Blog 2401: A story that needs telling

October 2002

Someone organised a funda session for us first years whereby dep seniors came down to HJB ground to bhaat with us.
Nice initiative.
A senior asked us: "Why did you join IIT?"
I wonder what he expected as an answer.
"Because we made the mistake of clearing IIT JEE, sir?"
Anyways.
Everyone, almost, said "To get a good job"

December 2006
It was time to make that happen.

My placement season began on 30th November 2006.
Barclays Capital telephonic interview.
Preparation had begun a few days ago.
All possible questions and their answers duly written and refined.
Re-refined.


30th Nov, 8 am
Met S at Tech Cafe for a mock interivew.
Satisfactory.
Actual interview began at 10.20.
"I'll not ask you about technical stuff, I'm sure you're very good in those. Lets talk about other aspects of you."
"Which other companies have you applied to?"
"What did you like about Barclays' PPT?"
"What do you know about I-Banking?"
"Why I-banking?"
"Why Barclays?"
"Why Singapore?"
"What has been the most challenging thing you've done in the last 3 years"
"Was it fun doing it?"
It lasted 30 mins.
Dont remember the other questions.
Interviewer's concluding line: "This is the best interview I've had in a long time."
I wonder how different things would have been if he hadnt said that.

Barcap, by the way, was scheduled for the 10th of December - the last day of the first phase of placements.

5th - 9th December
In every company I appeared for during this phase, the philosophy was simple: "Good if I get through, better if I dont."
Microsoft & D. E. Shaw on 6th.
Adobe, Yahoo & Inductis on 7th.

6 pm, 7th December.
Sitting in CL making strategies on what I can do for the Barclays interview.
Pandey calls.
I'd gotten shortlisted for Adobe.
Dunno how.
Dunno why.
Denouement: didnt make it through.

No company on 8th.
Morgan Stanley on 9th.

Rejection is a hard thing to take.
Doubts, about self, are harder.
Those are interesting times when you start wondering if there are enough 'good' companies left...
Or if you'll get into any of them...
Or what if you dont make it anywhere...
Or what if you have to appear in a 'truck'...
Interesting times.
Indeed.

If Morgan Stanley had been on 8th, I'd probably have gone for it after the Adobe episode.
It wasnt.
I lived to die another day.

9th December, Morgan Stanley online test.
Had already decided to let this one pass.
40 questions.
Left 20.
Somehow, everyone near me had difficult questions in their test.
Me, relatively easy ones.
Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony.

10th December
D Day
All possible questions again refined.
Tech funda refreshed.
Project funda refreshed.
Made three presentations: on my internships, projects and extra-curriculars to show them.
All possible omen just said "you're making it today"
Twas also my parents' wedding anniversary.

Interview begins.
I'm told how the interview is going to proceed.
We'd begin by talking about what I study and what my dep is about.
We'd move onto any one project I want to elaborate on.
Then talk of any of my internships.
Finally, we talk about me.

Its all going to plan.
I begin with my project.
Explain everything.
They ask about where this project can be put to use.
I give a social and a commercial use.
They ask how it can be extended.
I suggest an extension.
They ask some implementation details.
Peace enough.

We move to my internship at GE.
I must have talked about GE a million times since the internship anyway.
Cool.

I'm asked some questions on finance.
"Difference between future and option"
"Give me a practical example"
Piece of cake.

And finally "What position are you applying for"
Me: "Since I'm not really aware of what divisions you have within Technology at Barcap, could you please tell me something about them"
They tell me about Tech Analyst and Business Analyst.
I opt for Business Analyst.
"Dont you think you'll be at a disadvantage, considering you havent had much of a background in finance, if you're a business analyst"
I talk about my project and subjects in finance.
Also "If there's anything you feel I ought to know before I join, I'd be most willing to study it by taking additional courses or projects"

They tell me more about the Tech Analyst position and how its better suited to me.
I assume its a hint to tell me that I dont have much of a hope as a Business Analyst since I'm not an MBA.
I switch to Tech Analyst.
Wrong move.
I thought I was through.
The shortlist said otherwise.

"How excruciating it is to build a house of cards…
How momentary its collapse.
How gingerly a castle of sand is made…
How summarily it’s washed away."

It was to be a 16 day wait before placements began again.
Torturous.

26th December
Didnt make it through Z.S Associates.

Rejection.
Tough.
Doubts.
Tougher.
Still, decided not to sit for the companies that were lined up for the 27th and 28th.
Symantec, 29th December, was going to be the next one.

Between 26th and 29th December, I mailed 15 companies for an off-campus job interview.
Christmas week.
No reply.
I'd convinced myself I wouldnt get a job in 2006.

28th December.
Sahara.
Prithvi: "Sunny, whats your next company?"
Me: "Symantec"
As a postscript: "Feels so nice to say na 'my next company is Symantec'. As if... "

29th December.
Symantec test.
I scored full in quantitative aptitude.
Must have scored near zero in some other sections.
No hope.

Lunch with Himadri and Swati.
Bhaat.
Bhaat.
I'm sure I wouldnt make it through the test.
Self doubt is a wonderful thing.
More bhaat.
About Pixar, Bihar, tennis, Ganguly, GE, placements, Archi, Maths, Chem, politics, India, food and Kgp.

2.45 pm
Phone rings.
I've been shortlisted.
Interview scheduled for 5.15.
Cool.

Rush back to room.
Refresh first internship funda.
It had been on networks and spamming.
Refresh other departmental funda.

6 pm.
Damn cold.
I'm in a shirt and tie.
We had to mark ourselves on 10 in different topics like Comp. Sc Fundamentals, C/C++, QA, Algorithms, OS, Java, Projects & Internships.
I gave myself full in projects & internships, near full in Algo and C/C++ and pathetic marks in the rest.

First interview starts.
I'm asked to write a piece of code for a problem in C.
Peace enough.
Enter OS and DBMS.
Not that good.
I'm asked a question on data structures, hashing, a puzzle and an algo.
Peace enough.
We have some other questions and answers.
Interviewer likes my CV.
Also, since I'd given myself poor marks in OS, he wasnt getting into it.
Asks: "Nice. Okay. Do you have any questions to ask me?"
Somehow I dont think it had been a job-clinching interview so far from my side.
I ask: "Sir, how do you think was this interview?"
He: "Its been nice, you've done fairly well... but we work a lot on OS and... umm... but you're good in coding so lets see."
I convince him I'm not bad in OS and had rated myself poorly coz I didnt know much about the Linux kernel etc.
Fresh lease of life.
I'm asked more questions on OS.
I answer most.
Finally: "You'll probably have another round of interviews. You've given yourself too few in OS. Dont worry, I'll take care of those. :-)"
Thankew sir!

I have a second round of interviews.
10 pm.
Bloody cold.
Sometimes, however, such things dont matter at all.
I was through.

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road.
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go.
So make the best of this test and dont ask why.
Its not a question but a lesson learnt in time.
Its something unpredictable but in the end is right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

I did.