Another feather in the cap of ISBR as our talented students Ms. Shruti and Mr. Sparsh cracked the interview of one of the major financial dream company ‘Goldman Sachs’. Whole ISBR family congratulates them at their brilliant achievement.
To know the secret behind their extra ordinary accomplishment, we had a detailed talk with them. Below are the excerpts of it:
1) Tell us something about you?
Shruti: My name is Shruti Jaiswal, born and brought up in a small town in Nepal. I came to Bangalore 7 years ago to pursue my post school studies. I’ve done my 12th class from Bishop Cotton girl’s school and then completed my BBM from Alliance University and presently pursuing PGDM from ISBR B School.
Coming to my family background, my Father is a Businessman, mother is a homemaker and my brother is presently pursuing his engineering in Bangalore.
I have an experience of multiple internships in places like IDBI Federal Life Insurance Co. Ltd, XBOOM utilities Pvt Ltd, and cPROFIT Wealth Management Centre.
Talking about my areas of interest, I like networking with like-minded people, travelling to new places, volunteering work/community involvement and something that always cheers me up is dancing on my favourite songs.
Sparsh: Hello, My name is Sparsh Agarwal. I am from Meerut, U.P. I have completed my graduation in BBA from Meerut only and currently pursuing PGDM from ISBR.
Coming to my family, my father is a service man working for Vardhman industries and my mom is a housewife and I have one elder brother who is currently working in Delhi.
My hobbies include watching movies, travelling and playing cricket.
2) How did you prepare yourself for the interview of Goldman Sachs?
Shruti: When I got to know about the opportunity in GOLDMAN SACHS, at first I was way too nervous. Being one of my dream companies, I wanted to put in my best efforts because I knew the selection criteria won’t be easy. I started my preparation by getting updated about the latest happenings in the finance sector as well as about the company. We went through a rigorous training in Investment bank, trade life cycle and Asset management under the guidance of placement department. Apart from this I also focused on my communication skills. I practiced mirror technique of talking and also practiced some of the general FAQ’s for HR rounds.
Finally on the day of interview I tried overcoming my nervousness and kept utmost confidence and gave it my best shot without worrying about the result.
Sparsh: I used to go through the training topics thoroughly and brush up my memory about the certain topics on which the company is related and on the topics they can ask questions from you. I even had different mock interviews with my friends and discussed every question that can be possibly asked by the interviewer.
3) Special mention to any incident related to your interview.
Shruti: Yeah, I would like to tell you about one particular incident. At the end of my final round, the interviewer asked me “Do you have any questions? “
I said “Nothing as such”, then he asked me if I had asked any questions in previous rounds. I again replied with a NO, this time with a wider smile. The interview then asked me “Shruti, why don’t you have any questions” and I replied saying “May be once I start working here, I will have many questions regarding the work”. At this, both of us busted out laughing. This is where I felt that I might get through, because his expressions showed that he was impressed and it got confirmed when he replied “THAT’S IMPRESSIVE” continuing his smile.
Sparsh: This question was asked from me twice in last two rounds that you are from U.P, so are you comfortable working in Bangalore and Why have you come to Bangalore only? I told them that Bangalore is my dream city to work as it gives lot of exposure and opportunities.
4) What learnings from college have helped you to achieve this?
Shruti: To be honest I had stage fear and I used to take time to open up. In ISBR we have number of presentations to give, that made me confident enough to speak in front of people and also we have the best faculty who give us the best guidance and keep us motivated. I would specially like to mention Prof. Dr. Ratna Sinha, she is always open to students and that’s what we as a student, look up in every faculty.
ISBR’s Mentorship Program where all the students are mentored by senior faculty, has groomed and brought the best qualities within us through constructive feedback sessions and several competitions. Dr. Karpagam, mentor of my mentorship group ( IKIGAI) has supported us to bring out the best in us.
Updates from placement team regarding upcoming opportunities helped me a lot. I kept myself abreast of latest developments.
Sparsh: Participating in different events, financial knowledge during my classes has helped a lot.
5) Which two members of ISBR team would you like to mention who guided you through your journey?
Shruti: I can’t just name two people because there are many people to whom I am thankful after achieving this. First and foremost, I would like to thank the entire placement department with special mention to Mr. Abbas Ali for arranging such good companies as well as guiding and motivating me from time to time. Next, I would like to thank Mr. Manish Kothari and the entire management of ISBR.
Sparsh: Abbas Sir and Nazia Maam because of the opportunities they are getting for us, are very good.
6) What is your advice to your colleagues and juniors?
Shruti: I would like to give my learnings from all the experiences till now. Firstly, facing a rejection will demotivate you, but my advice is to never lose hope. Keep trying till you get what you desire. Being a bit nervous is normal, but overcome it, be confident and give your 100%, without thinking about the result.
Secondly, stay calm and composed, because waiting for long hours for your turn can make you impatient and frustrated.
Sparsh: My advice would be to improve confidence and communication skills because these are the two things that company looks for in job seeker through interview process.
7) Tips for the 1st year students on –“How to start preparing themselves from now itself”?
Shruti:
- First and foremost thing is to be updated about the current market scenario.
- Work on the way you communicate and present yourself because your personality plays a huge role.
- Work on your analytical skills and
- Lastly, always be engaged with the placement department and the faculty.
Sparsh: They can do –
- If someone knows that he will get nervous it is better to have mock interview among his friends. This will help him in boosting his confidence.
- Select a company they want to get in and study about the company. Prepare for that by seeing what company looks for during hiring. Campus To Corporate Program has guided us to work towards our dream company.