is your career goal?

I want to be working for an excellent company like yours wherein I plan to contribute my leadership,
interpersonal, and technical skills. My long-range career goal is to be the best manager in the field of
marketing but after all i want to see myself as successful and effective manager in the field of marketing.

3. What influenced you to choose this career?

Before I decided to join MBA, I always used to get fascinated by the way the professional people
particularly the managers behave, mostly the professionalism they show including their getup. and I
always imagined myself in that position. After all it was my inner motivation that made me to make
career as a marketing manager. Also I know that I have a very persuasive tongue and the ability of
managing people well. That’s why before doing MBA I completed a course from XIMB wherein I was
taught the basic selling skills. So I have a dream to see myself as a successful marketing manager.

4. At what point did you choose this career?

Actually just at the second year of my graduation I thought of taking up this as my career. Also other
options were there for me to choose from like MCA or CA or ICWA or the like but I took time to weigh
my worth and passion towards a specific job and finally decided to join MBA.

5. But you passed out in 2002 and joined MBA in 2004. What made you to stay for 2 years?

After passing out my graduation, in 2003 I prepared myself for various MBA entrance exams but
probably due to my lack of proper planning and strategy I could not make it up to a good institute. So I
thought it would be pertinent if I do a one year computer course my time will not be wasted and side by
side I also can prepare myself for the MBA entrance exams. Finally after having one year of computer
knowledge and 3 months experience in CRM and ITES from XIMB, I joined MBA in 2004.

6. Why in +2 your marks dipped?

After 10th i was normatively influenced to take up science in +2 so that i can go for engineering. But
while pursuing i realised that i was not comfortable with the stream and so was the result.
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7. So, why in +3 B.com the same reflection?

When i joined +3 commerce, i was determined to do well as i had the bitter experience of failure in +2. i
was also enjoying the subjects. But as the time passed on i got over confident and when i woke up to
perform it was late. That is the reason as to why i secured less percentage of marks in +3.

8. What is Ur very short term goal?

As i have only few months of working experience , my very short term goals is to learn and experience
new things and enhancing my skill sets. So that i can position myself in the challenging corporate
environment.

Or to learn as much as possible about the company, the industry, the corporate culture and various
working methods so that i can apply them when i step into the corporate ladder

9. What will you be doing in three to five years from now? or what is your medium term goal?

My medium term goal is to contribute in higher proportion to the organisation when i will be leading a
tem of professions. Also i want to be recognised and rewarded for my contribution to the company.

10. What is your long term goal? Or where do you want to see yourself in 8 to 10 years from
now?

i want to see myself in a position where i will be guiding and steering an organisation. I also hope to
make path breaking contributions to the organisation. In specific terms, i wish to head national or
international operations.

11. What specific goals have you established for your career?

As I have no experience of working anywhere, my very short term goal is to join a good organization like
yours and first of all to get acquainted with the working environment thereby getting some experience
which would help me in long run to go ahead. For this I want to settle in a company for some years. The
next goal is to do executive MBA somewhere and take up toughest challenges in the corporate arena.

12. What will it take to attain your goals, and what steps have you taken toward attaining them?

I have already started preparing for that. And for joining in an organization I have worked very hard and
prepared myself very well so that from the very beginning I will not fail. The main criteria which I see in
every manger are the brevity and the sense of even temperament. For brevity in speech and
communication I have started working hard and I’m hopeful that I will be well versed with that.

13. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?

I believe successful salespeople put forth that extra effort that turns potential clients into first-time
customers. Salespeople who attend to the details by doing whatever it takes to win over a prospective
customer distinguish themselves from the countless others who don't go to any extra effort. Second, I
think that if you label success as an attainable goal, you will never consistently remain successful. You
can only succeed if you learn all there is to learn about your product, your competitors, and personal
selling. Since this learning process is continuous, it's an unattainable goal. With good reason,
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salespeople should not consider success an attainable ending point but an objective that will always
linger slightly beyond their reach.

14. How do you determine or evaluate success? Give me an example of one of your successful
accomplishments.

To me success is something when you reach at that point which you had established as a goal for
yourself. And after reaching at that you are contented and feel extremely excited. Of course that
attainment must give a lot of boost in your self confidence and gives motivation to go ahead.
In my second year of graduation, in our college sports I came first in 200 and 400 meter running race
out of 32 participants. Before that I participated in many of the events but never came up with flying
colours. Before participation in college sports also I was thinking that I can not make it up to any position
but I had some hope, so I continued with lots of practice and finally I succeeded. That day only it gave
me so much of confidence that I felt nothing is unattainable for me in this world.

15. Do you have the qualifications and personal characteristics necessary for success in your
chosen career?

I sincerely believe that I have a combination of qualities to be successful in this career. It is my passion
for learning new things and applying them and my problem solving skills. First, I have a strong interest,
backed by a solid, well-rounded, state-of-the-art education. This basic ingredient, backed by love of
learning, problem-solving skills, well-rounded interests, determination to succeed and excel, strong
communication skills, and the ability to work hard, are the most important qualities that will help me
succeed in this career. To succeed, you also need a natural curiosity to know about how systems work.
I am convinced that I possess these characteristics and am ready to be a successful team member for
your firm.

16. How long would you be working in our organisation?

I know your organisation is a good organisation and gives justice to en employees in terms of financial
compensation and provides all-round growth opportunities. But I will be working here as long as the
opportunities and challenges are in my way and rewards and recognitions are accolade for
achievements. Simply, as long as I see myself growing with the organisation.

17. Any question from your side?

- What is the duration of probation or training period?

- What are the expectations of the company from the freshers or the position I am going to be taken
into?
- What will be primary job responsibility?

18. If you could do so, how would you plan your college career differently?

I wouldn't change anything. All that I have studied in my school and college career has brought me a
great learning experience that I will carry forward throughout the rest of my life. And I am confident that I
will apply them in my professional career also.

19. You had science in +2, how do you correlate that to MBA.
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First of all it gave me an outlook towards the field of science and its phenomenon. This subject of
science has taught me to think logically. Having been equipped with this extra knowledge of science and
its occurrences in real life situation, I don’t feel left out in a group where this kind of discussion is on.
After all, this has given me a boost in my confidence that I know something extra than my competitors.

20. Are you more energized by working with data or by collaborating with other individuals?

I like the validity of information and also like the energy that comes with working with people. The best
thing about working in a group is combining the great minds from different perspectives and coming up
with something extremely great, compared with when you're working alone. At the same time,
information can generate vitality in the project you're working on. No matter how many heads you've got
together, without information, you can't go very far. The perfect situation would be a combination of
working with information and people, and I'm confident of my abilities in both areas.

21. How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?

I have had many opportunities in both athletics and academics to develop my skills as a team player.
whenever I am in a team I always ensure that the group cohesiveness is intact, everyone in the group
have equal opportunity to contribute and there is excellent communication among group members so
that their energies can be coordinated toward reaching our team's goal.

22. Do you like to work alone? Why?

The advantage that i get while working alone is my ideas never gets messed up with that of others and
sometimes the concentration level goes up while working alone resulting into my overall efficiency.

23. What motivates you to put forth you greatest effort?

As the general conception goes, it is the financial compensation that motives most of the people. But
truly speaking I am driven internally to succeed or it my inner motivation that drives me to put forth my
best.. Although monetary rewards are important to me, I am more driven to succeed internally. More
than anything, I want to be respected by my friends and co-workers for being the best at what I do. And
my ultimate goal has been and will always remain to be recognized as the best at what I do.

24. Can you give us a reason to hire you? Or why should we hire you? Or enumerate three
qualities of yours because of which we should hire you.

Three qualities:
1. Passion for learning 2. Dedication towards responsibilities 3. Attitude for excellence.

I sincerely believe that I'm the best person for the job. I realize that there are many other college
students who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also bring an additional quality
that makes me the very best person for the job -- my attitude for excellence. From my childhood I have
been trying to improve myself in every sphere of my life. And my attempt has been and will be towards
achieving the perfection in what I do. Not just giving lip service to excellence, but putting every part of
myself into achieving it. In college, I have consistently reached for becoming the very best I can
become. I think my leadership awards from my college, and my management positions are the result of
possessing the qualities you're looking for in an employee.
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25. Would you describe yourself as goal-driven?

Yes, whatever I do I always set my personal goals to achieve them. For example when I was doing my
summer training at ING Vysya bank, I was instructed to get minimum of 15 questionnaires to be filled
up in single day and personally I set a goal of 25 questionnaires to be filled up . For this reason only, I
was able to get at least 15 questionnaires filled up everyday and completed the data collection activities
before time.

26. Why do you want to change the industry?

Frankly speaking, i have learnt quite few things within in these few months of working with .........
as ......... but i feel if i join another organisation then the rate of learning would be paced up and I can
justice to my inquisitiveness. Simply, it is a step towards a quicker growth.

27. Describe what you've accomplished toward reaching a recent goal for yourself.

The most recent goal for me was to finish of our course curriculum within certain days and then to
prepare myself for this interview and written examinations despite a hectic schedule. The point where I
stand today makes me feel that I have achieved that to a great extent. And I am very confident that the
amount of energy and time I have spent towards this would definitely make me to come up with flying
colours.

28. What short-term goals and objectives have you established for yourself?

First of all I want to maintain the same GPA level as my last four trimesters and gain as much as
possible from my MBA course because after this, probably, I would not be able to learn these theories
any more. However I think this is the last year of my college life and I want to make the best of it.
Though I have planned to do executive MBA later on but I don’t feel that that will bring the same level of
excitement and enjoyment of college life.
And after joining a good organization like yours, my objectives are to learn as much as possible about
your company's product offering, organizational structure, and professional sales techniques so that I
may become the most productive member of your sales team.

29. Can you describe your long-range goals and objectives?

My long range goal is to make career in advertisement and then to shift to product and brand
management. But before that I want to prove myself as the best till date in that post where I will be
working in.

30. What do you expect to be doing in five years?

Although it is very hard to predict the future, i want to see myself in a very responsible position in the
next five years. As I don’t have any experience of working anywhere I like to gain some years of
experience first so that I can acquaint myself with the working environment and gain some worthy
professional tips. However my ultimate goal continues to be and will always be to be the best at
whatever level I am working
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31. What do you see yourself doing in ten years?

Ten years from now I see myself as a successful marketing manager in a very responsible and
respectable position, at least may be the zonal head, or regional head or even possible country head.

32. How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?
I believe I am quite good at handling conflicts. I always make sure that I have understood the cause of
the conflict completely so that I can know the possible cause of difference. I always try to put myself in
the position of the other party first and then try to put him in my position so that he can really know my
problem and a best possible solution can come out.

33. What have you learnt from your last job?

As it is my first job, i have learnt to decide between important and urgent assignments in corporate set-
up. And prioritising things and dealing with clients tactically.

34. Would you say that you can easily deal with high-pressure situations?

Yes. I feel that I am a person who performs at his best at high pressure situation because at that time
my concentration level goes up and i feel the situation a kind of challenge to me. So I try to give my
100% to that.

35. What quality or attribute do you feel will most contribute to your career success?
My greatest strength is my flexibility and my cool mindedness. I have learned that work conditions
change from day to day and throughout the day, as well, no matter where you are working. I also have
realized that certain projects require individual attention and others involve a teamwork approach. My
flexibility to adapt to the different demands of the job will definitely contribute towards my success in my
chosen career.

36. What personal weakness has caused you the greatest difficulty in school or on the job?

My greatest weakness had been delegation. Often I used to take up more that one job or assignments
or involve myself in more than one activity at a time without delegating a part of one to others. Because I
feel that no one can do better than me. Having more than one job at a time I often fail to prioritize and
manage my time well. Probably, this might be the reason of my failure in my past. However I have
worked on it and now I have overcome a great part of my weakness and I can effectively and efficiently
prioritize and manage my time.

37. What were your reasons for selecting your college or university?

Undoubtedly, I can say that this institute is one of the best institutes in the country. According to
business world it ranks 5th best institute in eastern India. So I knew that if I enrolled there, I would
achieve first-class preparation for my chosen career field. It is also a highly accredited school known for
satisfying employers with the preparation of its graduates -- that's why companies like yours recruit at
my school -- the school produces top graduates. The school offers an excellent liberal-arts background,
which research shows equips graduates with numerous qualities, such as versatility and strong critical-
thinking skills. Finally, having visited the campus before enrolling, I knew that the business school
emphasized group projects. During my one and half years in the school, I participated in more than 20
group projects, which taught me invaluable teamwork, communication, and interpersonal skills.
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38. If you could change or improve anything about your college, what would it be?

Not much change I would make but definitely I will try to instil a sense of professionalism in the minds of
the students. It can either be done by sticking to the rules, regulations and deadlines in finishing of the
assigned job. If pressure will be there upon the students they will definitely plan in their own way to
manage their time. And putting motivational portraits inside the college campus and inviting such people
who are very successful in their career may add to this effort.

39. How will the academic program and coursework you've taken benefit your career?
Definitely that’ll help. First of all I have taken up so many group projects through out this program and
that has definitely given me an insight into the behaviour of the members inside a team and also I
learned how to finish off the projects or assignments within a stipulated time frame. I have taken
marketing as my major and finance as my minor, as I suppose these two functions as very important for
an organization. I also can now correlate different functions of an organization in relation to marketing.
So I am sure this will definitely help me.

40. Which college classes or subjects did you like best? Why?

I liked almost all subjects but among them the ones pertaining to my major, which is marketing have
been my most favourite classes. These classes have laid the groundwork for my career in marketing.
They have also taught me skills that I can bring to my employer, ranging from communication skills to
interacting with others.

41. Are you the type of student for whom conducting independent research has been a positive
experience?

Yes, because while I do independent research a feeling of “I can do” comes into my mind but when I am
in a group the kind of feeling that comes into my mind is “ I can contribute my best and we can do” .

42. Do you think that your grades are an indication of your academic achievement?

I commend them who have secured high GPAs but always I want to be well rounded and focus much of
my energy on work and correlate the learning things in practical experience. However I think that my
ability to work effectively is more reflexive of my future potential than my GPA.

43. What plans do you have for continued study? An advanced degree?

I plan to continue my education for the rest of my life. In any professional field, keeping up to date
through continuing education is of the utmost importance. Continuing education can include on-the-job
training, courses sponsored by the employer, and courses taken in new technologies as they emerge. I
plan to be not only a career employee but a career student so that I can be the best. However, I will take
up any education which will not interfere with my job or the company's policies, but will enhance my
value as an employee. I like to do executive MBA after some years.
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44. Describe the characteristics of a successful manager.

A successful manager should have the vision and capabilities to formulate strategies to reach his or her
objectives and communicate these ideas to his or her team members. In addition to serving as a
positive role model for co-workers, successful managers must also be capable of inspiring others to
recognize, develop, and apply their talents to their utmost potential to reach a common goal. These are
the traits I hope to demonstrate when I'm a manager.

45. Why did you decide to seek a position in this field?

I want to work in the marketing and PR industry because ever since I took my first marketing course in
college, I have felt very passionate toward the industry and cannot imagine myself doing anything else.

46. Why did you decide to seek a position in this company?

I am convinced that there would be no better place to work than your company. You provide your
employees with the tools they need to stay competitive and sharpen their skills while working in an
open, team-based environment.

47. Do you have a geographic preference?

Although I would prefer to stay inside Orissa, I would not rule out other possibilities.

48. Would it be a problem for you to relocate?

I'm open to opportunities within the company; if those opportunities involve relocation, I would certainly
consider it.

49. To what extent would you be willing to travel for the job?

I understand the importance of travelling in the field of marketing. Most of the time you have to go out,
access the market condition, satisfy the customer needs and requests. I am willing to make this
commitment to do whatever it takes to develop that long-term relationship with a small business or a
client. It is only through this relationship that loyalty can be maintained and financial gains and growth
can occur for both the client and the company.

50. Which is more important to you, the job or your salary?

A salary commensurate with my experience and skills is important, but it's only one piece of the
package. Many other elements go into making up a compensation package, but more importantly, it's
critical to me to enjoy what I'm doing, fit into the corporate culture, and feel I'm making a genuine
contribution.

51. What level of compensation would it take to make you happy?

I am solely not depending on monetary factor to make me happy. What makes me happy is having a
satisfying job that provides challenge and new situations daily. Of course, a salary commensurate with
the skill, knowledge and the level of responsibility involved carry some importance.
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52. Tell me about the salary range you're seeking.

I am sure that I am the candidate you are looking for. If you feel the same, then I'm sure your offer will
be fair and commensurate with the value I can / am supposed bring to the company.
Or
I know that yours is a good organization that gives justice to the employees in terms of financial
compensation as per the responsibility and accountability involved. The offer will commensurate with the
value I can / am supposed bring to the company. So, your offer will be fair and acceptable.

53. Give me an example of an important goal which you had set on the past and tell me about
your success in reaching it?

When I joined XIMB, I asked one teacher who sits in the selection panel of XIMB that what kind of things
you look for in a candidate. He told that first it is the Attitude, then skill and then knowledge because if
one has the attitude he can easily learn and acquire skills. That day only I set a goal for myself that I will
shape my attitude of thinking positive, thinking high, and being empathetic at any cost. Now I can
confidently say that I have almost achieved that.

54. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you
had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?

It was an experience when I was on my summer training in ING Vysya bank. During this project I was
given a questionnaire to collect responses from the customers of different banks to know about their
preferences. The task seemed quite easy but when I actually went to the field it was very hot outside in
the month of June and inside the shops the responses were quite silly and irritating. Their behaviour
was also very rough. Really it was a very horrible experience and I had to deal with it. I kept my nerves
cool and after 3 days it was all normal. Finally I was able to do my assigned job efficiently.
The effect was, at least, I could prepare myself mentally and can work effectively in this kind of
situations in future.

55. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance.
What did you do about it?

56. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did you
handle the situation?

In some class test papers I differ with my teacher on the evaluation. When I differ with my teacher I go
to him and ask him what will the right answer. So that I can learn and make any correction to my
thinking.

57. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did
you handle it? What was the result?

58. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.

Looking at the situations and circumstances I prioritize and schedule my time accordingly. If the tasks
involve the benefit to me and benefit to others, generally I give priority to the task that involves benefit to
others. Its because if I do something good to others definitely one day or the other someone will come
out to help me. And if the task involve benefits to me only I prioritize that which will have a greater
impact if not done and accordingly I plan my time.
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59. What is the biggest mistake you've made?

The biggest mistake I made in my life is that when I compromised with the sacrifices that my parents
endured for me by not giving proper attention to studies in +2. I look back and realize that everything
they did for me so that I could succeed in life. I am thankful now and do everything to my best ability to
make them proud because I am so thankful that they have been there for me so that I can give back to
society and to my job the opportunities that they never had.

60. Describe a situation in which you had to use reference materials to write a research paper.
What was the topic? What journals did you read?

61. Is there any class that you disliked the most? Why?

I don’t feel disliked at any subject generally. Of course there are some subjects that are not quite
interesting. For me that was the “data structure”. Its because from the very beginning the codes seemed
to be very threatening. Sometimes it happens that i sit down for long hours to understand the concept
but in vain. I took the help of our class teacher and to some extent I could understand. however this was
a subject for which I didn’t feel to give my time , I don’t know why I felt so but it is the truth.

62. Do you achieve all the goals you set? If not why?

Not actually. Whenever I set my goal I see that the goal is flexible enough to be modified later. Looking
at the situations and circumstances I go for modifying the goal. As the successful achievement of a goal
is constrained by many factors, I go for achievement of that goal which bears a greater impact when
there is a change in any such factors and at that point I feel beneficial to neglect some previous goals
set by me.

63. What is the biggest mistake you ever made in selecting a specialisation?

I don’t think I have made any mistake by selecting my specialisation. I had interest in that field and I
went for it. though I have neglected some other specialisations which if I had selected I could have done
well, I don’t think I have done any mistake and in long run my this decision will definitely be fruitful.
Why do you want to work in a job for which you are over qualified?
Its because , I feel that if I work in this post I will be able to know the kind of difficulties and constraints
involved in getting a thing done. So when I will be working in a higher post I would not neglect such
factors. And as long as I am working in this post, being over qualified I will be coming with improved
working methods and can enrich the job with my proactive ness.