DAY '0'

When I heard the alarm of my cell phone, I had two simultaneous realizations – one, it was morning and two, I had my eyes open even before the alarm rang. I am not sure whether I slept that night or not but yes, I was having a severe headache which normally happens when I do not sleep and am tensed. Day ‘0’ had begun and I was nervous :(

At this point of time, let me tell you what Day ‘0’ means. In ISB and IIMs, we have a placement week during which almost 95% of the junta gets placed. Companies mostly come for their placement process during this week. The placement week lasts from Day 1 to Day 7. Each company is assigned a Day of the week depending on the preferences of the junta. Day 1 companies are the ones that are the most sought after. At ISB, Day 1 companies are the consulting biggies like Mckinsey, BCG, Oliver Wyman, Booz Allen Hamilton etc and IBs like Deutsche Bank etc. Since their selection procedures are lengthy and last more than a day (these companies have multiple rounds of interviews), they come a day before the Day 1 so as to wind up their selection processes by the end of Day 1. This day just before Day 1 is called the Day ‘0’ of placements.

I had as many as 13 back to back interviews scheduled on Day ‘0’. I had my first interview with HUL (formerly HLL) scheduled at 0830 hrs. HUL people missed their flight from Mumbai due to which their GD/interviews started late. Therefore, I could not participate in their GD because their new GD/interview timings clashed with my other interview timings. I did not even have time to make a request to them. So, HUL was out :(

I then rushed for my A T Kearney (ATK) interview. Just then I got a call from Oliver Wyman (OW) guys saying that my interview that was scheduled at 1500 hrs had been preponed. Since OW was my dream firm, I did not want to turn down OW’s request. I talked to ATK guys about my problem (without taking OW’s name) and they agreed. One of the ATK guys, Pranshul (name changed) said to me, "Do not worry Abhishek. Each and everyone shortlisted will be interviewed, be it even at 0200 hrs tonight. ATK understands the problem of students having multiple shortlists." I breathed a sigh of relief and moved on :)

I was damn serious for OW. May be, that was the reason why all of my OW interviews were pretty good. In the afternoon, I did find time for my ATK interview and I thought it went pretty well. I got some 15 minutes off in the afternoon. I headed straight towards the Canteen on the ground floor to fill myself in but as soon as I got down to the ground floor, my cell phone rang and a female voice asked me to appear urgently for my next round of OW interview. I had no option. OW was above anything else. The fact that OW’s request was coupled with a female voice, made my choice easier ;). I said to myself, "Never mind pal. No breakfast, no lunch…hope it pays off and I have a grand dinner tonight." The interview was good.

By the time I wrapped up initial rounds of interviews of other companies like Accenture, it was around 2000 hrs. OW people said there was just one final round remaining and they wanted to interview me right after the candidate who was then getting interviewed. Pranshul of ATK wanted my next ATK interview right then. The student volunteers who were managing OW interviews made a request on my behalf to ATK guys to let me off for another 30 minutes so that I could finish my last OW interview. Just then Accenture people started searching for me for my second round. I requested them to give me 15 minutes so that I could get done with OW, and they obliged. Accenture and OW interviews were happening in adjacent set of rooms. Accenture guys saw me waiting for my OW interview in the adjacent seating area for the next one hour (and I had asked them for just 15 minutes). OW people literally locked me up (with my consent) in one of the rooms so that Accenture and ATK guys could not pressurize me to interview with them.

My final OW interview was my 11th of the day. I was very, very tired and so was the interviewer. I was asked to solve two cases and was told it was ‘make or break’ for me. I somehow managed to solve them. I knew I was through as the interviewer dropped enough hints to cement my inference :))

According to the ISB Placement Policy, the results are actually released at 1800 hrs on Day 1. Since it was Day ‘0’, the companies were not supposed to release their results. But it is not that you will have no inkling of your selection. You will.

I then went for my Accenture interview. After going through 11 interviews, I was enervated. Though I needed a job on Day ‘0’, I was sure I did not want to join Accenture. Everything became clear in my mind as to which company I wanted to join. The interviewer was literally holding my hand and making me solve the case. I finally gave in and gave it to him straight, "Amit (name changed), I am sorry but I am not interested in Accenture." The interviewer was kind enough to leave me. I then headed straight to Pranshul for my ATK interview. It was 2300 hrs. "Hi Pranshul. Can we have my interview now?" I said. Pranshul replied, "Abhishek, we are done for the day. Rest of the interviews will be conducted tomorrow. Why don’t you come at 0900 hrs tomorrow? Do not worry. We will definitely interview you. Go to your room and relax."

I was tensed though I knew OW was in my kitty. Unless I got the OW offer in written, I could not have assumed that I got the job. I did not feel like having my dinner. Sleep dumped me as if it were my girlfriend who had caught me two-timing her. Tring, tring…my cell phone rang at 2345 hrs. "Am I talking to Abhishek?" a male voice croaked from my phone. "Yupp, you are listening to Abhishek. May I know who is calling?" I replied. The guy responded, "Hi Abhishek. This is Pranshul from ATK. I just called up to assure you that your interview will be taken and that you should not worry about it. Have a nice sleep and come to us tomorrow at 0900 hrs." I had my Aditya Birla Group (ABG) interview scheduled at 0930 hrs the next day. I wondered how I would make it to the ATK interview on time. The next thought that crossed my mind was to ruin my ABG interview and rush for the ATK one.

Amidst all what I went through on Day ‘0’, I could not talk to my inspiration – my ‘best friend’ for the second consecutive day. She did not know my placement week had already begun. When I called her up, she was upset and I did not have the energy to explain things to her. I had no good reasons. I told her that I was having mock interviews for the placements but she was clever enough not to buy that reason. Had she known about Day ‘0’, she would have tried her best to help me out and relieve me off my tensions but... :((

Just when I heard her disconnect the phone, I also heard the silence of my room mock at my helplessness. Lying in my bed helpless as if in coma, I waited for another inevitable stressful and grueling day just like an old man awaiting his death which he can't evade...