IIFT EPGDIB Admission Experience

This article caters to the on campus one-and-a-half-year long Executive Post Graduate Diploma in International Business (EPGDIB) at Indian Institute Of Foreign Trade (IIFT) an opportunity for middle and senior level executives to refresh and upgrade their managerial skills without interrupting their professional activities. The Programme is specially designed to cater to those executives for whom leaving the job and the city is not a feasible option. 
I happened to sit for the admission process and would like to share my experience. Before I share my experience, I would like to share my answers which I wrote in the application form.

NOTE: Please do not copy the answers as they would do no good for you. IIFT interview panel is very experienced and would catch you within no time. So use these answers just as a REFERENCE.

--- Application Form ---

Q) Brief Description of Job Profile (50-100 Words)

4+ years of commercial performance and automation testing experience with Telecom domain knowledge in Design Integration and testing large scale IT projects. My main specialization is in Performance Testing, particularly in respect of HP/Mercury Performance test tools Loadrunner and test management tool Quality Center. I am highly motivated and committed professional combining strong organizational and planning skills with good interpersonal and communication skills. I am capable of designing and implementing manual and automated testing methodologies and frameworks, working with a team or on own initiative to meet deadlines consistently. I also demonstrate a high level of technical and business expertise combined with the ability to lead and motivate a team successfully so as to deliver quality requirements, goals and milestones of mission critical IT projects.

Q) What are your broad career objectives and how does IIFT fit in these objectives? (50 Words)

As an Engineer, I am looking forward to use my engineering skills with those of business management to expand my career prospects. Since I am seeking a new role within my present company so as to grow professionally; thus this course perfectly fits my requirement to build a string foundation in achieving business specific solutions.

Q) Describe any major achievement from your professional experience? (100 Words)

In my previous organization, across 3 years of professional experience I developed assets in helping one of global Telecom Company achieve a high level of quality in the way it develops and tests it systems. I was one of the key members in improving engineering practices across the whole platform with different wings of the delivery teams which reduced customer costs and increased re-usability.  For this contribution, I was awarded 'On The Spot' award for outstanding contribution to the Organization. During the past 1 year in my current organization, under challenging circumstances I was given the responsibility to develop solutions for broader range of testing practices. I developed solution accelerators which are used as frameworks to reduce manual work by 15%. This activity helped Global Bidding Team to prepare proposals for the new scope of work which eventually got approved. For this contribution, I was awarded for outstanding contribution in ADMS Practice for CSI ADM Unit.

Q) What do you think are your important strengths in the context of your application for admission to IIFT’s programme? (50 Words)

As a Software professional, I am able to analyze situations and give results which are fruitful to the organization. I consider my multi-tasking capabilities as a strength to perform multiple tasks concurrently without compromising on quality. In my current organization, I am a part of Testing Practices and Effort Estimations teams to deliver quality solutions to the clients.

Q) Any other information. Please give any other information (attach a separate sheet, if necessary) which you consider relevant for the Interview Board.

Apart from the ones which I already shared, I would like to share some more information related to:

Aspirations: I aspire to become a complete professional having both technical and management skills who can contribute to the society in a more meaningful manner. Therefore, this program provides the correct approach to evaluate quantitative and qualitative factors and help meet business solutions.

Achievements: Apart from the professional achievements stated, below are the academic honors I received:

- Cleared the 2nd Phase of International Assessment of Mathematics for Schools conducted by the University Of New South Wales, Australia in year 2000

- Merit holder of National Mathematics Olympiad in year 2000 and acquired 84% which was conducted by Delhi Association of Mathematics Teachers

- Selected in National Mathematics Olympiad in year 2002 

Social Cause: In my previous organization, I was a member of the social team which visited 'The Sunderbans' after the Aila Cyclone to help the people residing there and help them rebuild the area. Also, I am a regular member with the blood donation camps and donate blood at least twice a year.

--- Essay/GD/Interview ---

Date: 18-Nov-2012

Location: IIFT, Kolkata

Essay Topic: Global meltdown and its impact on India

GD Topic: Democracy is a hindrance to economic progress of India

Gave points regarding:

- Coalition Government Hindrances

- Government Policies on SEZ, FDI in Retail

- Corruption in India

Interview: 3 People on the Panel

Q1) Why you want to pursue this course?

- Gave few pointers

Q2) As I am QA Analyst, asked about Six Sigma?

- Spoke about Six Sigma

- Motorola

- Green Belt

- Black Belt

Q3) Present economic condition in China?

I actually goofed up on this question. I could have answered better.

Q4) Since I am from IT Industry, asked about SEZ's. Duties and Taxes related to SEZ's etc.

- I had a session on SEZ, so that helped me in giving the answers.

That’s it. I believe around 12-15 minutes of interview. The IIFT interview panel was very good. The interaction was more on a one to one basis with others reading and going through my application form.

Result Date: 27-Nov-2012

Verdict: Got Through :)

I still don't know how long this Executive course will take me in my career and I am gearing up for a multi-tasking role both as a Professional and Student. I plan to specialize in International Marketing and International Supply Chain Management (SCM) with in-depth knowledge on International Business.