Mu Sigma Inc. Interview Experience (On-Campus)

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get in there some day.” – A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh.

Mu Sigma Inc. is the world’s largest pure-play data analytics firm that provides business-oriented data science solutions to most of the Fortune 500 companies. The profile that we had been offered was that of a Trainee Decision Scientist- someone who is required to have a fair knowledge of Mathematics, Business and Technology.

Round 1: Fun-fact: There was a massive change in the screening pattern in the year 2019-2020. Unlike earlier years when one had to answer Psychometric Analysis, this year, a new section comprising of General Knowledge and Current Affairs was introduced.
Section 1 dealt with picking up one field out of Art and Literature, Entertainment, Sports and Current Affairs. I picked up Art and Literature as I am an avid reader and have a fair idea about classics and artwork. The questions varied from quotes of Tolstoy and Shakespeare to paintings of Da Vinci and Salvadore Dali.
Section 2 was an Aptitude round consisting of Mathematics, Data Interpretation, C/Python, English and Logical Reasoning. The level of difficulty was medium to hard.
Section 3 contained a subjective Case Study question about the factors a company has to take into consideration before launching a smart-phone. There were four essay-type questions of about 700-words each based on the analysis that you would draw from the tables they supplied. Remember, practice is the only key to success. With practice, comes speed and with speed, comes accuracy. Smart-work is no rocket science- it is an amalgamation of a proper strategy and hard work.

About 360 students were shortlisted from a total of 2200 students.

Round 2: The interviewer(s) will try their best to make you feel comfortable. For starters, he asked us what it is that made us choose to register for Mu Sigma in the first place, and how the rumors of excessive work-pressure in the organization affects us. In the Group Discussion(GD), we had to discuss about ways of increasing the sales volume of a beverage company. It doesn’t matter how many times you speak, but make sure that even if you have one point, back it up with confidence and logic. Ask yourself the 5 questions- why, what, when, where, how- and you will know what to do. After we were done explaining our strategies to the Chair, the latter will individually ask us to justify our respective approaches.

Pro-Tip: Try to take the lead during a GD, but do NOT go first. Also, do not panic. Finding a good listener is double as hard as finding a good speaker.

A total of 110 students were selected out of the former 360+.

Round 3: Within hours, I was redirected to a Technical+HR interview which lasted for about 35-40 minutes. The interviewer began with asking me whether I was tired, nervous or excited; since the procedure began at 9 in the morning and it was 11:00 p.m. back then. She asked me whether it was my first interview and why did I choose Mu Sigma above all other companies and who am I as a person. I was also asked about my projects and research papers in detail, especially the one where I had incorporated concepts of Machine Learning. Since Mu Sigma is primarily about analytics, you need to lace your battle armor with reason. I was also given another case study about a footwear-brand who plans to launch its Women-Collection for the first time. Stay as humble and modest as you can. If you don’t know the answer, be honest enough to accept it and tell them that you will make it a point to read about it when you get back home. Keep innovative answers for questions like “Why our company?” or “Tell me something about yourself.” ready. Tell them something they never expected. They wouldn’t really want to know something that is already there in your resume. That would defeat the whole purpose of asking the question, right? I was asked where I see myself after 5 years, how excited I am to be a part of the organization, what are my hobbies and how often have I stepped out of my comfort zone to learn something new. At the end, she asked me if I had any questions for her, which I did and she mitigated all my queries. Be ready for a stress interview. Be different. Remember, this is what you worked so hard for. And, RELAX!

At about 3:30 a.m., the results were announced and I happened to be one of the placed candidates. I still feel jittery and euphoric as I write about it. The entire recruitment process was a state of rediscovery for me. For those who are reading this, do not forget that patience is the solution to all your problems. There will be times of moral crisis when you will question your own credibility, but do not, for a second, let that pull you back. Study every single day. Practice quantitative aptitude, read books, skim through the news, enhance your vocabulary, keep your basics very, very clear. You do not want to be called a ‘Jack of all trades, master of none’. There is no substitute, no short cut. You might as well feel that life is unfair at times, but that shouldn’t waver your conviction to achieve what you want. Good things come to those who wait.

“May the odds be ever in your favor”.