Cat-Calls and My First Interview
Like all those misguided-missiles that one saw on college campuses in the early nineties, I too wanted to do an MBA I had the perfect launch pad a BA in Economics. Now, all I needed to do was pass CAT.
Maybe, I would have passed it, had I not traded a possible seat in the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) for one Chicken Briyani, one plate of Chicken Butter Masala and one tank-full of petrol. This is how it happened:
I once had a friend called JP Dennis. He wanted to start earning as soon as possible. Thanks to him, I also wanted to be independent.
Hence my MBA aspirations went down the drain, and decided to embark on our first interview, together. Company’s name: American Remedies. Designation: Medical Representative. Job: Selling Drugs.
The interview was scheduled for God-knows-when and the venue was Hotel Ramyas in Tirchy a three-hour drive from Madurai.
Only the day before, my father had given me money to apply for CAT. His very act changed my life forever, in a way he hadn’t even imagined.
Instead of being in a bank applying for CAT, the next day I was on my way to Tlrchy on Dennis’ Hero Honda Splendor. After topping the tank, we embarked on our first interview together. For lunch we stopped at a Dhaba. Here is where, I would finish off my ‘CAT money’ on a plate of Chicken Briyani and Chicken Butter Masala each.
We reached Tirchy with maybe Rs,50 in our pockets. Tired, but excited. Dirty but determined. We rushed to the Tlrchy Railway junction, bought a platform ticket, sneaked into the 2nd class waiting room, and had a nice wash. Dressing-up took a while, for we had to borrow combs from suspecting passengers and steal face cream when the ladies were not looking.
We were quite a sight, emerging out of the washrooms freshly dressed in light colored shirts, dark trousers and a matching tie to go with it. Dennis got selected for the next round. He was a B.Sc. Physics graduate and American Remedies encouraged science grads. But they eyed Humanities students (read lesser mortals) with suspicion. Here is how the interview went
Interviewer: Why would you want to work as a Medical Representative after Studying BA Economics?
Me: My friend asked me to accompany him to Tirchy for the interview. And he convinced me real hard.
Interviewer: You seem to have studied science in 12th. Why then did you shift?
Me: I got inspired by Dr Manmohan Singh, our Finance Minister (then, he was the FM).
Interviewer: Of all the science subjects, which was your favourite?
Me: Biology.
Interviewer: Why?
Me: I had a nice, pretty teacher.
Interviewer: You have to memorize a lot to work as a Medical Rep. Would you be able to?
Me: Yes, I can, In fact, they used to call me ‘The Mugger’ In school and college. How do you think I got such good grades?
I knew I had answered all the questions right. But the Interviewer seemed confused, He discussed something with a person sitting next to him, and then spoke to me.
“Who is this friend of yours you came along with?” He – asked.
“Dennis….JP. He got selected to the next round. Why do you ask sir?”
“No…nothing…” was his only reply. And then he motioned me to leave. I knew I had struck the right chord, and had been selected.
After spending a few hours in the Hotel lobby, they announced the names of the people who were selected.
Surprisingly, our names did not figure. So much so, Dennis’ who had been told that he was selected for the next round found his name missing.
Dennis was pretty disappointed. Being a good friend, I did not want to remind him of American Remedies again, so I never told him how my interview went. To this day, I wonder why his name was struck off the list of selected candidates.
