How work experience helps in CAT & IIM A?

Hi CAT aspirants,
I received many queries on the WORK EXPERIENCE and if it is important! Moreover, some CAT aspirants asked me how WORK EX helps in IIMA life. Here is a post on WORK EX!

Yes, WORK EX helps! At least 20% have work ex of more than 2 years every year here. With quality work ex from a reputed company (like HLL, HCL, Cognizant, etc.) you can crack CAT personal interviews of IIM-A, B and C even with a 98 percentile score. Cracking IIMs with 98 percentile is next to impossible for a fresher!

How does Work Ex help to crack PI?

Well most of the questions asked will be restricted to your work experience. Hence you can give quality answer to the questions. For a fresher the range of questions that can be asked becomes very broad. Hence, strategically work ex provides an advantage to the IIM aspirants.

Moreover, if the work ex is entrepreneurial in nature, the more are your chances.

How Work Ex helps in IIMA life?

It helps in class participation. Here the evaluation mechanism is a continuous one. In every class you have to take part in class discussions of the cases and your marks are based on the quality of your arguments. If you can relate your personal experience with the case being studied, nothing like it!

But, freshers need not to panic. I provided you the stats in a previous post. Nearly 80 are either fresher or with 1-3 months of work ex. Moreover, being a fresher helps in getting into investment banks. I haven't seen till date people with over 2 years of work ex getting into ML, DB, or LB. These investment banks have a fascination for freshers.

In consultancy jobs, however, the game is in favour of work ex holders. They are hired more as consultants and that too with a good reason!

The highest salary-holders you come to read in newspapers are mostly work ex persons. Last year one IPS officer with over 7 years of work ex got a 30 lakh plus domestic salary offer! But, if you consider his age - by the time you reach that age, you too would be earning that salary. So, in the long run, freshers are not losing out to the work ex holders - that's the bottom line!

Keep sending your suggestions and questions. I am really overwhelmed by the wonderful response I got!
Cheers
Boss@IIMA