PGSM interview experience

The interview window was 9:30-11:00 a.m. on Friday. I reached the venue half an hour early. There were already a bunch of people waiting. After verification of my testimonials I joined them on a series of chairs arranged in an open corridor. Struck up a conversation with a couple of guys. All were from companies like SAP, Oracle, Intel and Infy. Quite a few of them had reservations about the utility of the course. Exactly at 9:35 the first interviewee was called in. My number was 5th for that particular panel. Each interview lasted approximately 20 minutes. Candidates who were interviewed felt that it was a very relaxed process. The only intent of the panel was to find out why a candidate was interested in doing the course. Finally I was called in. I entered the room to find two profs. seated on the other side of the table. After some initial difficulty in getting into the chair, I started fielding questions. Bald Prof(BP) - Ok, tell us something about yourself briefly...... Me - Didnt get personal and limited the 'something about yourself' to my work life at TCS. Einstien Haired Prof(EHP) - So what exactly does bioinformatics mean. Me - Told them about Celera and Human Genome Project. EHP - Who was heading Celera at the time? Me - Craig Venter EHP - As a result of whose efforts was the genome data made public? Me - :-0 . I dont think I know that. EHP - Bill Clinton. EHP - Okay, Kalam feels that bioinformatics will do good to the nation. How many employees does TCS have? Me - 44K on last count. EHP - How many of them are working on Bio? Me - About 32. EHP - Dont you find that disturbing. Me - Yes, but when 20 years back IT started in India, nobody would have thought that things would have reached to this level. EHP - What slice of the global IT pie does India represent? Me - 5-6% would be a good guess. EHP - 2% is what we are today. Me - But we are still nascent and we will definitely scale up. EHP(Smiles to the other prof) - Now, theres an optimist. BP - So you want to do an MBA now, and later join the UNDP. Me - Thats right. BP - How long do you plan to be there? Me - 8 years approx. BP - And after that you want to start your own consultancy firm. Me - Thats right. BP - Do you think you can sustain high levels of determination at that age. Me - Believe so. BP - Smiles EHP - So why do you want to join the UNDP? Me - i believe in greater participation of the public and the private sector . . . (blah, blah). EHP - Can you think of any such projects that are being done in India? Me - Name a few Indian and a few global projects. EHP - So, how did you get this idea into your head? You just read a job posting and decided you wanted to do this. Me - No. (Tell him about people I know who have served for the UN) EHP - Why dont you do an M. Economics instead of an MBA? Me - I want to look at the problem from a private industry perspective and not from a NGO or public sector perspective. EHP - Tell me some challenges you faced during your years in TCS? Me - (Count some challenges.) EHP - So what would you say is the greatest advantage in working for TCS? Me - (Mention some points) BP - So how would you describe yourself, a technologist or a manager? Me - Actually, a bit of both. BP - Good, so do you have any questions for us? Me - Yes, TCS is not a partner company. How does a company become a partner company? BP - Says something. Me - I dont have anyone to talk to about this program in TCS. EHP - Gives me a name and asks me to look for him on the campus. Me - Great EHP - Any more question? Me - None. BP, EHP - Nice talking to you. Me - (Thank them and leave) To think of it, I have positive vibes about the interview. Lets wait and watch now.