Marketing Summers Guide

MaSh Summer Interview and Internship Feedback
ADITYA BIRLA GROUP
Name: Aashutosh Vijyant
Company & Division: Aditya Birla Group, Minacs, Operations
Location: Bangalore, India
Project Title: Optimization of BPO processes of AB Minacs
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Application Form (Y/N): N
Group Discussion (Y/N): Y
Written Test (Details): N
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case (Please Case based Group Discussion
Specify):
Phase Procedure (GD/Test) Topics Remarks
No. Covered
1. It was a moral based case for them The key point to focus on was to
and majorly focused on how well one be confident and support with
could have come to a logical valid reasons. Also, having an
conclusion to support his views. The extreme view is not good as far as
candidates were to take a subjective interviews are concerned. The
call on the situation given and defend listening part of GD is also a trait
it with proper reasoning. they look for.
Summers Guide Book Page 1

Interviews
Stage No. Crucial Questions
1 Some questions were asked based on their views in the group

discussion. Mostly the questions asked are personals and they
look for the candidates’ views about why he wants to join that
particular company and not others.
What went right? No extreme views and answered their queries confidently which
set the tone for the rest of the interview.
What went
wrong?
Please answer appropriately if you think the company paid attention to the
following (1 - least important to 5 - most important) (Please Highlight/Encircle)
Work Experience: 1 2 3 4 5
Past Academic Performance, Projects: 1 2 3 4 5
Hobbies, Interests, Achievements: 1 2 3 4 5
Area/Industry Awareness: 1 2 3 4 5
Stress in the interview: 1 2 3 4 5
What questions did you ask to the panel?
Do some homework about the company and ask some sensible questions regarding
the company rather than beating about the bush.
Please give suggestions to crack marketing company procedures;

DOs/DON’Ts; Special Preparation:

Confidence, good communication skill, not having extreme views helps. Also the
ability to defend one’s stand with logical reasoning is of utmost importance. They’ll
try to mislead you sometimes but what they ideally test is your composure to
remain unfazed in difficult situation.
Please provide any other insights on the preparation process
Prepare for personals well and do some homework about the company, it helps
Feedback on Internship
Does your company have a PPO/PPI policy? If yes, then what is it?
Yes, the company has a PPO as well as PPI policy.
According to you, what are the critical parameters to concentrate on to get a

PPO/PPI in your company?
For the PPO process all the 40 interns selected from across the IIMs are made to undergo a 3-
day personality assessment program at their head office and then made final offers based on
their performance in that.
How was your overall experience? Please include some points you liked and
disliked.
The organization is a pretty organic one and the people are really friendly to work with. The
approach towards an intern is like an employee and they are encouraged to talk to people and

Name: Nidhi Gurnani
Company & Division: Aditya Birla Group- Idea Cellular ltd, Marketing
Location: Mumbai
Project Title:
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Directly taken for Interview because
(Please Specify): missed the GD due to other company
GDs

No. Covered
1.
Interviews
1 My profile
Why MBA after engineering especially with a great academic record why
not PhD?
Which field is I interested in like Marketing, Sales etc? Why?
Some questions about my previous internships.
What went
My attitude and confidence impressed them.
right?

What went They questioned me on why Sales…I gave some answers but then they told
wrong? me that they won’t be giving me sales because I won’t be able to do it.
Then they asked me if I knew why Sales should not be given to interns. I
tried to answer with the difficulties which will come in Sales job like lot of
hard work(stamina), or convincing skills…but that wasn’t the correct
answer finally they told me that asking for payment is most difficult part
and I won’t be able to do justice to this in 2 months…
Something about Sales profile which went wrong

Dos:
Good jolly nature
Confident attitude
Ready to travel to place- in fact should say that you love travelling
Like to interact with people
Don’ts: Don’t have a dull attitude.
Special Prep:
Be thorough with Kotler and put kotler fundas in GDs

None
1. Does your company have a PPO/PPI policy? If yes, then what?
Yes it has both PPO and PPI policy.
2. According to you, what are the critical parameters to concentrate on to get a

Take initiative but don’t put too much CP
While making the final presentation to the panel show that you were enthusiastic during your
project and you had a lot of learning- give key learning’s, show the extra initiatives you took
which were not defined in your project deliverables, something like helping your guide or
team members with day to day work
Show innovativeness in the solution you provided to the project given to you
Show all roundedness- show your ability to work across businesses from cements to telecom
3. How was your overall experience? Please include some points you liked and
disliked.
Overall experience was very good. The facilities provided were very good
They try to accommodate the preference of the intern in every aspect from choice of division
(marketing, ops, finance etc) to choice of business (cement, telecom, retail) to choice of
location.
Nothing particular in dislike just that the process for PPO/PPI is very rigorous and very few are
selected

Name: Rohini Rajeev Naik
Company & Division: Aditya Birla Group, Corporate Strategy
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Brand positioning of Madura Garments and competitors
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case There were GDs but my schedule got
(Please Specify): haywire. Thus, I went to the interview
directly. Hence, I don’t know much
about the GDs.

No. Covered
Interviews
1 Why ABG? Why General Management? The interview was mainly

resume and personals based and lasted for around 30 mins.
What went I don’t know. I thought it was a terrible interview.

right?
What went They tried to stress me out and I think they succeeded to some
wrong? extent too. However, I kept talking.

Nothing

Concentrate on personals. And prepare answers to the following questions well :-
Why marketing or general management?
Why the particular company?
For marketing particularly, be ready with examples from your life which portray
your different qualities including leadership initiatives, obstacles when you were
the leader etc
Try to be quick on your feet. But think a little before answering. They may ask a few
concepts from the Marketing management course.

In our year, ABG gave PPIs.

They have a long and complex procedure for giving PPIs. The parameters to be considered are
disclosed to the interns at the beginning of the internship period only. Then at the end, you
have the manager’s recommendation followed by a daylong procedure of psychometric test
and team building exercises where you are judged by a third party. This is followed by a panel
presentation and all those who have been recommended in all these three steps are then
called for an interview. All performances taken into account determine the fate regarding PPI.
disliked.
It is a good company to work for. There wasn’t much pressure and weekends were mostly free.
However, I didn’t like the project I was doing. It entailed a lot of travelling and I wasn’t informed
about it earlier.

Name: Suraj Holla B
Company & Division: ABG – Birla Sunlife Insurance
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Strategy and HR
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. It was a Fish market
There were 8-10 people/ group Spoke only 2 times while people spoke
and GD went for 25 min 10 times
On an average 2 people/group So it’s the quality rather than quantity

were selected

Interviews
1 There were questions on work experience – resume based
They asked what I knew about ABG
There were situation based questions apart from the personal questions
It continued for 50 min
What went Well Prepared

right?
What went Lack of knowledge regarding company
wrong?
About their lead leap program and business

Have good points in GD (no CP)
Interview was based on GD – was asked to justify the points I made

Personals – very important
Tell me about yourself. Read about companies and sectors
4. Does your company have a PPO/PPI policy? If yes then what?
Yes

Performance during internship - Internship Summary Presentation
6. How was your overall experience? Include some points you liked and disliked.
The work was hectic but good.ABG has a very systematic internship process.

ASIAN PAINTS
Name: Gautam Attravanam
Company & Division: Asian Paints
Location: Bombay
Project Title: Evaluation of Consumer feedback to AP’s retail formats

(this was an ongoing project---I was given the job to validate it)
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Yes
Application Form (Y/N): Yes—very simple, nothing technical
Written Test (Details): No
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. There was no GD for Asian NA

Paints in IIMB last year, though
they have a practice of
conducting GDs in other B-
schools. There may be a GD this
time
Interviews
1 There were generic questions, nothing technical was asked.

Interview did not last long.
What went He was cool and composed

right?

What went Nothing specific

wrong?
(More work ex may work in negative)

(leadership/ logical inferences/thinking on the spur of the moment)
(They may ask about the company hence be prepared for that)
(It was cool and relaxed; lot depends on how you handle the pressure)
Be ready with your question before hand.
There were questions on work profile-you can ask about it or you can ask about any
choices they would offer you in your work

Be Cool and Be composed.
Nothing specific, MaSh handbook helps. Also read about the companies

They have PPO.

Don’t know as of now.
disliked.
Like----most amazing structured internship program. There were proper reviews. I had to sit
with guides; there was a proper feedback process in place. Also there is induction process. I
was given project brief before I joined.
Dislike----Manager remained too busy, sometimes the manager themselves not aware of what
the project is all about.
Warning --there will be loads of field work!

BIOCON
Name: Madhurjya Das
Company & Division: Biocon, Marketing
Location: Bangalore
Project Title: Marketing Strategy for anti diabetic
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. No GD or case study. Direct

interview.
Interviews
1 Why biotech? Why Biocon? How much do you know about the
industry? You may need to prepare before commencing your
interview.
What went I have Pharmaceutical Analytics background so I convinced them in

that aspect.
right?
What went You may need to negotiate the stipend amount.
wrong?

How should I prepare for the internship? What type of projects would I get?

Know about the company and learn some fundas from Kotler
No intimation from the company yet as they had hired management interns for the first time.

First and foremost do a good project. Be regular at office. Good networking.
disliked.
Good company to work. Friendly atmosphere Learning is there.
Didn’t know how to handle management interns Too much idle time at office so one has to be

Name: Sumathi S
Company & Division: Biocon- IT department
Location: Bangalore SEZ
Project Title: ERP implementation ASIS Business Process Analysis
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Not Held
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
1 Only some general questions were asked. Mainly about interest in the
field and whether I had a background in biology.
What went It was a 4-5 min interview. So I guess mostly it went well only though
nothing very important was asked.
right?
What went Nothing
wrong?

Nothing

Be honest, cool and relaxed.
Don’t inflate the points in your resume.
No.

disliked.
Work wise overall experience was good. But the place was stinking due to the chemicals. The
people were very friendly. And IIMB tag made things easier since it was the first time they
were recruiting from IIMs. Everyone was very amiable and approachable, even Kiran
Majumdar Shaw. My managers were pretty cool. The work culture was good. I had to report
at 7.30 in the morning but the day was over by 4, sometimes by 2 also. So the evenings were
completely free.

BRITANNIA
Name: Saurav Pani
Company & Division: Britannia
Location: Sri Lanka
Project Title: New Business Development “Benchmark Framework of

the Modern Trade market in Sri Lanka”
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. GD Random topic, peaceful
Interview IIMB Alum, concepts behind what you

say, Non stressful
Interviews
1 Why marketing?
Tell me something about yourself?

What went Connect was there, cracked jokes that were well received, answers
not expected, no clichés
right?
What went Avoid clichés
wrong? EG: Short term: Get job
NA

Basics of Kotler, Know your stories
Attend PPT
No results


Networking
disliked.
Loved it!! Open culture

Name: Vinoth
Company & Division: Britannia & under Area sales manager
Location: Madurai
Project Title: Next generation VI (Visual Initiatives) for Britannia,

promotion
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Yes
Application Form (Y/N): No
Group Discussion

(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Something to do with cultural Contributed to the discussion few times.

impact of Indian books(
GD was not a fish market.
Globe topic)
Listen to what others have to say, you
need not dominate.
Dominating resulted in negative impact.

Interviews
1 They should not feel that sales are your last resort-why did u choose
sales?
What’s it in that sales that attracts you?
Flow was smooth.
They asked about me, nothing technical and I tried to take their
attention to my resume(through examples)
In case of my P&G interview they asked me about Sri Lankan and

Tamil issue, Also as I was involved with sports in IIMB, they asked me
if I use abuses in the ground.
What went They didn’t ask anything about the company and I did not prepare
much about the company but one should be prepared for that
right?
What went Nothing as such
wrong?
No question.


They tend to prefer fresher.
Prepare WHY SALES and MARKETING.
Have a solid back up plan-they should be convinced that u r made for that.
General awareness, key issues.
I was interviewed by one HR and one Marketing head, hence they asked general
questions
PPO probably.

disliked.
I was the only MBA guy in my office. Only ASM and a Terri Sales In charge for Madurai region were
present. Other TSIs were not that good.
Had to contact sales people and distributors-though a diff experience but at the end you miss
something, you don’t get feel of internship-I didn’t get a chance of networking (problem faced
only by me)
ASM hardly had time for me, office was far off and no accommodation was provided.
My VP asked me to focus on other brands as well.

CADBURY
Name: K Naganand
Company & Division: Cadburys, Marketing
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Ethnographic studies in South Indian consumers
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Topic based. Political, not 6 people. No Fish market

related to marketing.
Interviews
1 Everything but marketing. Subprime crisis, FinAcc, Differentiate

between strategy and marketing. Resume specific hobbies. Clarity on
going for Marketing!!(Asking FinAcc) . Personals. Are you ready to
travel????
What went Did a good job with the subprime crisis. Got a flowchart for
marketing and strategy problems. Eg- 4P into a chart, etc Idea
right?
approach
What went Starting a bit sluggish, getting too much into depth about subprime
wrong?

Past Academic Performance, Projects 1 2 3 4 5
Nothing much.

Dos. – just go for the questions (even out of marketing domain)
Marketing case- Use consult approach .structured like 4 P etc. gives a positive
impression
Know their Products (Company’s ) ,latest launch, etc
Make sure that people don’t make a fish market out of it. HUL was fish market.
Rough break out of the time during GD. Chalk out a plan with your team mates
before hand

Kind of work. Cadburys gave live project. So substance in results. There are smarter guys out
there. Be on your feet.
Know your marketing stuff. Know the jargons.

disliked.
Wonderful, awesome project that could be offered to an intern. Core of marketing Initiative!
1. Open culture, very approachable people

2. Access from UK office etc- thing with global companies
3. Getting info can get difficult at times
4. Getting time from people

CAREER LAUNCHER
Name: Dharmesh Meena
Company & Division: Career Launcher- Corporate training Business
Location: Delhi
Project Title: Estimation of Entry level manpower demand across key industry
verticals in India
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): N
Written Test (Details): Psychometric test
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case no
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
1 interests, life ambition, prior experience in education field, some

random resume points, how long they wished to stay in the company
What went Prior experience in education industry

right?
What went -
wrong?

about location and travel needs

should be aware of the market and various industry verticals, product clients of
FMCG companies, company strategies
Regardless of the interview process being very grilling one need to keep his/ her
cool.
No


disliked.
Good and exposure to the need to learn many things, able to establish relationships with
numerous outside organizations, able to apply marketing concepts for business development

Name: Talimeren Longkumer
Company & Division: Career Launcher / CL Media
Location: Delhi
Project Title: Education through Media
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Written Test (Details): A Psychometric test which was after the

Interview
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. We were given a list of projects Choose the one that you are interested
to choose from and the in, as you would be doing the same
interview was based on that during your Internship.
project.
Interviews
1 The questions were mainly based on the project that I chose from the
list (Media Education – Mobile & TV) and a bit about my work
experience.
What went Had a fair idea about the project requirements before I went in plus I
had worked on mobile platform before so that also helped.
right?

What went Don’t remember any.

wrong?
Nothing much. Just about the location.

Nothing special is required I guess. Know your basics and be confident.
As far as I know, I don’t think they have.

NA

disliked.
I was working directly under the CEO, CL Media and also got to meet with other top executives
from other companies. Overall it was a pretty good experience and exposure for me on the
marketing domain.
Thanks a lot for your time. In case, you wish to give further advice that might help
regarding general placement preparation etc, please ask for a separate sheet and fill
it in. Every word of advice that you give can be very helpful for the future batches
Regarding GD:- they usually look for aggressive people (my point of view). Well some of
the GDs were fish-market kind of situation while some others were pretty ok. And
regarding one's chances of selection/rejection in a GD, it depends purely on how he/she
stands out in the crowd/group.
My work was to create a business plan for Education through Media (both mobile and TV -
more emphasis on TV). Regarding field work, yes I did go around and interviewed students
at CL.

COLGATE PALMOLIVE
Name: Solanki Yagnesh Naginbhai
Company & Division: Colgate Palmolive India Ltd, Customer marketing
Location: Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi
Project Title: Preparation of customer
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Written Test (Details): Y (online test)
Marketing Game(Y/N) Y (group task)
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case (Please Specify): Case/Situation based GD
Phase Procedure (GD/Test) Topics Covered Remarks

No.
1. The group discussion was a situation based

case and they focused on candidates with valid
Focus on logical
points. They were looking for quality rather
reasoning, even if you’ve
than quantity. Another important thing to ace a
not been able to speak
GD is to be a good listener. Too much of
much but contributed
constant speaking in a GD and not giving others
with significant points,
a chance to speak is another thing to be
you still get the brownie
avoided.
points. Even
Interviews
1 Focused more on the personals, why marketing and why FMCG were
some other common questions they asked. Also, they were asked to
give reviews on how well they thought they did in the group discussion.

W hat In the interview they mostly focused on the projects that were there in
went my resume. The rounds like marketing games tried to look into your
team building ability and went well for me.
right?
W hat
went
wrong?

Try to build a connection with the interviewer. While having the interview make it
an interactive one instead of a Q&A round. Also, be yourself, your originality
matters.
While answering the questions, try and be honest, these people are from industry
and more often than not will hit the blind spot.

CP has only PPI policy to summer interns based on performance. Also, one important fact is
that from a close source news has come out that they’ll be aggressively hiring this time and
with an intention of full time converts.
2. According to you, what are the critical parameters to concentrate on to get

a PPO/PPI in your company?
Connection with the people in the company is a must and of course performance is the scale
on which they measure you as a candidate.
3. How was your overall experience? Please include some points you liked
and disliked.
My internship stint with CP has been a pleasant experience; I thoroughly enjoyed working with
them. The organization is a pretty flat one with friendly people all around you to help you but in
order to get help from them you’ll have to take the initiative. Once you start with the project, the
stage is all yours.

CYPRESS SEMICONDUCTORS
Name: Abhishek Rawale
Company & Division: Cypress Semiconductors, Corporate Strategies

Marketing
Location: Bangalore
Project Title: Feasibility of market entry in ‘Image Sensors in

Barcode scanners’ and strategy for the same
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
1 Why MBA? Why Cypress? Which Sectors do you follow? General

questions on the sectors named.
W hat Past work ex questions, even asked about financials of past company.
They asked a question on marketing some product, which I answered
went
very well. Actually, I explained the 4P’s through examples.
right?
W hat I won’t say anything went wrong, but I had a small argument with
went them on the power sector (sector I said I follow) about Suzlon. But it

wrong? was cool in general, no stress.
I had gone through their website and asked them something specific to the semi
conductor industry trend and some follow up questions on the same.

You need to have a strong focus on personals. Prepare them very well. In addition,
you should know about the company, the profile they are offering and how you fit in
the scheme of things.
Focus very strongly on personals. Prepare your resume well. You should know
everything about what’s written in your resume. Prepare your past work ex and
details of the company well.
Actually, Cypress had come last year for the first time to recruit from IIMs. No one knows if
they have a policy or not. However, they haven’t given offer to anyone across campuses.


Not Applicable
disliked.
If you plan to join Cypress, you have to like technology. I liked technology so it was a good
experience for me. There wasn’t much pressure, no long hours, weekends are free, small
working teams, overall a good experience.
Something I didn’t like much was project specific. I had to do a lot of research on secondary
data. This was tedious and sometimes boring too.

Name: G. Vinay Kumar
Company & Division: Cypress-Strategic Marketing
Location: Bangalore
Project Title: Sales Analysis
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. NO GD
Interviews
1 QM-1 and 2: Regression and basic concepts of valuation
W hat I knew everything. So, the interview went well.

went
right?
W hat Nothing in particular.
went
wrong?

I asked them the work description and possible locations of posting.
Please give suggestions to crack company procedures; DOs/DON’Ts; Special

Preparation:
Prepare well for Term-1 subjects. They were looking for a particular role which
involved quantitative analysis like t-tests, hypothesis testing, and regression
analysis. Be thorough with all the tests.
Prepare well for your personals e.g like “Tell me about yourself”, “work-experience”
and the projects you have done.
This is the first time they are coming on campus for summers. So, I believe they do not have a
PPO/PPI policy.


disliked.
The organization, although very big, had a start-up culture. Everyone was given freedom and
responsibility. The seniors were helpful in identifying projects and any further help. But one
thing I didn’t like was the company had a technological base: Electronics. It takes a minimum of
two months to get the hang of the things. So, unless the candidate has a prior knowledge of the
domain, he/she may not appreciate the projects being undertaken.
Please help your juniors by filling in this form

DABUR
Name: Tanay Chakraborty
Company & Division: Dabur-Foods
Location: Bangalore
Project Title: How to intake Real juice off take
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. GD Efficacy of celebrity endorsements
Interview Personal Qs, Dabur based Qs,

commitment, interact with people
Interviews
1 Test your commitment
Good advertisement seen
Feedback about Dabur
What went right? GD was good, I’m ready to work anywhere attitude
What went wrong?

Area of growth in products

No stress answer with confidence
Basic Kotler
N.A

N.A
disliked.
Only intern in south India. Slight HR issues. Other than that very helpful. Data gathering from
office was tough.

DIAGEO
Name: Ananda Kumar C
Company & Division: Diageo - Marketing
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Vat69 Ltd Edition – measurement of business

performance (sales, revenue, improve brand imagery)
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Application Form (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. NA
Interviews
1 There were 3 rounds of interview. All of them focused on

personal questions. Be confident and enthusiastic.
What went right? Confident attitude

Right frame of mind
Kept on talking and remained focused
What went wrong? Didn’t practice a lot of case studies
Had a relatively closed mind for non-fin companies

Don’t ask questions like “Can you tell me the answer of the Q I didn’t answer”.
Asked about the roles and responsibilities
Asked them if they ever felt difficult to recruit people into their business

Prepare personal questions and be yourself
Try to know yourself well and don’t memorize answers to the personal questions
Economist
Bain speak
AMA newsletter
Marketing journal
McKinsey Quarter
Other consult magazines
For people with work ex -- recount your experiences – problems, be natural,

experiences that taught you

YES
and disliked.
Provided opportunities to explore something new and see if you fit into it
It was a good experience overall

Name: Pragathi Aswath
Company & Division: DIAGEO India Private Limited, Marketing
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Project Cool
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion Not applicable

Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Not Applicable
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
1 The interview was centred around my resume largely,

hence a lot of emphasis on personal questions. My past
leadership responsibilities, my biggest achievement, my
long term goals, why marketing etc were asked about.
What went right? They were seeking clarity of thought and genuineness in
the answers. Good work on personals helped me in the
interview.
What went wrong? Nothing

Do not remember

A very thorough preparation is required as far as resume and personals are

concerned. Marketing theory as such is not required though a brief glance at Kotler
would be good. The ‘why marketing’ question is very crucial for any marketing
company.
Concentrate on your resume and personals
The company does have a PPO policy. It is dependent entirely on the overall performance of
the candidate during the internship period.

1. Substantial and relevant work along with timely completion of deliverables

2. Good rapport with team members is very essential because marketing, to a great
extent, involves dealing with people
3. Being proactive shows enthusiasm towards the job and the company

disliked.
1. The exposure and scope of the project at Diageo was excellent

2. The entire internship was conducted in a very structured manner, starting with a
project brief sent across, a week before the internship date and a day-to-day activity
schedule
3. The project allowed me to experience most functions of marketing such as sales visits,
interactions with research agency and ad agency, consumer interviews
4. The company culture is very informal which allows free flow of ideas between
individuals which is very essential for a field like marketing.

FREUDENBERG
Name: Halwalkar Nikhil Sahdev
Company & Division: Freudenberg -General Management
Location: Germany
Project Title: MIS Reporting, Working Capital Reports
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. No GD.
Interviews
1 Very important: If we don’t send you to Germany would you still

be interested? Resume related questions are important and also
prepare for career plans.
What went right? They asked me to tell me about myself and my work experience.
They prefer work-ex candidates. I could convince them well.
What went Nothing in particular. They pop the “will you stay in India?” in
wrong? the last round only.

What are your plans for the Indian market? Most of your companies in the Europe
are recovering from recession, so what measures is the group taking to improve its
position?

Preparation:
Work on “Tell me about you”. The company is majorly into auto components
manufacturing and is trying to diversify into other areas. So, focus on these areas.
There is a lack of awareness of Freudenberg brand despite having good branded

product s like Vileda, Corteco, Simmering etc.; enquire what they are doing to
increase brand awareness.
The company has traditionally focused on mechanical engineers and finance

professionals. So, brush up on some basic concepts.
They have a PPO policy, but they take a lot of time to respond to the same.


You make a final presentation to the HR head and CEO in the 4th term. Do well in this.
Highlight all the work you’ve done and how you’ve added value to the company. You may be
asked to share your insights and views on the company. So, be prepared for that question.
disliked.
Internship was good as I was posted in Germany and I got to work in a global environment.
If you are posted in Germany, knowing German will be an added advantage. The company is
focusing on Indian interns and markets heavily. There is a lot of communication gap while
dealing with the Indian branch. You have to be in touch with them continuously and be very
Name: Ninad Mande

Company & Division: Freudenberg/ Marketing (Eagleburgmann)
Location: Pune
Project Title: B2B marketing, Increasing market penetration and

revenue generation in a particular customer segment
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case NO
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
1 2 rounds of interviews, mainly related to why you want to

join the company, checking the interest level, work
experience related.
What went right? They were convinced with the answer as to why I would join
the company, questions related to ethics
What went wrong? No

Nothing.

Related to personals, generally wants to know whether the candidate is aware of the
company’s products, basic stuffs about the company, application forms consistent
with answers, have convincing stories about your qualities.
Kotler’s basic questions, be convincing and be confident.
Yes. Direct PPO’s


--
disliked.
3.
Medium, not very structured program, had to identify the projects by yourself, they do not
have a specific procedure, lot of freedom in decision making, do not have a full time mentor,
not the usual marketing that is customer specific, very different from FMCG,

Name: Nipun O. S
Company & Division: Freudenberg; Non wovens
Location: IndiraNagar, Bangalore
Project Title: Assessment of market potential of two of their products
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
1 Mostly focused on past work experience. Almost everyone who

got selected had a work ex in manufacturing sector. Some
questions were also asked regarding sales.
What went right? Almost everything since it was on work ex. Atmosphere was
good. The panel was amiable and friendly. Short interview of
15-20 minutes.
What went Only one thing, they kept asking about what I don’t like about
wrong? sales. I couldn’t answer that.

Asked one question at the end. But don’t remember it.

Be honest. Don’t use too much of ‘I don’t know’, but it can be used sparingly. You
can’t impress them by lying. They will see it through.
Yes, but it didn’t give any PPOs last year.

They usually give PPOs if you really don’t goof up your project. Perform moderately well to get
a PPO.

disliked.
I liked the work overall. It was very light, excellent work life balance.
However, since their Bangalore centre is new and it was the first time they took interns from
IIMB for Bangalore centres, there was not much structure in place and the onus was on us to
perform.
Thanks a lot for your time. In case, you wish to give further advice that might help
regarding general placement preparation etc, please ask for a separate sheet and fill
it in. Every word of advice that you give can be very helpful for the future batches.
Prepare your past work ex well. I don’t think they offer jobs to freshers.

Name: Saikat Banerjee
Company & Division: Freudenberg, Chemtrent (speciality chemicals plant)
Location: Munich, Germany
Project Title: Documentation of Piping systems & implementation of

preventive maintenance plan
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. No
Interviews
1 Specific to Mechanical Engineers/Chemical.
1. What is your plan in the company?

2. How about sales. (crucial)
3. Operational Efficiency (machines etc)
4. About people
Be open to everything
What went right? Show eagerness. Sales thing really went right. Know your
resume well.

What went wrong? Went into depth about machines and processes
Nothing

No special preparation
Get your personals in place
Be Confident!
Prepare personals well. Tweak it around according to the interview.


Vacancy!
Interact with HR s. Make presentations to heads.
disliked.
Good
1. Living abroad
2. Accommodation, living very well handled
3. Balanced

HINDUSTAN UNILEVER
Name: Aruna Ranganathan
Company & Division: Hindustan Unilever/ Marketing
Location: Singapore
Project Title: Project Sunlight (Brand Development)
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Written Test (Details): Psychometric test
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Yes(1st round)
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Giving credit cards to farmers. contribute sensibly, don’t be aggressive,

add valid points,
(6 in a group, lasted 25 mins)
Interviews
Stage Crucial Questions
No.
1 what are the 4 P’s of Marketing, Unilever’s 6 P’s, (packaging, Proposal)
Asked questions related to products, strengths and weaknesses, Failure in

life, success definitions, Questions about the company
W hat Confidence, effective communication

went
right?

W hat Should have spoken more in the GD

went
wrong?
company’s strategy of exiting the business, how do they face competition

Prepare personals very properly and read newspapers thoroughly, be cheerful,

write down the answers so that you are prepared with the answers.
Read Kotler, know the definitions, concentrate on the marketing classes, which is
your favourite/ least favourite ad of HUL?

Yes. Questions related to the work, and marketing related questions,

Yet to figure out.
disliked.
Too good. The excellent structure of the program, very good networking, support from HR

Name: Shreshth Sharma
Company & Division: HUL, Sales and Marketing
Location: Singapore
Project Title: Shopper Understanding for Laundry Brand Development
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): N
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Case Discussion The case was based on a marketing

problem. Mostly they looked at the
thought process and inclination towards
marketing. You don’t require any
technical marketing knowledge but
should have a logical thought process
and be able to show an inclination to
understanding consumers.
Interviews
No.
1 Tell something that is not on resume.
How I did fund collection for my NGO
Grilled a bit on how the two things “social cause and corporate goals”

match. Then grilled on which one is my passion and why.
Asked questions on how Indian army is different from FMCG
What is more imp army on border, soap, social work
Asked questions on the points I raised during case discussion, given a

certain budget and asked to allocate it across various activities
How will you sell fair and lovely?
Isn’t selling dreams unethical?
W hat Almost everything, was calm throughout and answered all questions
confidently
went
right?
W hat Can’t really think of anything
went
wrong?
Hobbies, Interests, Achievements: 1 2 3 5


Be aware of the industry in general.
Study some successful brands such as Dove, Wheel, Fair and Lovely, Lux, Asian
Paints Gattu etc and try to intuitively understand how brands get developed and
what makes them connect with their consumers.
I don’t think there is much need to study Kotler etc, but reading up some basic stuff
like 4Ps and the idea behind consumer research can help get a hang of some
fundamental marketing concepts. General reading over internet, Wikipedia and
some good marketing blogs should be enough.
A lot of questions are meant to see your personality so having a good hang on
personals becomes important.
PPO Policy. PPIs are given at the end of internship and the interviews are taken for the
candidates receiving PPIs. The PPO results are declared within a few days, usually before
joining camps for the 4th term.

1. Good work and recommendation from the immediate boss

2. Good PPO interview with the top management. In my opinion this counts a little more
than the point one.

HT MEDIA
Name: Geraj Vinny Rajesh
Company & Division: HT Media Ltd., Brand Management
Location: New Delhi
Project Title: HT Horizons product re-launch and online marketing

plan
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
No.
1 What are your major achievements so far in your life? What are the major
obstacles you faced in your life?
W hat The answer to the previous question went right I guess, since I was well
prepared for that.
went
right?

W hat There was a question about how different do you think the marketing for
went a newspaper will be and why are you interested in this? -- I could just
make up the answers for this one, which wasn’t very good I think.
wrong?
I asked about the kind of responsibilities I will get during summers and the job
location
--- I was told that both of these ‘ will be communicated later’

Do solve some guesstimate cases – this helps in some of the GDs. The interviews are
mostly HR based only. If it’s Britannia GD then come up with radical points.

Yes, they have a Policy of PPI, but the conversion ratio is 1/20.

1) Commitment
2) Punctuality
3) Dress Code
4) Healthy interaction within and outside the team

Name: Suman Mondal
Company & Division: HT Media Ads for Equity (invest in start-ups looking for
ads)
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Education sector- secondary research Survey on real estate

markets
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Telephonic
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. No.
Interviews
No.
1 Asked about interest in media field
What do you know media publishing media
Questions were asked on work exp. --- question on projects and

responsibility

W hat Was very frank and confident

Frankly told them that I had not much idea about media
went
right? But showed interest in radio and desire to learn
W hat Didn’t show interest in finance

went Think a lot
wrong?
What can be done to improve education?
Ideas/views gen problems
Puma – Stress/ personal
Grill on weak ===== young team interviewing
hobbies

Asked about HT – about their divisions
When did it started

Crack the GD --- facilitate the discussion but don’t dominate. Put logical points
Know about the company
Be frank and be yourself and polite
Show Enthusiasm to learn
Idea generation situations are often asked
Prepare with an open mind
No
disliked.
The experience was OK
The project on Real estate was a bit disappointing
But learned a lot about education sector

ITC
Name: Akhil Kumar Meshram
Company & Division: ITC, Sales/Market Research
Location: Hyderabad-Warangal-Kaminagar (India)
Project Title: Sales/ Trade promotion of competitors
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Case based Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. The case was based on moral They were looking at the aggression
values. The speakers were told to / assertive nature of the person and
change their stance after some time how good he is to convince others
so they were looking at ability to with his/her logical flow of
think on their feet and expecting a reasoning. Most of the FMCG
wider perspective from the companies look for this aggression &
candidate. convincing ability.

Interviews
1 The interview was about 15-20 minutes. Asked personal

questions, moral dilemma questions (situational), and market
related information like, “Can you differentiate between
convenience and grocery stores?” etc.
What went right? They were impressed with the market relation answer.
What went The dilemma questions were very subjective in nature and they
wrong? grilled me on that consistently.
1. Work Experience: 1 2 3 4 5
2. Past Academic Performance, Projects: 1 2 3 4 5
3. Hobbies, Interests, Achievements: 1 2 3 4 5
4. Area/Industry Awareness: 1 2 3 4 5
5. Stress in the interview: 1 2 3 4 5
Can’t remember

The aggression and ability of a person to convince others are the traits they are
looking for. Also, the person should have a sound communication skill.

Work hard on your personals.
Yes ITC has a performance based PPO policy.

PPO/PPI in your company? - -How was your overall experience? Please include
some points you liked and disliked.
The overall experience was very good. The project was very dynamic and involved travelling a
lot. Also, the project was done with the intention of implementing it in the near future. The
company as a whole is very good but a marketing stint involves talking to a lot people and having
diplomatic conversation especially when it comes to getting information from your competitors.
Along with that one must be able to dig deeper into a consumers mind and get the answers
relevant to your study.

Name: Gayathiri N C
Company & Division: ITC, Coimbatore Marketing Branch
Location: Coimbatore
Project Title: Distributor Profitability – Key competition
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case GD
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. We were given a situation where It is the standard GD topic for ITC

a plane crashes and the
passengers are stranded in a
forest and the question was who
should lead the group to safety
till help arrives.
Interviews
No.

W hat I was able to answer all of their questions which were mostly related to
sub-prime crisis and my work experience.
went
right?
W hat None
went
wrong?
None

Before the interview understand the company and their future plans. Do not give a
generic solution for any marketing problem they may provide. Understand that the
problem is unique for the company and give a specific solution as much as possible.

PPI

It was very random, if you get to present you summer project before the District or Regional
manager at ITC you have a higher chance of getting PPI.
At ITC, they do not monitor your work unless you approach them.
and disliked.
Learnt a lot during the field work. Travelled a lot. Since this was the first time for a summer intern
to go to ITC, Coimbatore branch they did not have any idea on how to deal with us. No one really
bothers about whether you go to the office or not, but in the end that would become critical.
You have to keep approaching them for updates and queries. No one checks on your progress on
the project unless you approach.

JOHNSON & JOHNSON CONSUMER
Name: Ankoor Das
Company & Division: JnJ Consumer
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Consumer Behaviour Study for Allergy Products
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Puzzle based GD. Information Innovative, Unique and Enjoyable.

Asymmetry. Participants have to Everyone has to participate. Onus on
come up to the common leadership and coordination skills along
solution. with listening capabilities. Not a fish
market!
Fish market is negative impact in most

GDs. It becomes difficult for the
moderator to judge.
Interviews
No.
1 Only one interview, got call immediately after it.

W hat Was well versed and thorough with my resume. The interview was mostly
based on it. Not academics, but mostly extra-curricular and PORs. It lasted
went
for 50 minutes.
right?
W hat Nothing in particular. But in a previous interview at M&M and P&G, I felt I
went was over-enthusiastic and too talkative due to tension. The best thing is to
remain cool during the process. The companies here want you as badly as
wrong?
you want them. So be cool.
I had read about JnJ before the interview and asked a question related to one of the
latest news/issues being faced by the Co. another one was one whether I would be
doing a sales or a marketing internship.


Dos:
Be thorough with resume. You should be able to speak at least 5 minutes on each of
the points mentioned in it.
Read a bit about the company before the interview.
Don’ts:
Do not panic
Do not create a fish market in the GD
PPI/PPO both

Do work assigned in due deadline
Show initiatives in solving issues; do not wait for the boss to suggest ideas. You suggest and
then take a go ahead from the boss.
Talk to people in the office to build general PR within the workplace
Have a jovial and positive attitude towards work given. Do not fret!
disliked.
Good. Really enjoyed my work. Got to travel a bit. Since it was a consumer study, got to meet
target consumers and understand their preferences: interesting experience.

JOHN DEERE
Name: Karthik Rangarajan
Company & Division: John Deere India Pvt. Ltd. & Business Development
Location: Pune, Maharashtra
Project Title: The business potential for mechanized harvesters for

cash crops
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Group discussion (GD)
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Impact of technological While most groups had an eight-member

advancement on the GD, I was in a panel with only three
environment other participants, of whom one was
selected for the final round. The small
group helped in ensuring that everyone
got enough air time and the discussion
remained civil. Whilst short listing for
the personal interview, I think that logic
and continuity to the discussion were
taken into account.

Interviews
No.
1 They clearly wanted to know which area one would like to intern in. They
had projects in operations, finance, marketing and strategy.
The panel wanted to test people on their interest in the company and
2
agriculture.
3
For people with a mechanical engineering background and folks who chose
operations as their preferred area, questions did get a little technical.
W hat 1. Clear substantiated reason for why I chose marketing and what was the
scope of the project that I wished to venture into.
went
2. Some knowledge about the current state of affairs of the company does
right? help.
3. When asked to list any questions I had for them, I had some specific
questions that struck a chord with the panel.
W hat 1. One does not make an interview panel wait, by forgetting to take a copy
went of his/her resume. I had this misfortune, although it turned out all right.
wrong? 2. Attending the pre-placement talk given by the company would’ve

helped.

1. Since Deere & Co. had been a US based company for a long time and had only
recently set base in India, how different was the mechanization of farming in India?
2. Given the fact that Ashok Leyland had been having operational difficulties
recently, was the Deere-Leyland venture faring well?

1. Emphasis should be on understanding the company and the industry, rather than
having pre-conceived notions. Attending the PPT sessions is a good start.
2. Diageo placed a lot of emphasis on understanding your ability to derive ‘consumer

insight’. One of the exercises involved an attempt to figure out the panel member’s
deepest and most dreaded fear.
3. Communication and ability to persuade are usually emphasized and rated.
4. Extra-curricular activities and positions of responsibilities are graded and often,

this is viewed as a surrogate for the candidate’s ‘people skills’.
1. Please take efforts to know the company. PPTs and websites are good places to
begin.
2. The list of “40 questions” provided by the placement team are extremely
important, and for some companies like P&G, the application form and the personal
interviews are centred on these questions.
John Deere India does not have a policy of handing out PPOs or PPIs explicitly. However, they
do make concessions for interns when they come down for lateral placements and final
placements. Work experience criteria are relaxed for interns and they are almost always
shortlisted for the GD/PI process.


Not applicable.
disliked.
Likes:
1. The company had taken efforts to clearly chart out the project requirements for interns.
2. IT and infrastructure issues were taken care of immediately on arrival, with no delay.
3. The project deliverables and timelines were left to our discretion and a project charter
presentation had to be made to the top management. This helped in framing the objectives.
4. All the internships required travel and lead user interviews. These helped in gaining perspective
on the project as well as the state of the agricultural industry in the country.
Dislikes:
1. The no PPO-PPI policy was a dampener.

Name: Saurabh Paithane
Company & Division: John Dhere – Business Development
Location: Pune
Project Title: Project execution of harvesting opportunities in India
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. General topics were covered 7/8 people/group
Oil price – prediction 1 person/group was selected
Topics were generally related to No fish market

their business
Interviews
No.
1 Focused on HR
What are your Goals

Why John Deere?
They try to know you as a person and figure out if you are really interested
in them
It’s more of a fit they look for and also the level of maturity you have, since
you have to interact with CEOs etc
W hat Confident
Good GD
went
right? Had general awareness about the industry
W hat
went
wrong?
What kind of project/ roles
Expressed interest in international exposure


GD – have confidence and sequence ….maturity/balanced is very imp
They don’t ask technical questions.
Be balanced
Cover the following points
Personal Questions
Recent trends in industry/companies
Economic trends
No

disliked.
Worked on live project and made an impact on the company, Got opportunity to work across
MAHINDRA
many & MAHINDRA
areas – finance, planning, had responsibility in terms of making decisions

Name: Ramanathan Krishnan
Company & Division: Mahindra & Mahindra –Automotive Sector, Product

Planning Dept.
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Product Planning Process
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): N
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. It was a peculiar GD in which

each one of us had to state
I happened to fall in a group in which
reasons regarding why someone
didn’t know almost anyone. So, I kept
else in the group should be
quiet most of the time.
selected.
Duration:- 20 minutes

Interviews
No.
1 The interview was about 10 mins long. It was general and was mostly
based on my work ex (since I had work ex in the automotive sector only).
Other questions were on career objectives, strength and weaknesses etc.
W hat My knowledge in the sector was helpful. Other than that, I had shown keen
enthusiasm. This I think made a difference.
went
right?
W hat Nothing as such.
went
wrong?
Nothing. Actually I don’t remember if I asked anything

There is no one strategy to crack interviews. Just be cool and composed, be yourself,
don’t bluff.

Don’t consider any company as life and death for you. That would only make you
more nervous.
It has both PPI and PPO policies.

They have a formal procedure in place. First, all the interns’ projects are evaluated by the
project guide. Then, a project presentation is made to the senior guys in the company. After
that, we had to fill up a form.
They have not informed us of the process after this and haven’t yet announced any results
too.
disliked.
My overall experience was very good. Most interns got not only the sectors they wanted but
also the domains within those sectors they wished to work in. they managed the whole
process very well. Accommodation was excellent. There wasn’t much pressure, good work life
balance. Weekends were free. Something which I didn’t like much was that their work culture
was very formal.

Name: Sahitha
Company & Division: M&M, Retail, Mom and Me
Location: Bangalore
Project Title: Designing an effective replenishment system for Mom &

Me retail
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Bingo Very different
Interviews
No.
1 Based on whatever you have written in application like SOP, Personals,

Undergraduate(NO work ex)
W hat Application form was filled very neatly, no sloppiness

Liked the SOP justification very personal. Honesty
went
right? Smile, energy

W hat Not very attentive towards the end

went
wrong?
Area/Industry Awareness: Not much 1 2 3 4 5
Depends on your SOP (Application)
Tell me more about career track

Lot of emphasis on applications. ( at least presentable without spelling mistakes)
Personals
Areas of interests
In Bingo chips process. Get know your team mates, their interests


Vacancy in the dept. Good feedback from your guide. End presentation
disliked.
Learnt a lot in the place. About business,
Less time to suggest a good feasible solution
Helpful guide
People were approachable
No dress code

Name: Utsav Goswami
Company & Division: M&M, Defence
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Strategy for Mahindra in the Corporate, National &

Individual security space
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. BINGO Choose a person and talk about them.

Know your panel. 10 min GD/10 per
team
Mock Vote- choose 2 out of Bangalore

Interviews
No.
1 Personals – tell me about you? About work ex? Why this field ( in case of
work-ex) , Hobbies…career path and extracurricular…preferences in
verticals, knowledge about them
W hat Vertical choice very well justified, Hobbies clicked

went
right?
W hat No
went
wrong?
About the vertical, structure and functioning. They pressed on the chaotic situation
of the vertical


Any company with GDs- Most important, main hurdle. Fish Market. So this GD was
very good-not fish market. Put in your points..no extremes
Be aware of the industry, company(paramount), questions about the company,

Fin(know what is happenings, about sectors basic information)
Marketing(critical post day Z), Corporate Finance- Be clear (Terminology can be

tweaked

Updates on work.
Generally 2 appraisals.
Expected to interact with as many as possible.
Something concrete (like, say new product).
Lots of other operational mentors. Generally your main mentor won’t be available.
and disliked.
Good.
Mahindra- 1st time for IIMs, 48 people. IIM candidates got a better role.
Exposure to strategy management other than just vertical.
Strategy project- no one else in the college

Name: Viswanath S.
Company & Division: Mahindra & Mahindra-Mahindra Partners
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Market Entry Strategy for distributed dish-engine CSP

applications in India.
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): N
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. There was a GD. It was different because there were 12

members in the GD panel and we had to
sell anyone member to the panellists. I
promoted one of my friends and I shed
light on all his plus points. I made him
look like a well-rounded personality. The
same guy sold me back.

Interviews
No.
1 It started out with what I had written on the form. I had mentioned
entrepreneurship as my aim. They wanted to know why I would join
Mahindra which looks for a long time employee. I mentioned that even if I
start a company under the Mahindra banner, it would be like
entrepreneurship. They asked about which sector and function I wanted to
join. I got both I wanted. The sector preference is not very important but if
you mention a sector, gives some justifying answer.
W hat The panelists were good and I was honest. I gave an answer irrespective
of whether I felt it was not flattering or not. They enquired about my
went
extra-curricular activities. I mentioned photography as an interest. They
right? quizzed me on an SLR camera and how it is different. They were pleased
when I could answer.
W hat I don’t think so. The vibes were good overall.
went
wrong?
Nothing in particular. I asked them about the different nature of the GD; whether it
was a regular feature at Mahindra. They replied in the negative.


Preparation:
Use the form to drive the interview. They give you something interesting to talk
about. Put in some good details you can lead the conversation to.
Nothing much to learn for the interview. No technical questions.
Yes. They do what. If you fit the sector and the sector has an opening, they’ll give you a PPO. If
the sector doesn’t have an opening, they’ll give you a PPI and some other sector may take you
up.

If you can network well within the company, it works in your favour. Try not to be arrogant
and carry any IIM baggage. Be respectful to all.
disliked.
It was an amazing experience. It was a live project and especially for IIM students, they give you
live strategy projects, much better than that given to students from other colleges. We are
made to report to very senior people. The seniors are very helpful and being a huge company,
you get to talk to people from different sectors. They don’t have access to any reports which is
slightly difficult. Since my work involved quite a bit of secondary research, I had to rely on IIM
Spidi links for any additional information.

MARICO
Name: Murugesh
Company & Division: Marico - Marketing
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Rural marketing strategy for Parachute
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N):
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Case based group discussion – They want us to concentrate on subtle

Topic: after discount offers the areas of their interest. Try to find that
sales dropped; distributor was
not paying, so had to be turned
down, to which other distributors
opposed.
8ppl/ group -- 4 groups
1 person per group was selected

Interviews
No.
1 Personal Q
Why Marico.
GD based questions – how u showed leadership during GD
PUMA – logical reasoning/puzzles
W hat Assertive; confident

went
right? Thinking on feet
W hat Puzzles
went Concentrated on one aspect in case GD
wrong?
About current areas of their interest – PUMA wants to go into women’s wear/ Asian
Paints are not market leader in B2B. Why is it so


Personals
Show enthusiasm
Practice GD / case based
PPI

Best Summer Projects
If you are shortlisted for best summer’s project, you get PPI
Midterm and end term review (guide & super guide)
Get expected deliverable correct. Meet with all the guides
disliked.
Really nice
Open culture

MICROSOFT
Name: Badri Ramanujan J
Company & Division: Microsoft – Business Solution (Marketing)
Location: Gurgaon
Project Title: Revenue maximization from existing customers

(execution)
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Everyone participated and spoke

decently No fish market
It was a Case Discussion - a
general marketing case GD was 25-30 min long
There was a lot of time and the group

had 8-10 people on an average

Interviews
No.
1 Interview went for 70 min and asked general personal questions like:
Why Microsoft?
Why sales/marketing
A marketing situation – new product launch; was given and views were
asked
W hat Could fully connect with the person.

went Confident
right?
Thinking aloud
W hat You should know what you want to do

went At times was not attentive and took a lot of time to think
wrong?
Don’t answer instantly based on gut feelings
Asked about the roles and responsibilities
Asked about the work to be done and projects. Asked the answer for the unsolved
Question


Interview basically looks for simple logical thought process.
Puzzles
Barclays asked about trading experience/knowledge
PPI

disliked.
The company is not so much consumer focused
Good facilities

Name: Dhruva Acharya
Company & Division: Microsoft, Consumer & Online International (COI)
Location: Gurgaon, India
Project Title: Strategy project on Microsoft’s consumer business
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion (Y/N) Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case (Please Specify): Group Discussion
Phase Procedure (GD/Test) Topics Covered Remarks
1. Generally a group discussion is followed by a The clear jump from the

personal interview by the panel but in this group discussion to
case after the group discussion he straight telephonic interview was
away had a telephonic interview. probably because he did
very well in the GD.
Interviews
1 The one single dicey question was, “Do you want a finance role
or a marketing role in Microsoft?” This created confusion as he
didn’t know what kind of finance role they have to offer.
What went right? He gave a well rounded answer by saying that he was interested
in both and would ideally want to work in something which
involves finance as well as marketing. This probably enhanced
the versatility factor that signaled that he’s probably open to
options/experimentation.

What went Can’t say.

wrong?
Don’t remember.

Mostly the questions were pretty general and consisted of personals. So greater care
should be taken while answering these questions HR based questions. Also good
communication skill is a must.
Work on your personals the company is probably looking you not as an applicant for
an intern but how well will you be able to fit with company and culture. Be honest
while answering the questions and maintain consistency.


disliked.
MS has a lot of experienced (read old) people. It is not a very friendly company i.e.
people do not mingle and mix and so do not expect parties at MS. Many other companies
hold many parties for the interns but we had none. The best part about the internship
being the amount of independence the interns get to do their job.

Name: Peeyush Razdan
Company & Division: Microsoft, SMSG
Location: Gurgaon
Project Title: Project was based on e-Governance
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case It is a case based GD
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. We were given a one page case A normal GD among sensible people, had
on a Mall facing issue of a good discussion, no aggression
declining footfalls and client
put in new points/perspectives to the
loyalty (shops) due to some
recent management decision. discussion and you will be noted
We were given time to read it
and then were supposed to
discuss it for 30 min.
There were 10 people in the GD
Interviews
No.
1 The interviewer, most probably, was from strategy and was looking for
new ways for use of IT for increasing development/employability skills.

W hat I was able to link some of my past community/social work and give him
actual issues and experience I got doing the same.
went
Linked it with issue he was interested in.
right? He wanted you to think big, something strategic (these things are highly
interviewer dependent)
W hat Nothing that I can recall

went
wrong?
Can’t recall


Do a good GD, keep it calm and simple, bring in new perspectives and don’t cut
others or be the negative guy on the floor.
In interview, take the briefing from the company coordinator before going in, helps
to set your thought process. No attitude inside!!!
You should be able to handle the questions from the interview well, talk calmly.
Always remember……Everybody gets placed !!!
Does your company have a PPO/PPI policy? If yes then what?

Put an honest effort and meet the commitments and deadlines.
disliked.
They didn’t provide transport to interns!!! You can have their guest house

Name: Shreya Ghosh
Company & Division: Microsoft/ Small and medium services and products
Location: Gurgaon
Project Title: Building a business plan for software services for Microsoft
dynamics
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Yes
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. got enough fair time, need not be too

desperate to speak, pitched in 3 times
Marketing case, half an hour
long, 8-9 people
Had to write points before the

GD started.
Interviews
No.
1 marketing related questions, situational questions related to business,

work experience related things, asking for ideas, not much personals, one
interview only

W hat Showed keenness to learn new things, loves passionate people

went
right?
W hat fumbled in a few questions
went
wrong?
asked them what they would have done in the situational question that they had
asked me

Spontaneous answers are required
Know basic concepts in marketing, about the company, recent developments in the
company; be prepared with the HR questions.

Yes. Recommended by manager and HR,

Many rounds of interviews
disliked.
Good learning process, project quite extensive, does not have a people oriented culture, work
oriented, the approval processes were quite tedious, jobs overlapping due to flat culture.

Name: Sriram S
Company & Division: Microsoft India, Sales Marketing and Services Group (SMSG)
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Cloud based Self-service application model for the Indian Small and
Medium Business (SMB) space
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Written Test (Details): NA
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Two step process for selection of Besides the case facts, the students
candidates discussed what was right and wrong
about the company’s strategy. Most
• Case based GD (the GD importantly, we had to speculate about
was an elimination
why certain initiatives failed. I think that
round)
• Personal Interview tested our knowledge of ground realities.
A business case (approx 2 full
I believe thinking outside the box was
pages) was presented to the
appreciated albeit within the boundaries
group. The case involved a new
of feasibility and economic sense. I think
product introduction into a new
only 1-2 students were selected for
market and the challenges that
personal interview from my group
the firm had to contend with.
(which consisted of 8 students).It is
The GD went on for about 20-25
important to talk more often and talk
minutes and the end of which we
sense. We can also build on the points
had to the return the case study
put forth by other by bringing in our
and were asked to wait for the
perspective.
results for the next stage.

Interviews
No.
1 Tell me about yourself.
Any instances where you have displayed leadership skills.
Many questions about a particular scenario regarding Microcredit (not too

technical) and financial inclusion were asked.
What would you like me to have asked you which I haven’t?
W hat I felt that the introduction has to make a powerful impact. This is where
one can make a difference by staying away from clichéd answers beginning
went
with “I was born in...” I directly got to my strengths and weaknesses
right? highlighting instances where each came to the fore.
Finally, the importance of showing enthusiasm during the interview
cannot be overemphasized!
W hat Nothing much. I was a little tired because of being the summer placement
went process for quite some time. But I tried my best not to show it.
wrong?
1. What is the kind of work that happens in Microsoft (Sales and Marketing)
2. Profile for a summer intern
3. What is the level of technical knowledge that one should possess for the role?


Dos
- Learn about the company. Talk to seniors who have done their internship
there.
- Keep track of recent news about the company. This can make for a good
conversation topic during the interview. We can also ask question about
recent initiatives by the company thereby highlighting that we have been
following the news.
- Out of the box thinking esp. for technology companies (MS, Yahoo etc.)
- Show enthusiasm throughout the interview.
Dents
- Do not seem disinterested during the interview.

- Do not get flustered if you don’t know something. It is better to acknowledge
that.
Most of what was mentioned under Dos earlier applies.
disliked.
The striking thing about Microsoft is the fact that they focus on hiring extremely smart people. This
is emphasized in their hiring policies and easily observable when one interacts with people there.
Most of the people come from a technical background and have either transitioned to
management over the course of their career or through a management degree. This makes them
well equipped to understand and market technology. In keeping with a company of such size and
reputation, the processes are clearly defined and well structured right from inducting new interns
to addressing any of their professional or personal concerns. There are abundant learning
resources available over the MS Library. Microsoft’s reputation and contacts can be leveraged to
get in touch with the huge partner network that the company has. Partners were a great source of
information during the project as they are the ones who pitch for and implement Microsoft
solutions at the customer end. People at Microsoft are extremely friendly and helpful. I never had
any problems reaching out to people (unless they were extremely busy). I was able to talk to
different people from various teams to get their perspective which helped me in the project. The
kind of time that they spent to help out an intern was incredible. However, one issue which I faced
was that my manager was working out of Microsoft Hyderabad and at times it was difficult to get in
touch with him since he was extremely busy most of the time.

MYNTRA
Name: Kamal Chaudhary
Company & Division: Myntra, Retail
Location: Bangalore
Project Title: Pan India roll out of Myntra Retail Point of Sale Model
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
No.
1 Why are you excited in Myntra? Why a start up? How can we improve our
B2C sales? Which verticals are you looking forward to? Are you flexible to
work in any verticals? And personals. They were looking for people who
will work with them for a long period.
W hat Almost everything, the suggestion I gave for improving their B2C sale was
very much appreciated. I think that was the clincher. In addition, I have
went
worked for 2-3 start ups before. That too helped.
right?

W hat Nothing really went bad.

went
wrong?
What will be my role for the internship period?

Know about the company well. Prepare ‘tell me about you’ very well. If a few
interviews don’t go well, people will ask you to change your tell me about yourself,
don’t do that. Whenever you get a shortlist, go wash your face, freshen up. It shows
in the interview.
No matter what happens keep your morale high. It will help in the subsequent
interviews.


Just do your job well. When you enter the company, they will give you a target, try and
achieve the target and you are almost sure to get a PPO.
disliked.
Overall experience was good. The management team was very friendly. Got a chance to work
with big retails in Bangalore and talked to their managers, so learnt a lot about retail.
Sometimes, the work became tedious because I had to talk to customers which involved a lot
of intra city travelling.
Overall, it was an enriching experience.

PROCTER & GAMBLE
Name: Vineet Sharma
Company & Division: P&G
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Market survey of Laundry Product
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Application Form (Y/N): Online Form
Written Test (Details): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. 2 rounds of interviews Resume based
Same system as appraisal
Leadership Role & Conflict resolution

example
Same Q id rephrased in many ways
Interviews
No.
1 Know your resume and the online form

W hat Not getting confused with rephrased questions

went
right?
W hat
went
wrong?
NA

General awareness, basics of marketing
Structured thinking

Yes

Internal Process
Cross Functional approval required
Networking
disliked.
Cross Function activities were hard.

PUMA
Name: K Shriram
Company & Division: Operations & Marketing, Puma
Location: Bangalore, India
Project Title: Operations management in Puma stores
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group discussion (y/n): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Case based Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Total 2 candidates were selected They were looking for a right mix of
and both got internship offers aggression and clam behaviour in the
from Puma. group discussion. They stressed on
logical conclusions rather than assertive
statements. Also, focus was made on
communication skill as well.

Interviews
1 It consisted of two case based questions. The first one dealt with
preparing a P&L account for a particular segment of market keeping
in mind the operational requirements, the idea was to ask them the
proper questions while preparing it.
The second one was about negotiating for space for Puma store at
Shopper’s stop and convince them of the market demand of Puma
stores so as to bargain on the premium that Puma will have to pay
for the space.
They made it clear that they require people with two years of work
experience.
What went The ability to work under stress and yet remain calm was the key
right? point that they were looking for in the interview. It was a very
informal interview and the candidate was asked to give his opinion
on the above questions. Also he was asked for his preference of place
where he would like to work as an intern.
What went Can’t say

wrong?


Remain calm & composed and answer honestly to the personals that they ask. Do
not fabricate any details whatsoever which is not true. Also try to connect with the
interviewers. Instead of considering it an interview, try and keep it an interactive
conversation session. They always go for an intern whom they think as a cultural fit
to the company along with the required competency level.
Same as above.
Yes, they have a performance based PPO policy.

disliked.
The project was really good and gave me ample opportunity to relax. The company is a pretty
informal one where most of my time went in the stores observing the customers and realizing
market behaviour. My job was to analyze which segment of the market did well and maintain a
stock catering to the market demand which was pretty much a live project. The exposure given
was good. I only reported to one person who wasn’t even in Bangalore so overall there wasn’t
much supervision that was done on me.

RPG GROUP
Name: Amit Kumar Tyagi
Company & Division: RPG Group - Ceat
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Confidential
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Don’t Remember No Fish Market
Every one pooled in points
Interviews
No.
1 Difference b/w Sales n Marketing
How does they affect P& L
Any Q you want to ask about the company
W hat Remained focused

Consistent with answer (logic) - Interviewer tried to confuse
went
Replied don’t know when didn’t know the answer
right?

W hat
went
wrong?

General Marketing concepts
4P
4C
Ask company the problems they are facing
Know about the company’s ads

Prepared for banks
PPO
After summers & November

Want to see if the person will stay in the company
Wants to judge how connected you are with the company
disliked.
The work culture was ok. Not too great
But the project was great. Learning scope was a lot.

Name: Nikhil
Company & Division: RPG Group (Group Company - CEAT Tyres)
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Establish CEAT in a consumer mindset as a Partner
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Written Test (Details): No written test
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Any Current Topic (In my case it GD has 8 members and 2 moderators,

was on financial crisis and its the panel made it clear that everybody
implication on India). should speak during GD and thus no fish
market scenario.
They were primarily looking at

communication skills and group
dynamics, those who tried to overpower
the discussion where not selected for the
interview.

Interviews
No.
1 Since RPG is a conglomerate they had various positions for Marketing, SCM
and Finance and candidate had to tell his /her interest during interview
process.
I opted for Marketing so first few questions were-
Why Marketing? Is marketing good option for you after four yrs of IT exp
etc?
Will you able to deliver on Sales side?
W hat Interviewer had given me two situations

1. To create a marketing strategy to sell Original Music Tracks (CDs
went
etc)
right? I told about general (3 C & 4 P of marketing concepts)
2. How to market an industrial product like Copper Wires?

I answer it smartly that it would be B2B marketing which requires
trained sales force with more of consultative selling.
W hat Well, nothing went wrong in the interview , but he was testing my mantle
went again and again that core Marketing & Sales job is different from IT sales
and air conditioned office. It was basically to judge my level of interest in
wrong?
the field. I stuck to my point that I am truly interested in marketing area.

I asked him that there are number of companies with in a group, in which company
we would intern during summers?
Interviewer replied that you would be recruited as group intern and company
would be allotted later (basically after matching your interest and the openings
available).

It depends from company to company. Some companies just ask personals and try to
gauge your interest in marketing area.
Do’s
Some companies give small case lets ,
1. Marketing insights to launch a new product

2. Strategy to increase market share or market penetration etc
Tips.
Apply basic fundamentals STP ( Segmentation , Targeting , Positioning)
Followed by 4 Ps (Product , Price, Place , Promotion)
But some companies like PUMA Sports want something more than basic
fundamentals.
They ask questions on New channel design (Sales & distribution) in order to make a
presence in Indian Retail space.
Some of the marketing frameworks available in summer prep materials would help
a lot.
Don’ts
Do not contradict your answer and don’t bluff at all. Try to backup your point with
some example or a data from a business magazine.

Always be prepared with company brief and its latest developments, it will help to
formulate your answers.
Use marketing frameworks in case of caselets.
Also be ready with basic concepts of Finance (ROI and other ratios) & Operations
(inventory control etc, how it can be effective in distribution channel management).
It has PPO policy; PPOs are normally declared in the month of November.

An intern from tier 1 college works under Marketing Head of the respective company in the
RPG group, One mentor would be assigned to each intern , but the common problem is that
all of them would be really busy and its intern’s responsibility to take timely feedback from
the supervisor.
In RPG they will give you project objective and you can shape your project after discussion
with your supervisor.
You are free to plan field visits to target markets (like North Region, South region etc.) so that
disliked.
Overall experience is good, there is no micro management, submission deadlines are given in
advance and you have to align your work accordingly.
One thing I found that there is slight difference in expectations from your mentor and
Marketing head (your supervisor). Since most of the time you interact with the mentor and
shape your project accordingly but during midterm and final presentation Marketing Head and
VP –marketing expects something else.

Name: Vinay Mehta
Company & Division: RPG, Mumbai-Ceat Tyres
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Market research for 11-20 tyre segment: 3states, 10-12 cities
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Written Test (Details): NA
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. GD General topic
Interview Marketing. Be concise
Interviews
1 Interested in marketing?
How do you go about MR?
What went right? Some basics in marketing are must. Profile based
questions.
What went wrong? Flow to be maintained



disliked.
Same company for finals

TATA ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES
Name: Kiran Karthik P
Company & Division: TAS/ Strategy project
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Development of strategic growth path for TRIL through an

analysis of competitive behaviour.
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Y
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. 10 GD’s (10mins each), in each moderator’s discretion to summarize

one person acts as the
moderator, management/ labour Do not be aggressive in the GD
problems, about the issues
companies face
Interviews
No.
1 mission, vision, form details, statement of purpose, estimates of hairs,

population, subjective to the panel, personals
W hat Very relaxed in the interview, very friendly, gestimates, no puzzles, some
data, forex levels on that day, sensex details
went

right?
W hat no
went
wrong?
Timex was successful but still TATA sold it. Why?

Form very important, remember what you write, take a photocopy, go through their
website, latest news about TATA group, what is happening in the company

economics, study, can lead them into asking certain questions which you are
comfortable with
Yes. Appraisal session with the boss, get a rating and present your project to the panel at
TMTC, you will have to explain the project, immediate shortlist after the sessions, the
remaining people get to the Director’s round, which is an interview not based on the project.

disliked.
Boss was CFO, could interact with him well, learned a lot about the business in the real estate,
TATA is a clean and ethical organization, learnt financial modelling also
Dealings with the HR‘s was quite a problem (conflicts between the 2 HR’ divisions), allotment of
projects was random.

Name: Sahitha K S
Company & Division: TAS/ Sales and Marketing headquarters
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Price realignment of utility vehicles
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case Y
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Chairman’s GD be very active for all the 10 sessions,

maintaining energy during the entire
10 cases where each participant
session,
can become the chair, usually 10
in a group, business related and
general management related
cases.
Interviews
No.
1 there was a stress interview and so had to maintain the calm, sector
specific knowledge less important, personals very important, needs to be
well prepared.

W hat Did not get tensed during the interview, maintained calm posture,
went
right?
W hat could have done better in the GD
went
wrong?
no

brush up on personals, be clear why you wanted to sit for TAS

personals

Yes. After internship you have to present something on the project you have worked on, then a
psychometric test, final interview called director’s round where very senior members interview
you.

Clarity of thought, leadership skills
disliked.
Worked on hands on project, implemented all my ideas,
Disliked as in got stipend a bit late☺

Name: Sandeep Singh
Company & Division: TAS - Interned with Tata Industries
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: Strategic Analysis of Global Clean Energy Sector
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Groups of 10 candidates are As a chairman try and succinctly explain

formed. Each candidate has to the topic to others and ideally define
act as a chairman once while roles for them. Then make sure that
other candidates will discuss the different angles are discussed but do not
topic for around 8 minutes. After interfere in the discussion by feeding
every round the task of your own views. Instead try and give
chairman is passed on to the them direction. Make sure that you
next candidate. neatly summarize in the end.
Each topic typically is a small As a candidate in other GDs concentrate

case study. E.g. you are VP sales more on giving quality inputs. Be
of an oil company. You are facing attentive and interested during the GD
problems as sales executives are process.
not coming to work on
weekends as they are not

satisfied with current rates for Usually if you crack the GD then you are
extra work which is exactly in as this is the most important part of
equal to normal salary rates. For the process.
weekends they want double
salary, which finance dept will
not approve. You have to discuss
this with regional sales heads to
see how to tackle the problem.
Interviews
No.
1 Interview starts off with personals and then can go in any direction
depending upon the person’s work ex/performance in the GD etc. It is
important to know about TAS and the kind of career path that is expected.
W hat GD was good. Also handled personal questions (in the interview) really
went well.
right?
W hat Nothing in particular
went
wrong?

I asked- After working in the group for 3 years will it be possible for me to move to a
small Tata company and take greater responsibilities in that.

DOs
Prepare the personal questions really well
Read about the company before the interview-
For TAS, ABG and Mahindra read about the group companies and key products
For HUL, P&G and others- make sure you know the key brands
Practice some case studies- will help in GDs of almost all companies
Develop your perspectives about the company or its industry-e.g. for HUL have a
perspective on FMCG sector and what you feel will be the challenges 5 years from
now
DON’Ts
Try and project yourself what you are not. Remain truthful and you will get
company/profile most suited for you.
Most of the GDs are likely to be fish markets. My suggestion is that it is better to
make 2-3 good entries (with good points) and keep silent during the remaining time
when there are multiple candidates speaking simultaneously. During my John Deere
GD there was a massive fish market and I ended up contributing to the chaos rather
than keeping silent- in the end candidates who had kept their cool was shortlisted
for interview. Taking cues from this in TAS GD I spoke only when necessary and
thus got selected for next round.

Yes the company has a well defined PPO policy. After the completion of the projects all interns
are assembled in Tata Management Training Centre, Pune where they have to make
presentations on the project followed by a Psychometric test and an interview (with senior
management of Tata Group). Typically the offer letters are given immediately after the
interviews.

It is very important to give in your level best in the project because typically the effort counts
more than the end result. Interns should be receptive to feedback and criticism from the
managers and should take steps to rectify the mistakes.
Prepare a short and a crisp presentation (for the PPO conclave) clearly depicting what you did
during the project and challenges/ learning etc. During the psychometric test and the
How was your overall experience? Please include some points you liked &
disliked.
My project involved making specific recommendations about what technologies and

companies in clean energy sector should Tata Industries consider investing in. I spoke to
various technology and business experts in companies within and outside the Tata Group to
get their ideas about future scope. I also got a chance to work on 2 ongoing live deals with US
based companies, which actually gave me hands on experience on how deals are done.
Overall the project when it is given is loosely defined and thus it is entirely dependent on the
intern how he/she can take it forward. While managers provide all the support that is needed,
interns themselves have to plan the approach and deliver the results. In a span of 2 months an
intern can get opportunities to meet people with 30 years of sector experience, young TAS
entrepreneurs who came up with an idea and now are running a Tata company to company
MDs including group chairman- Mr. Ratan Tata. Having worked for 2 years before joining
IIMB, I can easily say that TAS provides an unparallel learning experience. But TAS also
requires dealing with Group HR on one hand and company HR on the other hand, for personal
administrative issues. Thus at times this may require some effort on the intern’s part to

Name: Sudhaamshu S
Company & Division: TAS, Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (IHCL)
Location: Mumbai
Project Title: ‘Taj reservation’ worldwide
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): N
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Chairman’s GD. Duration is GD is an elimination round. They

(number of participants in the observe your performance with your
GD) *10. Each person moderates subordinates, peers; superiors etc. don’t
one GD (acts as the chairman). forget about this fact and remember who
The topics are broad but two the chairman in each GD. is
liners like – you are the sales
However, they are looking for leadership
head. Sales have gone down in
throughout from you in the GD. Try to
the last few months. Identify
bring back the group’s focus if it is
why. Or, you are the treasury
deviating.
head; a high performing
employee is doing accounting
fraud and evading taxes. What
will you do? Or, you are the
manager of a production house;
some employee has lost his hand
while working. What will you
do? Or, you are accounting dept.
head, profits are going down and
some old customers are not
paying up. What will you do?

Interviews
No.
1 Vision and mission in life. Most questions will be from the application
form. Spend a lot of time on it. Prepare your POR’s very well. Know each
resume point well. Take a photocopy of your form and read it well if you
get a shortlist. What do you want to be written on your epitaph?
Explain your SOP in one line (clincher)
W hat The clinchers in the interview were: - vision and mission in life. Be frank
and explain your application form well.
went
Treat the interview like a general conversation session and try to develop
right? a rapport with the interviewers.
W hat Nothing really for me. But there should not be any discrepancy between
went what you say and what is written in your form.
wrong?

MOST IMPORTANT WAS MY LEADERSHIP POSITIONS AND HOW I EXPLAINED THEM.

How are roles and companies offered?
This part doesn’t really matter. Ask something based on how the interview went and
not anything that you have prepared for.

Know Thyself very well. Talk to every senior who has made it to the company of
your choice and most importantly, to those who haven’t made it. Be true in the
interview.
Initial questions are very important. Think and then answer. Don’t start answering and
then use fillers when you don’t have anything to answer. Prepare and present well.
Though some questions may be globe, answers should be clear and precise.
Yes, it has a PPO policy, which is a 2 day process. Every intern has to present their internship
work. Then there is a psychometric test and a Chairman’s interview. The process is made very
clear to every intern.

No idea.
disliked.
Overall experience was good. TAS managers are respected in any TATA company. The
accommodation, food etc were really good. They have a great process in place for most things and
it makes you very comfortable. And if you are as lucky as I was, you may bet to spend two weeks
in a Taj Hotel.

YAHOO!
Name: Chandrasen Guria
Company & Division: Yahoo! India, Sales Strategy
Location: Gurgaon
Project Title: Go to market strategies for Retail and Automobile verticals
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): yes
Application Form (Y/N): Case study on attracting SME onto

Digital space
Written Test (Details): -
Group Discussion
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1. Group Discussion Asked to choose between CSR activities:

options were given like computer
literacy for street children, aids and
cancer activism etc. Group had to say
why yahoo should go for a particular CSR
activity. Group had to reach a consensus.
The group reached a consensus. I could

show the relevance for CSR in Yahoo,
which is what worked. Be original and
logical. Say something which is relevant
to the company.

Interviews
No.
1 On entering, was given a half-page case on loss making footwear

showroom in an up market location. Decision was to be made whether to
shut it down or retain it and give a marketing strategy for the same.
W hat I mentioned that the showroom is inherently not meant to make profits. It
serves another purpose. Mentioned co-creation strategies and cited IKEA
went
example-of holding games where people can come over and spend time,
right? say design footwear. Interviewers were helpful and guided me to reach a
conclusion.
W hat Nothing particular.
went
wrong?
Was only recruiting to not have work-ex amongst those selected from other IIM’s
also.
Preference to CS background; liking for Sigma members

Asked a lot: What is Yahoo’s next big market foray? Upon their expressing interest
in TV domain, I suggested mobile technology entry.

Students need to understand consumer psyche and consumer behaviour well. There
is a need to read a lot and be well-informed about the companies and markets.
Browse through Google, afaqs, Mouthshut etc. Go through a few marketing cases.
There are some really famous cases which should be gone through. But don’t quote
the Coca-Cola case unless necessary.
Students should know about media, ad agencies, market research and other
components which go into marketing. Get the difference between sales and
marketing clear.

disliked.
Good learning experience. I was able to interact with Account managers who directly deal with
clients. I also interacted with National Sales Heads and Ad Agencies like Mindshare, Bangalore. My
2 managers were supportive and gave me opportunities to work on my own. As I was a fresher, I
expected a little more guidance from the managers but they were busy due to introduction of a
new MD. We were a group of 3, other 2 from IIM-C. One was an ex-employee of NetApps and
Oracle and the other was from Market-RX. I got an opportunity to interact with new MD, asked
questions on his immediate priority etc.

Name: Giridharan N
Company & Division: Yahoo; Product Management
Location: Bangalore
Project Title: Competitive analysis of targeting technologies in online

advertisement
Pre-Process
Resume (Y/N): Y
Written Test (Details): No test; But there were a case analysis;

in the sense, they gave a case and asked
a single page written report the day
before
Group Discussion
Group Discussion/Group Task/Case No
(Please Specify):
No. Covered
1.
Interviews
1 I had prior knowledge and interest in Mobile and in Online

advertisements; so the interview revolved around that!
What went
right?
What went
wrong?

Asked a little about their work culture and stuff...

Not the right person to ask; All I could think of is to be strong in certain concepts
like identifying target segment and pricing
Nope.


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MaSh Summer Interview and Internship Feedback

ADITYA BIRLA GROUP

Name: Aashutosh Vijyant

Company & Division: Aditya Birla Group, Minacs, Operations

Location: Bangalore, India

Project Title: Optimization of BPO processes of AB Minacs

Application Form (Y/N): N

Group Discussion (Y/N): Y

Written Test (Details): N

Summers Guide Book Page 1

1 Some questions were asked based on their views in the group

Past Academic Performance, Projects: 1 2 3 4 5

Hobbies, Interests, Achievements: 1 2 3 4 5

Stress in the interview: 1 2 3 4 5

What questions did you ask to the panel?

Please give suggestions to crack marketing company procedures;

Summers Guide Book Page 2

Please provide any other insights on the preparation process

Yes, the company has a PPO as well as PPI policy.

According to you, what are the critical parameters to concentrate on to get a

Summers Guide Book Page 3

Name: Nidhi Gurnani

Application Form (Y/N): N

Written Test (Details): N

Group Discussion (Y/N): Y

Phase Procedure (GD/Test) Topics Remarks

Which field is I interested in like Marketing, Sales etc? Why?

Some questions about my previous internships.

Summers Guide Book Page 4

Past Academic Performance, Projects: 1 2 3 4 5

Hobbies, Interests, Achievements: 1 2 3 4 5

Stress in the interview: 1 2 3 4 5

What questions did you ask to the panel?

Something about Sales profile which went wrong

Please give suggestions to crack marketing company procedures;

Good jolly nature

Like to interact with people

Don’ts: Don’t have a dull attitude.

Be thorough with Kotler and put kotler fundas in GDs

Summers Guide Book Page 5

Please provide any other insights on the preparation process

Yes it has both PPO and PPI policy.

2. According to you, what are the critical parameters to concentrate on to get a

Take initiative but don’t put too much CP

Summers Guide Book Page 6

Name: Rohini Rajeev Naik

Company & Division: Aditya Birla Group, Corporate Strategy

Project Title: Brand positioning of Madura Garments and competitors

Application Form (Y/N): N

Written Test (Details): N

Group Discussion (Y/N): Y

Phase Procedure (GD/Test) Topics Remarks

1 Why ABG? Why General Management? The interview was mainly

What went I don’t know. I thought it was a terrible interview.

Summers Guide Book Page 7

Past Academic Performance, Projects: 1 2 3 4 5

Hobbies, Interests, Achievements: 1 2 3 4 5

Stress in the interview: 1 2 3 4 5