Personal Question Answers

PSP Series

[Preparation for Summer Placements]

General Questions

Instructions:

• The soft copy is to be mailed to prepteam@mdi.ac.in by EOD 10 July 2016

• File naming convention        : __PSP-01
• Mail subject line                : __PSP-01

• Font: Garamond | Font size: 12  |  Line Spacing: 1.5
• Spaces provided for the answers are only indicative
• All the questions are mandatory

Name                :    Vinayak Oleti        

Roll No.        :     16P233

[pic 1]

Question 1:

Tell me something about yourself.

Prepare two answers for this question – One answer is to tell about yourself in 1 minute or less. The other answer is to tell about yourself as much as you can.

Short Answer :  

Hi, I am Vinayak. I have spent my growing years in multiple cities, primarily in Calcutta and Chennai.  I have done my graduation from Loyola College in Chennai , where I majored in Finance. During my college days I was one of the key representatives of the college at various business competitions and have won accolades for the college in those competitions. I was recognized by my institution for my contribution to the same.

From a career perspective, I have worked for 22 months. I spent 10 months at D.E.Shaw and Company at their Hyderabad office as an Associate in the Financial Operations team. I then went on to work for a boutique financial advisory firm called Consark Advisory Services in Chennai for one year. I have done a couple of internships as well – one at a private equity firm and another at financial consulting firm.

My key interests are blogging about business and strategy, playing tennis and playing the guitar.

Long Answer

My name is Vinayak Oleti. I was born in Rourkela, Odisha. Technically, I belong to two states. My Mother is from Odisha and my Father is from Andhra Pradesh. I have spent around 10 years in Kolkata and did my schooling there until Standard 7 there and then moved to Chennai. I have done my graduation from Loyola College in Chennai , where I majored in Finance.

From a career perspective, I have worked for 22 months. I spent 10 months at D.E.Shaw and Company at their Hyderabad office as an Associate in the Financial Operations team. I then went on to work for a boutique financial advisory firm called Consark Advisory Services in Chennai for one year. I have done a couple of internships as well – one at a private equity firm and another at a financial consulting firm. My core interests are strategy and finance. I have always been keen on understanding different businesses , how companies create value and ensure sustainability.

I run a blog about business and strategy. The concept of the blog emanated from my desire to develop a structured thought process via writing and also gain insight into various industries and business models and share the same with others.

I was the lead guitarist of my school and college bands and have won various inter-school competitions. I have played various independent music shows as well. Additionally, I was one of the founding members of the first Tamil Rock band in Chennai, and received significant recognition and press coverage for the same.

I have been playing tennis since the age of 8 and have represented my school in national level tournaments and was ranked 6th in State of Bengal in the Under 14 category. I also won the coveted Master Series Title - a league/knockout tournament for the Top 8 players of the State.

Question 2:

Mention 3 strengths. State one instance demonstrating each.

Risk-taker

I left my job at D.E. Shaw and Company , one of the biggest hedge funds in the world for a better opportunity at Consark Advisory , a financial consulting firm. The transition from a cushy job D.E Shaw  to one at a boutique advisory firm tested my resilience. Letting go of the perquisites of an MNC job was not easy. However, I have grown immensely on a personal level and developed my professional skills-set. This instance exemplifies my ability to take calculated risks and follow my interests.

Go- Getter and Quick Learner

My experience as a musician has taught me the importance of getting things done fast and getting them done well. I am a self-taught guitarist and have learnt the instrument primarily through YouTube and other online resources. I have pushed myself to learn until I perfect the song that I want to learn. The need to further my ability as a guitarist has helped me define success in non-monetary terms and develop an unwavering commitment to being better than yesterday.

Team  Player

Creating music with a band has taught me invaluable lessons. I have learnt that the best products are the outcomes of a team which does not stray from its core purpose and most importantly , a team that approaches its work with unfiltered honesty. Anything lesser , would only lead to outcomes which are contrived.

Question 3:

Mention 3 weaknesses. State what you’ve been doing/planning to do to overcome the same.

Inability to say ‘No’

Sometimes it becomes difficult for me to say no directly to people. As a result, I end up taking on tasks that I could have avoided in the first place. I believe there is a thin line between being helpful and being susceptible to the pressure of always saying ‘yes’. I have been trying to overcome this by learning how to politely handle such situations and offer my best possible solution without hampering my schedule.