MDI Prep Team

PSP Series
[Preparation for Summer Placements]
General Questions
Instructions:

You are required to consult your mentors for improving the quality of your answers and
leverage their summer placement experience
The soft copy (PDF) of the draft document is to be mailed to respective mentors CCed to
prepteam@mdi.ac.in
o File naming convention : <RollNo>_<Name>_PSP-02 (Example: 15P001_Aabid
Bains_PSP-02)
o Mail subject line : <RollNo>_<Name>_PSP-02
o Deadline : 08th Aug, 2016 EOD
The soft copy of the final document is to be mailed to prepteam@mdi.ac.in CCed to
respective mentors and placecom@mdi.ac.in
o File naming convention : <RollNo>_<Name>_PSP-02 (Example: 15P001_Aabid
Bains_PSP-02)
o Mail subject line : <RollNo>_<Name>_PSP-02
o Deadline : 12th Aug, 2016 EOD
Hard copy of only the cover page of this doc. duly signed by both the mentors should be
submitted at the pigeon box outside Placement Office adhering to deadline
Font: Candara | Font size: 12 | Line Spacing: 1.5 | Format: Word Document
All the questions are mandatory

Name : Pranav Mahajan

Roll No. : 16P037

Sign: Sign:
Name: Sambit Dash Name: Sunakshi Bansal
Mentor 1 Mentor 2
 MDI Prep Team

Question 1:
What do you believe has been the most important decision that youve made (work-related
or personal) in your life so far? What were the major factors that you took into consideration
and what have been its consequences? If you look back on it now, would youve done anything
different?

During the final year at NSIT, I got an option to work with either BPCL or Sapient. All my friends
and teachers suggested taking up the job in BPCL, which paid more than twice as Sapient. But
knowing that the sort of work that sapient offered, a perfect blend of business and
technology, I decided to forgo the opportunity at BPCL for a better learning opportunity at
Sapient. This was one of the most important decisions that I have taken so far and has had a
significant impact on my career.
It was only because of my passion to pursue what I wanted that I gave more importance to a
job of my liking than a fatter paying one. This critical decision of mine helped me build upon
my knowledge base, kindled the interest in me for finance and eventually led me to pursue an
MBA degree.

OR
The venue decided for my sisters marriage was an open ground, one of the best in the city.
But I insisted on an arrangement with some closed area also. As the closed venue was less
beautiful and also had a reduced capacity so my parents did not like it at first but I insisted on
booking it. On the day of marriage it rained and thus we were able to effectively manage the
crowd.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 2:
Describe an incident or an experience that has had a significant impact on you in the recent
past.

Like any other organising skill where one has to be proactively planned and regular, for health
too I have come to understand that continuously working upon it is the only way forward.
Last year, I contracted dengue due to which I had to be treated in hospital. Before that
incident, I used to be careless over my eating habits and exercise regime. Additionally I never
really considered exercise an important part of life, worth investing time into. But the jolt
which I received after this incident has made helped me realise the criticality of fitness and
the complex ramifications if ones health is ignored. After contracting dengue I have now
become conscious of what I eat and from where I eat. I now exercise on a regular basis and
practice yoga to keep myself physically fit, mentally agile and emotionally stable.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 3:
Describe one principle in life you not only firmly believe in but also practice.

Everyday discourse and practices insist that respect and self-respect are personally, socially,
politically, and morally important, and philosophical discussions of the concepts bear this out.
In fact, scientifically it has been proven that everyone values and yearns for respect. I too am
of the opinion that respect is profoundly important because it shows that one values another
as an individual, and that one honors the personal rights and dignity of a person as a fellow
human being. Consequently the role of respect in our lives as individuals, as people living in
complex relations with other people and surrounded by a plethora of other beings and things
on which our attitudes and actions have tremendous effects cannot be taken lightly. Hence I
have imbibed this virtue, practiced it in my daily life and plan to take this attitude forward
because only when managers and employees respect one another, they are able to
communicate well and collaborate with each other to reach business goals by forming better
partnerships.

;
 MDI Prep Team

Question 4:
Describe an instance where you failed to achieve your objective. What were your takeaways
from the experience?

While working with Sapient, my supervisor gave me instructions to perform some work similar
to the one I had done previously. Hence I did not listen carefully enough, assuming that I knew
what work was to be done. However when the final outcome came out to be different from
what had been expected out of me, I understood that I should always listen more carefully to
what is being said and never assume things.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 5:
Describe the team members you are most comfortable working with.

I feel most comfortable working with team members who trust their colleagues. When I feel
safe with team members, they too feel comfortable to open up with me and take appropriate
risks. Working with such employees creates more scope for innovation, collaboration,
creative thinking and productivity. In such a scenario, we all can spend our time protecting
ours and our colleagues interests and thus move towards achieving the goals of the group.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 6:
How do you approach conflict in personal and professional contexts? Does your way work
well for you? Substantiate with an example.

I believe that closeness related to issues of conflict cloud ones thinking and makes one unable
to make rational decisions. Thus I always approach conflicts, whether personal or
professional, objectively and not subjectively. By viewing the situation dispassionately, I
ensure that I do not cloud my thinking and not fall flat.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 7:
Tell me something interesting about you which is not on your CV.

I like to meditate to recharge my batteries and to calm my mind down. Meditation or

dhyana is a form of concentration which allows me to focus on one thing and detaches
myself from all worldly things around me. It also helps me improve my concentration and thus
perform better in studies. It has been scientifically proven that meditation improves the
immune system and thereby helps in controlling blood pressure and blood cholesterol. For all
these reasons I practice meditation which helps me healthy and eliminate negative
thoughts, worries, anxiety and all those factors that could prevent me from feeling happy.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 8:
What have you liked and disliked from your last organization (college/workplace). Could you
do something to improve the things that you didnt like?

The people with whom I was working in Sapient did not have necessary people skills to deal
with their colleagues properly. They did not give adequate respect to their coworkers,
especially to the new employees who used to join their organization. I feel that some basic
HR training on how to deal with fellow members, such as giving everyone adequate respect
at workplace could go a long way in improving the culture of the organization.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 9:
What motivates you the most & discourages you the most?

Motivation-
A difficult task which challenges me also motivates me to push myself to the limit. I believe
that the best of person comes out only in the worst of time and thus always view a tough task
as a challenge and try to focus all my energy into accomplishing it.
eg To perform well in CAT or pass CFA in less time.

Demotivation-
When my physical health doesnt allow me to give my best.
OR
When my views and feedback for the team members are not adopted by the team due to
which the outcome is not as desired. And if the result is on a negative side, I get demotivated
as I too was involved in the team task the negative outcome of which could have been avoided
if my views were implemented by the team.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 10:
Who is the one person you look up to (role model) and why?

My cousin Sahil Gupta, a B-School graduate, has leapfrogged in his career from being just
another regular employer in Infosys and has influenced my career path. He has won laurels in
plethora of projects he has successfully led in different counties and in the process has traced
almost the entire globe. Seeing his grow in multitudinous ways and achieve success has
inspired me to follow his footsteps.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 11:
What is your idea of personal and professional success?

When I find meaning and happiness in the work that I do, when I am excited about the
prospect of getting to work another day, I feel a sense of joy and happiness in continuing with
my activities. This is my idea of success when I love what I am doing. Even in professional life,
when I like the people whom Im working with, when they are my friends, it feels like a team,
like a family and work no longer seems a burden. Living in this way, where I can follow my
dreams and get a chance to do what I really want to do in life is my definition of success.

OR
Being in a position where I can have a direct impact on the performance of the organisation.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 12:
Do you think your academic results are a true reflection of your potential?

Both yes and no.

Yes. Grades are an indication of several things, including ability to process and retain
information, to study, to manage time, etc. Grades are also an expression of attitude about
academics and intellect. If one is able to master the material well, one will be able to perform
well on exams. If one is quick on his feet, one can think of solutions to exam questions which
he did not explicitly study. So good grades show the results of sustained efforts.

No. Sometimes a test covers an entire semester's worth material and only has 4 questions on
it because of the time constraint on the exam. In these cases, even if one understands and is
competent at a vast majority of the material, he could get "unlucky" and get a question on
some small topic one has no experience with. In this case, one could get a C on the exam
despite how much he prepared for the exam.

Hence grades do not tell the entire story, which is why other factors are considered for the
purposes, say, of college school application.
 MDI Prep Team

Question 13:
Why MBA? And, Why MDI?

An MBA will add another dimension of knowledge and understanding to my life and help me
better assess business situations. An MBA will also empower me to achieve my dreams by
enabling me to work at higher positions with more resources at my disposal which would
enable me to have greater impact on the business decisions and thus leapfrog in my career.
A larger point of pursuing MBA from MDI is not just about expertise but also about the living
in the ecosystem of high quality academic rigor and unmatched industry exposure. Brightest
peer group in India and mentoring from top B-School faculty will ensure that I am well
rounded and confident individual with deep subject knowledge and mental strength to take
on challenges of the world.