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Applying, Writing the test and attending the interview without any idea about the post being offered is unprofessional enough and you have the balls to call the interviewer unprofessional?

If the student who asked what does a business analyst mean got selected then DB should close shop… professionalism means you do your homework, and in the cut throat world of business and $100k salaries, there is no place for “honest/genuine curiosity”

having said that, companies do make mistakes… if this is out of arrogance then they should be put in place… period.

yet, in all your 21/22 old naivete don’t forget that these salaries are only as permanent as the state of the economy – just 4 years back lots of IITians didn’t even get jobs….

PS: I am also an IITian, so not for one moment think that I don’t understand the system, or the “cut throat competition” that IITians face for 4 years.. the JEE is tough, but the only tough job in campus is making a choice as to what movie to watch today

PPS: I had a good CGPA, good communication skills, and worked in a consult firm when consult/fin firms in campus were more of exceptions than a rule

but keep the spirit going…

cheers!!

adi

well, if you were not interested in that job, and had to go because the Placement office insisted, then it is ok… but, still, the question was a bit immature… if you don’t care for ur Insti’s relation with the corporates, then it is ok with me.

As regards the ‘million other reasons’ for which u brand them unprofessional, well, I was not privy to them, and could comment only on those that he put forth

and finally, thanks for setting the record straight, and I did not mean any offence

and, all the best for your career, wherever you go

i never said interviewer should have answered that question nor did i say it was right question to ask. it was asked by a student from engineering background. exceptions to rules have to be made. i am sure 90% professionals today wouldn’t know their real work before they had the first hand experience.
the point is: there is a difference between saying, “you should known about it before you came here” and “i am here to ask questions, not you”. thats what i am highlighting. there’s arrogance in the second one. i wouldn’t have even written about it if the guy hadd seid, “because you did not prepare well enough, you are not getting the job.” not just here, at any place “i am the king and you are not” is arrogant. dont tell me that they were testing if you can handle that pressure, it was the first round.

again … it was right that company did not offer him the job. they should have been more courteous.

my other friend was grilled for a while cuz his resume said lehmann instead of lehman …. which is fine if you ask me.

and db did make an offer and when asked why he wanted to work for db, he replied, “money”. even i said “money” in my interview and i got the job.

reg snacks … i was offered tea when i interviewed (i refused though) .. its a nice gesture .. i agree that it is not necessary. given candidates whom you aren’t hiring you certainly have an obligation to offer them some something. its all about being a good host.

abt salaries … there are all kinds of people in iit madras, ones who are exccellent in inter peronnel skill, ones who are excellent in acads, ones excellent in oublic speaking etc. given people slog to get in, average student lacks inter personnel skills. only those who are good in communication skills end with such a job. not every one gets placed in a financial job. those with good technical skills end up in core jobs or in universities. at the end of the day, i guess, we all go to place where we belong (for better or for worse)

i like your spirit dude… try keeping it as it is… even after coming out of college…

trust me its a wee bit tough..

cheers!!

adi

But, this post was a bit too much for me. You go to an interview, applying for a job that apparently is going to pay you $ 110000 a year. The company has short-listed you because they think that you are among the most elite batch that they are going to get their hands on. You are 21 years old, and have not seen the inside of a corporate office (in other words, in industry parlance, you are still ‘wet-behind-your-ears’, though you are a master when it comes to numerical abilities). You are applying for a job of ‘business analyst’, one they did not prepare you for at an IIT, a position that many others reach after slogging for some years.

You go into the interview and ask them, “What does a business analyst mean?” Now, THAT to me is unprofessional. You are perfectly right to think that you are just being genuinely curious, but any interviewer worth his salt would think that you are being cocky. You are going into an interview, you should atleast have done your homework on what position you are interviewing for.

I mean, it is not like they picked you out of some remote village and out you there. You have access to the Internet, some of the best scientific and business magazines from all over the world, and enough alumni in top positions in virtually every business to help you out if you have a doubt. Now, given all that, you go out and ask your interviewer what a ‘business analyst’ means. And, expect them to explain it to you, and get offended when they don’t. Worse still, you accuse them of being unprofessional.

Sometimes, I wonder whether the salary that they are paying you is worth it, because for all the intellectual capability that you bring to the table, you obviously lack some basic business sense and inter-personal skills.