Ishita Gupta
Electrical - Power and Automation
Placements
Mckinsey
Business Analyst
Interviewed by:
Rachit Mittal
Internships
Placements
20th September 2020
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When to start preparing for the Placement season?
Comparison between your intern and placement interviews?
Learnings from this placement season?
How did you decide your field of interest? What about backups?
Major problems that you faced?
Online vs Offline placements?
Does the higher studies application timeline and placement session go along easily?
Necessities for targeting your field?
The best time would be to start preparing in the summer before fourth year. That being said many people start right from first year while many start in fourth year itself, it would depend on the kind of jobs you target.
The steps to get started would be -
1. Decide what kind of jobs you want to aim for during placements (SDE, Data science, consulting, product management, Quant roles, Analytics, Core engineering, Finance, Fin-tech etc.): Start thinking about this from first year, many people decide only before fourth year but the sooner you decide, it will be easier for you to shape your CV to suit that role (though personally I had decided to just explore many different activities I thought were fun and didn't decide on roles until the beginning of fourth year when I 'narrowed' down to Consulting, Quant, Analytics and Data science XD)
2. Talk to seniors or alumni who are working in those roles or firms you want to aim at. You can start by talking to seniors in your hostel, department etc. Try to talk to people who are close to you as they will be more open to telling you the honest truth and negatives. I also reached out to many alumni on LinkedIn and Facebook to find out their opinions about their jobs. You can also see people's career trajectory through LinkedIn and evaluate if that path would suit you (Apart from this I also used Reddit, Glassdoor, Quora to do a lot of research on exit opportunities, growth, work life balance etc. but take this with a pinch of salt)
3. Figure out your core strengths and weaknesses. eg. If you are really good at comp coding but really bad at speaking in an interview, try to get advice on how to improve in speaking and devote time for that activity. This will also help you figure out which roles are more suitable for your skillset.
4. Start prep ! This would be different for each role i.e for consulting start case prep, for any tech role start comp coding, for quant roles start puzzles etc. (you should ask your alumni and seniors what resources can help and try to figure out what is asked in the company’s placement test )
The steps to get started would be -
1. Decide what kind of jobs you want to aim for during placements (SDE, Data science, consulting, product management, Quant roles, Analytics, Core engineering, Finance, Fin-tech etc.): Start thinking about this from first year, many people decide only before fourth year but the sooner you decide, it will be easier for you to shape your CV to suit that role (though personally I had decided to just explore many different activities I thought were fun and didn't decide on roles until the beginning of fourth year when I 'narrowed' down to Consulting, Quant, Analytics and Data science XD)
2. Talk to seniors or alumni who are working in those roles or firms you want to aim at. You can start by talking to seniors in your hostel, department etc. Try to talk to people who are close to you as they will be more open to telling you the honest truth and negatives. I also reached out to many alumni on LinkedIn and Facebook to find out their opinions about their jobs. You can also see people's career trajectory through LinkedIn and evaluate if that path would suit you (Apart from this I also used Reddit, Glassdoor, Quora to do a lot of research on exit opportunities, growth, work life balance etc. but take this with a pinch of salt)
3. Figure out your core strengths and weaknesses. eg. If you are really good at comp coding but really bad at speaking in an interview, try to get advice on how to improve in speaking and devote time for that activity. This will also help you figure out which roles are more suitable for your skillset.
4. Start prep ! This would be different for each role i.e for consulting start case prep, for any tech role start comp coding, for quant roles start puzzles etc. (you should ask your alumni and seniors what resources can help and try to figure out what is asked in the company’s placement test )
They are pretty similar actually, not a lot of differences. I would say the main differences would be you have larger number of companies during placements. Questions were obviously different in both for me since I interviewed for different companies both times.
I think one unique thing about me would be my concentration on a really large variety of fields like Consulting, Analytics, Quant and Data Science. Most people who focus on Tech, focus solely on tech and people who focus on consulting focus mainly on consulting. I tried to focus on both which is slightly rare. I think it helped me increase my chances of getting placed since I was able to get larger number of shortlists. However, it also decreases the individual time you spend on preparing for both opportunities so there is a tradeoff. I took a calculated risk since I knew my chances were decent in both but it was really tough and took lots of effort. Evaluate your risks and make your own decision but I would recommend you to push yourself if possible.
I essentially just did activities which I enjoyed inside IIT. I did all my internships in Deep Learning while also doing a lot of extra curricular activities (which is traditionally a consulting move). I decided my field of interest based on the kind of needs I had from my job. I knew that even though I enjoyed Data science, I was not interested in a job where I would have to code forever. I wanted to work in a role which would let me create really large scale change and constantly excite me with new challenges. Apart from this I also wanted job growth & leadership opportunities, I knew that after a while in tech, most positions saturate after a while. In the future I wanted to work in leadership roles which allowed me to create policies and have a lot of impact on society. Consulting allows you to explore a wide range of industries, have a tremendous learning curve and interact with CEO’s of the world to shape their companies. The impact of their work is huge while also providing exit opportunities in other exciting fields like Venture Capital, IB, PE, Product Management etc. Keeping all this in mind I prioritised Consulting. Despite this, I also prepared and appeared for Data science, Quant and Analytics roles as well. It is always important to have a backup option and be realistic about it. There is a lot of randomness that often goes into placement selections and shortlisting, hence its really important to try and have some back up options for in case your first choice doesn’t work out.
The major problem would be the general chaos created by the TnP schedule. There was a time when I would have around 6-7 SDE tests scheduled in one day, multiple sessions for consulting prep, BTP meetings and assignments piling up, all in the same day. There is a lot happening simultaneously, from attending PPT’s of companies - to deciding whether or not to apply for a profile - to preparing for the test -to keeping upto date with last minute TnP changes in schedule etc.
The way I tackled all of this was by making priority lists, continuously add tasks in order of importance & deadline, keep ticking them once done (I recommend google keep but even paper works :) )
Try not to panic or give up, keep calm and carry on.
The way I tackled all of this was by making priority lists, continuously add tasks in order of importance & deadline, keep ticking them once done (I recommend google keep but even paper works :) )
Try not to panic or give up, keep calm and carry on.
I actually preferred online placements. There were times when I faced lots of problems while giving online tests due to internet issues or test software failing etc. I also had some issues regarding test cut offs since I was worried I won’t get shortlisted in case the average test marks were artificially high due to widespread cheating or something else.
Despite all these issues I still preferred online placements as they were just a lot easier to manage. I was able to do my academic work, placement PPTs, case sessions, online tests and general preparation quite well since everything was online. There was really less time wastage and you could multi-task a lot better. There are lesser distractions and a lot more time.
Despite all these issues I still preferred online placements as they were just a lot easier to manage. I was able to do my academic work, placement PPTs, case sessions, online tests and general preparation quite well since everything was online. There was really less time wastage and you could multi-task a lot better. There are lesser distractions and a lot more time.
I was keeping Masters as a backup option for myself in case I didn’t get placed. The placement process begins right from the beginning of the semester with PPTs and tests right until December 1st. Masters applications normally have deadlines within December. I realised that I wanted to give my best shot at placements especially since I was appearing for consulting and tech both, I couldn’t have managed masters applications at the same time. My backup plan was to submit applications in the year after graduation for the next round of applications, I would lose a year but the opportunity cost was worth it for me. However, I also know many seniors who did both together, especially the ones who prioritised masters would apply for masters and a few tech/analytics positions. They would sit for placements as a back up option in case masters didn’t work out.
I am currently going to join as a Business Analyst at Mckinsey specialising in Digital & Analytics. This is primarily a consulting role but different from the traditional role as it also requires some technical knowledge about Artificial Intelligence, Analytics, software etc. which will help while recommending tech based solutions for clients when solving consulting cases.
The shortlisting requirements are primarily the same as consulting I.e you need to be an all rounder in your CV (have good CGPA, good interns, good scholastic achievements, good extra curriculars and positions of responsibilities). I personally didn’t have a stellar PoR section but I still managed to clear shortlists due to my performance in other sections. For the Mckinsey BA DnA role you must also display technical knowledge by doing projects/ interns etc.
I had published a paper in ML, done two internships, 2-3 projects in this area as well as multiple courses in AI during my foreign exchange which really helped me stand out. Apart from this , I mostly just did whatever I enjoyed throughout my four years like Debating, Enactus, Forex and never really tried to create a ‘consulting type’ CV, it worked out for me luckily but if you are able to figure out you want to do consulting early on, I would recommend you try to start early as well. Though I also think that generally exploring like I did with whatever you like has its own benefits.
The shortlisting requirements are primarily the same as consulting I.e you need to be an all rounder in your CV (have good CGPA, good interns, good scholastic achievements, good extra curriculars and positions of responsibilities). I personally didn’t have a stellar PoR section but I still managed to clear shortlists due to my performance in other sections. For the Mckinsey BA DnA role you must also display technical knowledge by doing projects/ interns etc.
I had published a paper in ML, done two internships, 2-3 projects in this area as well as multiple courses in AI during my foreign exchange which really helped me stand out. Apart from this , I mostly just did whatever I enjoyed throughout my four years like Debating, Enactus, Forex and never really tried to create a ‘consulting type’ CV, it worked out for me luckily but if you are able to figure out you want to do consulting early on, I would recommend you try to start early as well. Though I also think that generally exploring like I did with whatever you like has its own benefits.
The placements test your technical skills and your ability to perform under stress. Try not to get overwhelmed and consider this process as a life-death situation. Placements might be random and luck-based. They are not an accurate indicator of your value but a stepping stone towards a long-term career, so don't let it hurt your self-esteem. Many options like masters, CAT, UPSC, research, a startup might make you happier than you expected. It might take 2-3 years of more work, but don't think of it as a setback. There's always a way out. :)
Takeaways
Q
If someone does not get an intern via OCS in their 3rd year, what should they do?
They should look for a research intern abroad. They can also look for off campus interns through LinkedIn, networking etc. but I have found that route a bit hard. You can try talking to IIT professors and tap into your alumni network to find out about intern/project opportunities. Don’t get disheartened, getting an intern in 3rd year is reasonably random and not an indicator of your worth. I have personally seen many many friends & seniors who didn’t get a 3rd year intern but got some of the best jobs on campus during placements. In fact my 3rd year intern was rescinded due to the pandemic however I was still able to manage pretty well. It is important for you to replace your 3rd year intern with some other intern/project. From GSoC to fellowship programs to remote internships, replacement opportunities are always there. The work experience is what matters a lot.