Learnings from Failure :
Preparation, mock interviews, practice is key. I did not do that during IIT D consultancy preparation (BCG), or Oxford (Compass Lexecon, Dalberg, Palantir, APT) or Oxford mock exams. On the other hand, I did it somewhat for UK Tech interviews.
Lack of well-prepared, coherent, genuine story
Trying too hard shows low status (Oxford, MIG Global, QC Elections). I ought to have been very professional and confident. By brining in sentimentality, I showed weakness. I ought to have been matter-of-fact. What other people are thinking ought to not have been a worry of mine: it’s none of my business, and I would have projected a far more formidable candidature if I had not worried about that at all. Making random comments in paper, or in interviews is very unprofessional and never works.
Having familiarity and reputation with stakeholders is key (McKinsey, Bain)
Examples
Oxford exams 2:2
The biggest mistake, in hindsight, was chosing to do a thesis in economics instead of choosing a module. This coompletely screwed my preparation. Also, reading the book “The meaning of Life” or other recreational books (“The Garden of Paper Flowers”, “Impro”) without a focus on preparation. And coming home for the summers to rehabilitate dad. Time Management in exams and preparation. Not being systematic.
Lessons learnt: - Momentum and managing perception (of how value your time) is very important. Embody the “getting work done” and “winner” personality.
Do not try-to-hard-to-look convince others.
Acting with the working assumption that interviewers knows more than me and is “testing me”. Better model: Playing a challenging game and Explaining the steps to a five year old. Interview questions are easy if you are confident in your abilities, have all the time in the world, and look at problems as a game. They’re hard if you encounter them in an interview, or while preparing for interviews. If you’re interview prepping, and don’t see a solution immediately, it’s easy to think you’re not good enough, and that can easily distract you from finding a solution. That doesn’t happen if you’re doing it for fun.
Interviews: Acting with the working assumption that interviewers knows more than me and is “testing me”. Better model: Playing a challenging game and Explaining the steps to a five year old. Maintaining or Beginning Relationships
Rhodes Scholarship (Lost to Sanchit Bansal)
I did not understand their psychology: if I had been in their position, what would I look for in a candidate? I would look for academic excellence - which I have - but which I underplayed. I thought by underplaying my academics, I exhibited authenticity. But I was projecting. Instead of authenticity, I exhibited weakness and fear. When you are looking for a job, you have to present yourself as if the job is made for you, and you for the job, and you have to know it yourself, understand the criteria, and be that. The interviewer’s job was to pick the best candidates; their anxiety is picking the false cases: so you have to do your best to make their job easier.
When solving the game theory problem, I under-communicated. I did not explain and break down my thinking into smaller steps. (Instead I said something like “backward induction”). I mistakenly thought the the other person, being a prominent game theorist, was on the same plane as me and comprehended fully what I was saying. But again, this was projecting: I myself would not have understood what I was saying had I met myself after a few months - just like Rohan Paul did not when I replayed the interview with him.
I played games and lost out on authenticity and trust. For example, at the end of the interview, I asked “May i know your name?”. I thought this gesture would impinge on the minds of the interviewers and make me stand our of the crowd. But again, I was projecting. To the interviewers, this would have seemed odd, awkward, and out of sorts at best, disrespectful at worse.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/07/06/after-30-failed-tech-interviews-i-finally-figured-out-what-i-was-doing-wrong/#4bf7f0181a25
[Counterpoint: The pursuit of Happiness] BCG Placements Interview (Lost to Karan Jagtiani)
I almost deliberately appeared weak and under confident, instead of telling myself that “I can do this”, and then fully immerse myself at the problem, I almost tried to evoke pity of the interviewer. Instead of having a supreme faith in my abilities and having my mind 100% on the task at hand: solving the case and communicating my thinking, I had part of my mind on appealing to the sympathies of the interviewer. Had I been the interviewer, would I have selected myself?
Interviews