QUESTIONNAIRE SUNRITA PODDAR(07IE3101) SIEMENS GD & PI 1.
What is the dress code for GD/PI? Ans. Shirts and trousers (formals).Salwar suit is also allowed for girls.
2.
What is the importance of body language in a GD/PI? Ans. One must have a smart and confident body language in a GD/PI.
Group Discussion 3.
What were the topics of the GD? Ans. A situation was given where a group of people were stranded on an island. A list of things was provided with it, which had to be ranked according to each one’s importance in the given situation. The group members had to discuss and match their lists and present the final list collectively.
4.
What are the basic dos and don’ts in a GD? Ans. One should grab the opportunity and show that one wants to speak. It is unadvisable to keep waiting for one’s turn to speak. Basically, one should let others speak but not allow their own speech to be subdued.
5.
How much time were you given to think? Ans. 5 minutes.
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Do you think speaking first matters in a GD? Ans. Yes. Starting the conversation sets a positive impression.
7.
In a GD which is given more importance – content or fluency and presentation? Ans. Fluency and presentation. Content is important but if you don’t present it properly, it is futile.
8.
Is it advisable to interrupt someone in a GD? Ans.No.Shows your over-enthusiasm to speak and be noticed and adds on as a de-merit.
9.
If the topic of the GD is against your personal beliefs, should you stick to the topic or voice your opinion? Ans. Definitely voice your opinion. But also take care to stick to one side, do not keep changing your opinion.
10.
How do you respond if someone contradicts you convincingly during the GD? Ans. It is better if you can think of a valid point to counteract the person’s point. If not, one should give in. Do not be unreasonable and never get into an argument with the person.
11. Do you recollect the GD topics of your friends or batchmates? Ans. 1) Murder mystery situation was provided and characters with their link with the victim were described. The group had to decide upon the criminal. 2) Does God exist?
Personal Interview 12.
Do you think one must be completely honest in a PI? Ans. Not always. One should decide the kind of impression one wants to set before the interview itself. Answers should be witty and company-specific. For instance, when appearing for an interview of a financial company, one should convince the interviewers that he is not interested in higher studies. The case is opposite for technical companies.
13. What are the basic dos and don’ts in a PI? Ans. One should be confident and presentable and not nervous. Try to relax and to give your best. 14. How important in a PI is maintaining eye contact? Ans. Very important. 15.
How must one respond if the interviewer hints that your performance is not satisfactory? Ans. Do not put forward too many excuses. Be honest about your shortcomings and highlight your positive qualities in other fields.
16.
What should be done if one realises that the interviewer has misunderstood his statement?
Ans. Clarify it without making it sound like an excuse. 17.
How do you convince the interviewer that you are fit for the job if he speaks of another interviewee with better credentials? Ans. Think of your own credentials which others might not have. Briefly describe a situation where you put your foot down and emerged victorious.
18.
Does taking time to answer a question go against you even if the answer is a good one? Ans. No.
19.
Should one admit his mistake if pointed out or justify what he has said? Ans. Admit it if you think it is a mistake, else justify.
20.
Were you asked any technical questions (related to academics) in your interview? What were those questions (Please provide their answers too)? Ans. (Q) In an industry, there is a cylindrical chamber where dirt and water collects. Dirt settles down forming the lower layer and water floats above it. One needs to measure the level of water as the lower level (the dirt-water interface) has a variable height. Suggest a method by which it could be done. (A) One can fix an ultrasonic source and detector across the lower level of water. Refractive index changes as its value is different for dirt and for water. Thus, waves emitted by source are absorbed by the detector and the lower level of water can be estimated, consequently making it possible to measure the depth of water.
Other related questions: 21. What should we focus more on pi/gd? Ans.Both equally. 22. Is there any advantage of applying early? Ans. No. 23. Clothing to be worn, body language for specific interviews. Ans. Appearance should be smart and clean. Presentability has a higher priority than fashion. Body language should be confident with an absolute lack of nervousness and one should try to maintain eye contact.
24. What to do if you are caught in a trap:1)accept fault and give a clean chit or 2)try to make up excuses. Ans.Always advisable to accept your fault. 25. How to approach the matter of intern compensation. Ans. Compensation is always fixed before hand. T&P generally mentions it in the notice summoning applications for a particular company. 26. What was the Selection Procedure like? How many rounds of interviews and what was each round about? Ans. I had applied for companies like Schlums, Tata Steel, ITC ,Dr. Reddy’s. Selection procedure consisted mainly of GD/PI. Some had a written test prior to GD/PI. 27. What do you think the company was looking for in each of its candidates? Ans. The company was looking for candidates who were confident and had good presentation skills with a sound technical knowledge. 28. What courses did you have to revise, what books/ online material did you consult while preparing for the interview? Ans. One should find information about the company from their website. I revised the course “Control Systems and Instrumentation Devices” before my interview.
How should the following Questions be answered? 29. What do you know about our organization? Ans.Briefly mention whatever you know. Do not give a very detailed description. 30. Why do you want to work for us? Ans. The appropriate answer for such a question would be company-specific. For technical companies, one should convince the interviewers that he is interested in working in the technical field. They judge the candidate’s knowledge on how the company works and its relevance of the candidate’s interests. 31. What can you do for us that someone else can't? Ans. Highlight your positive traits. Give an instance of a situation successfully handled by you. 32. What do you find most promising about this position?
Ans. Depends on the position offered. For technical companies, mention your desire for technical freedom to use your own creativity in the field. 33. What is the toughest decision you have ever had to make? Ans. Depends from person to person. You can mention a situation where you strived for something but were gravely discouraged but u pursued it till it led you to success. 34. How sensitive are you to criticism? Ans.Not too sensitive. I try to improve myself accordingly by looking at the brighter side.
QUESTIONNAIRE Name: Mr. A.Chidambaram Company: Siemens There was no Gd in the selection process ·
Do you think one must be completely honest in a PI?
1. Honesty is always the best policy. You may be caught if you cook up details in your CV. ·
What are the basic dos and don’ts in a PI?
2. Do’s: Be calm and confident. Feel at ease during the interview, and try to set the tone for the interview. Put the things that are relevant in the resume. Don’ts: Do not lie in the resume, and do not fumble during the interview. Be concise and confident about what you say. · 3.
How important in a PI is maintaining eye contact? Very important. Everyone should be a part of the discussion.
· How must one respond if the interviewer hints that your performance is not satisfactory? 4.
Do not feel dejected, try to understand what is going wrong.
· What should be done if one realises that the interviewer has misunderstood his statement? 5.
Rephrase the statement and try to clarify.
· How do you convince the interviewer that you are fit for the job if he speaks of another interviewee with better credentials? 6. The entire interview process is to enable the interviewer to decide who will fit the job better. · Does taking time to answer a question go against you even if the answer is a good one? 7.
The final answer is what matters the most.
· Should one admit his mistake if pointed out or justify what he has said? 8. It is advisable to be agreeable during the interview. The interviewer is more experienced, and in case you are certain that you are wrong, it is better to admit it. However, if the interviewer is creating a pressure situation for you, try to defend yourself. · Were you asked any technical questions (related to academics) in your interview? What were those questions (Please provide their answers too)? 9. Be on top of your resume. Every project done should be at your fingertips. In general, students should be clear with the Algorithms and general topics. The questions will mostly be superficial to test whether the interviewee is conversant with the topics discussed or not. *Other related questions:* ·
How should one approach the matter of intern compensation?
10. It is not an important object during the internship. The experience that you gain is what you should look forward to. ·
Is there any advantage of applying early?
11. Generally no advantage. ·
Clothing to be worn, body language for specific interviews.
12. Formals, preferably white and black.
· What to do if you are caught in a trap:1)accept fault and give a clean chit or 2)try to make up excuses. 13. Accept the fault and be honest. Excuses will get you into more trouble. · What was the Selection Procedure like? How many rounds of interviews and what was each round about? 14. Students were directly required to appear in the PI. No GD · What do you think the company was looking for in each of its candidates? 15. In general the company was looking for good communication ability, team working spirit in addition to a sound technical background. · What courses did you have to revise, what books/ online material did you consult while preparing for the interview? 16. As mentioned before, be on top of your resume. Anything related to the project or the courses taken can be asked. *How should the following Questions be answered?* ·
What do you know about our organization?
17. Mention the areas in which the company is involved, and how it is a leader in its sphere of activity. ·
Why do you want to work for us?
18. Be subtle in your appreciation of the company. Mention how you would gain experience through working in an organization with such diverse specializations like Siemens. ·
What is the toughest decision you have ever had to make?
19. Give a real life experience which required you to be critically decisive. ·
How sensitive are you to criticism?
17. I am open to it if I feel that it is constructive. I don’t take it emotionally, and I consider criticism as a part of learning on the road to perfection.
Questionnaire Samarth Sharma Company: Siemens Selection Process: C.V. Submission followed by an interview of the shortlisted candidates (Approx:25, Finally selected: 6)
Personal Interview •
Do you think one must be completely honest in a PI? 1. I always endorse an honest approach.
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What are the basic dos and don’ts in a PI? 2. Do’s: Be in a position to defend your CV. Prove the credibility of your involvement in the projects mentioned in the CV. There will be a lot of questioning based on that. Be confident. Try to be spontaneous and natural Don’ts: Do not cook up details in the CV. If your academic work is manipulated, you may be caught. As far as the extra academic activities, the Technical Companies like Siemens are not really interested in them. Have a decent body language, and avoid unnecessary gesturing.
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How important in a PI is maintaining eye contact? 3. Very important.
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How must one respond if the interviewer hints that your performance is not satisfactory? 4. Try to take the feedback positively and prepare yourself for the other interviews.
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What should be done if one realizes that the interviewer has misunderstood his statement? 5. If you are sure about your answer, assert yourself and clarify.
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Does taking time to answer a question go against you even if the answer is a good one? 6. For a technical question, you may take some time to recall an answer. However, for a
general question like ‘What plans do you have for the weekend?’, taking time sends a wrong signal. It shows that you are trying to concoct something about the topic. •
Should one admit his mistake if pointed out or justify what he has said? 7. Yes, if you are sure about the mistake. Often, this may be a trick to check your self confidence. In such a case, assert yourself and confront the question directly.
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Were you asked any technical questions (related to academics) in your interview? What were those questions (Please provide their answers too)? 8. The Questions that I was asked were mainly related to my past projects. I did two projectsone in Bhel and the other in IIMC. In the interview, I was asked to explain the project from scratch. The authenticity of my involvement was judged from my thorough knowledge of the dissertation.
Other related questions:
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Clothing to be worn, body language for specific interviews. 9. Body language: Sit straight, and do not cross your legs. Do not display unnecessary gestures with the hands etc. Try to act normally, as you would in the presence of a more experienced person.
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What to do if you are caught in a trap:1)accept fault and give a clean chit or 2)try to make up excuses. 10. Accept if it’s a genuine fault, but not if it’s a ploy to check your confidence.
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How to approach the matter of intern compensation. 11. Do not approach the topic in the interview.
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What do you think the company was looking for in each of its candidates? 12. Technical Acumen, general communication ability and the utility of the student in the current projects of the company.
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What courses did you have to revise, what books/ online material did you consult while preparing for the interview? 13. Mainly my past projects. Be thorough with all the content in the CV.
How should the following Questions be answered? •
What do you know about our organization? 14. Refer to the website, and if possible, talk to an alumnus who has established himself/herself there.
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Why do you want to work for us? 15. Mention about how Siemens is a pioneer in the field of electronics, and how the current projects of the company are in tune with your interests. Do not go overboard in your appreciation of the company. Also mention that you’ve received positive feedback from an alumnus in the company, and you wish to begin your professional journey with this company.
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What is the toughest decision you have ever had to make?
16. Though this question was not asked in the interview, but I think that you could quote an experience from your own life where you had to take a decision that affected your future. 17. How sensitive are you to criticism? 18. Yes, I am sensitive to criticism. I take it positively, and consider it an opportunity to improve myself. Extra points: 1. Technical companies do not emphasize on exceptional communication skills, but at Siemens, it may happen that communication abilities may be evaluated if you are assigned a project in the field of technical consultancy. 2. In response to HR questions, try to give examples that are realistic and academically oriented. 3. For answers to questions like your hobbies and activities in the weekends, avoid routine listless answers like “I’m going home “or “ I’ll watch a movie” etc. Try to say something that would bring out your extracurricular skills and involvement in the societies/clubs etc.