ITM GDPI Experiences

By Anisha Mukhija GDPI Experiences Comments Off

Ali Abbas – Marketing Batch 21-23

I am Ali Abbas Magar, an engineering graduate, pursuing PGDM from ITM B-School Navi Mumbai, specialization in Marketing.

Here is my experience of my interview journey in ITM.

Initially I had shortlisted 3 colleges including ITM, but I finalized ITM B-School Navi Mumbai, based on the positive ratings/reviews received from one of the alumni of ITM, and via online sources.

Before the interview round we had one scholarship test, in which quants and verbal questions were asked and test results were announced at the venue on the same day. My offline interview process was held at Ahmedabad. I was shortlisted on the basis of the below mentioned rounds:

Essay Writing Round: In this round I was given a topic on the spot, and the topic was “Should Chinese apps be banned in India?”
Micro Presentation Round: For this round we received a few topics a week before the scheduled micro presentation date. We had to prepare any one topic out of the given list. I chose “Artificial Intelligence” as my MP topic. For this round I was allotted only 90 seconds, to present my topic.
Interview Round: My Interview round was scheduled with Dr. Lakshmi Mohan, Director, ITM, and the entire interview process was for a duration of 20-25 minutes, where she asked me the following questions:
- About myself
- Education qualifications
- Past work experience
- About my co-curricular activities
- Current Affairs
- Why am I pursuing PGDM after Engineering?
- What is the reason for resigning from my job and pursuing PGDM?
- About my NGO work

Hence I would like to give this message to my fellow students that being aware and conscious of yourself and your surroundings, being able to articulate your thought process and fluency in speaking and writing are essential to crack any interview process.

Deepika Bose (RMM)

My parents always wanted me to do MBA from a reputed college. With the completion of my graduation and the rise of pandemic (COVID-19) I was scared and I had no idea how I would fulfil my parents’ dream. A friend of mine (ITM Alumnus) recommended me to apply and sit for ITM’s interview.

I did my research and found the college to be up to my expectations and also what encouraged me the most is the diversified specializations available. I had keen interest to learn about Retail Management and Marketing (RMM) and luckily the course was available at ITM.

I applied and chose to sit for the interview process. There were many other keen students interested to learn from such reputed college. I was nervous but certain to be a part of this college.

A week before my interview I got a mail from the college about all the rounds. On the day of my interview, I was well prepared. At 1st they asked me to write an essay on ” What all things can we do to prevent ourselves from COVID-19 infection”. Then I went for the interview that was panelled by Dr. Vijayanta and Dr. Sapna. They asked me about my interests, my hobbies, my strengths and wanted to know why I chose Retail as my specialisation subject. The interview went very well. All of the students waited at the mini- auditorium for 30-45 minutes before they announced the names of the students that got selected.

Meanwhile, all the documentation was completed and the day was wrapped up.

I personally liked my PI process as it was quite formal yet not very strict. I was excited and thrilled to start my new journey since then.

Shrirang Ketkar (RMM)

After Completing my B. tech in Mechanical Engineering and working for about one and half years in the corporate world, I wanted to pursue MBA to gain more knowledge and develop required skills to be competent in today’s competitive world. ITM Business School was one of the institutions that I wanted to join to gain this knowledge and experience. The admission process was really smooth and clear. The entire process was very well coordinated and all the things that were necessary for the process were informed beforehand. We were also asked to prepare a micro presentation on specific topics.

Things that I worked on for the interview were:

Brushed up some important topics from graduation
Prepared a rough draft on ‘Tell me about yourself’ so that I am able to convey my experience and
Was in regular touch with day-to-day happenings and current affairs through newspapers like Economic times, The Hindu and Live mint
Prepared for the micro presentation and focussed on giving an all-round view and unbiased opinion on the topic
Being confident and candid
My interview went on really well. For me there was a lot of confusion in choosing the field because it proves to be the most crucial decision which directs your career ahead. The best part of my interview was that after getting to know my background, experience and knowledge, the interviewer made me understand the pros and cons of every field that I wished to go for and ultimately the decision making for me became easy. All my doubts and worries were put to rest and I am happy to have taken up Retail Management and Marketing (RMM).

Internship Experience

It is always said, in MBA along with the textbook learning, “learning through experience” plays a vital role in shaping your journey. The 5-month Internship program actually proves to be a great learning experience. It’s like an extensive training program that helps you develop the required corporate skills by gaining on ground experience. Many companies including reputed big names as well as start-ups visited our campus offering diverse profiles to work on. I preferred to go with a start-up named- Sciqus Infotech Pvt Ltd. The learning experience was immense. As it was a start-up, after 2 weeks of product training we were given a freehand to chart and implement strategies to grow business in our region. The region that was given to me was Canada. Our Entire team learnt the art of ‘multi-Tasking’ as we performed various tasks like Market research, data collection, Drafting Email campaigns, Developing Linked IN network, making corporate profile, handling various clients and finally working on bringing in closures. It has really been a great journey.

Preparation for Bagging Internship: –

Be thorough with all the core subjects and topics to bag the internship of your choice.
Be in regular touch with the current affairs by reading various editorials, brand equity columns, articles related to changes in industrial technology and practices
Work on your soft skills so that the content that you have in your mind can be clearly conveyed to the interviewer
Actively Participate in various class activities arranged by the Talewind Department like Group Discussions, Mock Interviews, Extempore, presentations. This brings in a lot of confidence and the mistakes that you may do in the future are rectified beforehand.
Lastly, don’t hesitate to discuss your weakness or problems with teachers and talewind department

Priyanka Mandal – Marketing Batch 21-23

The ITM MPPI process was the first interview process of my life. It was quite easy I would say. We were evaluated based on smartness, knowledge and ability to answer aptly. At first, we were told to write an essay on a certain topic and then the next round was the interview round. Coming from a science background, I was asked a few of the common questions, some science related questions as well as a few questions on my marksheets till graduation level. We were not evaluated; rather it was wholly an interaction-based conversation which has boosted my confidence a lot after the interview ended. The whole process was smooth, it was absolutely well planned.

I too am of the opinion that ‘one interview alone is not enough to evaluate a person, but we must be fully prepared putting our first foot forward. Some of the qualities which I feel helped me crack the interview round was,

Sound knowledge about my own field,
Ability to answer smartly to negative questions and
Confidently speaking about your achievements.
Going well prepared about and researched about the college.
Being well versed with current topics.

Richa Nigam – HRM Batch 20-22

ITM Business School has always brought a twinkle in my eyes whenever I pass by it in Kharghar. While preparing for my CAT and other entrance exams, this was one of those colleges which I aspired to get admission in.

In 2019, I came here to know about the eligibility criteria for the admission process. I was confused whether to opt HR or Marketing as I was inclined towards both. I was not only informed but was also counseled well about other MBA courses which will provide a rising career in near future.

In 2020, I applied for PGDM – HR at ITM’s website. I got a call from the admission department on the same day where they explained to me the whole procedure of admission. After the documentation, my PI was scheduled with one of the best faculty in the HR department.

Finally, it was my turn to go for PI. I was asked to introduce myself and about my past qualifications and experiences. They questioned me about my program choices too as I opted for HR and marketing.

It was a very healthy discussion between me and the panelist which actually guided me towards achieving my goal. I was also asked to share my views on “Employee Branding” and “Pros and Cons of Social Media”. The discussion also focused on my extra curricular activities and my area of interests.

I was also guided well regarding the culture of ITM, the faculty and about the placements.

After a restless wait, I was informed that I got selected for a Human Resource Management course. I was thrilled to join the same and I have seen remarkable changes in my personality, overall development that have made me corporate ready.

I would like to share a few tips for Personal Interviews :

Share your area of interests openly for better understanding and guidance
Confidence is the key
Deliver and speak with pinch of politeness in your voice
Keep a Learning attitude and active listening skill always
Improvise and polish your answers on why you opted for the course(s).
Be thorough about the current corporate trends and developments.

Simran Tapariya – Marketing Batch 2020-22

It is said that where there is a will, there is a way and that’s where my internship marks a happy ending, and beginning the career as a Marketing Strategy & Business Development Executive with the same company.

I feel fortunate to get an opportunity of interning as a Search Engine Optimizer with “The Brand Saloon”, a digital marketing & Search Engine Optimization Agency in Mumbai. Also, I was blessed to report to the co-founder of the agency Mr. Jayesh Khandor and collaborated on building marketing & branding plans. The culture of the company encourages creative ideas and coming out with something productive through out of box thinking. The agency is very flexible, with a balance of autonomy and accountability.

I got practical experience in off-page and on-page SEO ranging from, building backlinks to auditing a website and from strategizing blog posts to creating meta tags. Also, I got an opportunity to work with the content team & graphic designers apart from working with SEOs. My inclination towards formulating branding plans & building core competency helped me gain experience in the core marketing area. Ultimately, I dove into the long-term strategy formulation and execution that was initiated accordingly.

Every experience is followed by an inspiration and learning. So, I am obliged to share quick tips for my upcoming juniors:

Do not hesitate to push for feedback & reviews
FORGET to say “NO” to different tasks under your domain
Do not hesitate to share an idea, no matter it gets approved or disapproved
Work until perfection
Be organised, confident, & build soft skills
Say a big “NO” to procrastination
Always make a personal work report

Utkalika Mallick – HRM Batch 20-22

It was Jan 16, 2020, the wait was over. I was longing for this time for a year. Finally the day arrived when I was about to sit for ITM Business School’s MPPI round. We had been given a few topics and were informed to prepare a presentation on a topic from the list of given topics.

I had chosen the Nirav Modi Bank Fraudulent Case of Punjab National Bank.

The method which I followed for my presentation are:

Read case studies related to the Nirav Modi fraud cases.
The aftermath of the fraud.
The loopholes that worked as a catalyst for the people involved in the scenario.
Few more similar Case studies.

I had jotted down all the necessary information related to the case. Then the day arrived, I was interviewed by our HOD of HR Dept. Dr. Snigdharani Mishra. She skimmed through my CV and then asked a few questions related to my educational background and why I wanted to do an MBA after completing my degree in English Literature , which specialisation I wanted to pursue in MBA and the company I want to be working with after 2 years.

The process was very smooth and interactive.

The tips for such interviews would be:

Stay calm and composed.
Answer what you know, Do not bluff, that might actually create a lot of stress.
Have clarity in your answers.
If given a topic prior to the interview for a presentation then be full of information.
Have deep knowledge about the chosen topic.
Always try to give a positive answer or opinion.
Be confident.

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ITM GDPI Experiences