Why do you want to start your career in Sales after completing your B. Tech. in Mechanical Engineering?

Byju’s Business Development Associate Placement Experience

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Posted by FirstNaukri Jun 26, 2018

Company: Byju’s
Profile: Business Development Associate
Salary: 7 to 9 Lakhs Per Annum

Place: UEM

Number of Rounds: 2

Result: Not selected

Application process
I applied for the position of a Business Development Associate with Byju’s online. Since I am a fresher, this was the first off campus interview I attended, and the process took about 5 days to complete. Venue for the campus drive was BYJU’S Bangalore head office and it took place only this year in the month of February.

Read the latest interview questions faced by a fresher at Persistent.

Interview rounds
I had to undergo three rounds. These rounds have been described in detail below.

Aptitude Round – Questions asked in this round were based on basic level logic-related concepts. These included topics from both Mathematics and Science. During my preparation, I thoroughly revised my 10^th standard math and science books. Side by side, I also wanted to practice aptitude and reasoning books by R.S. Agarwal. But I could not find enough time to do so.

Group discussion – In my GD round, 10 of us (including me) were asked to discuss about people who are making India proud. We were instructed to focus majorly on the people who are working out of India, especially the ones who have brought glory to our motherland in the recent past. I spoke about Priyanka Chopra because she has become a very famous actress both in Hollywood and Bollywood. I also mentioned that she was crowned Miss World in 2000. I think I should have spoken about some business tycoons, athletes and Indian origin politicians in other nations. A quick tip for the GD round – please do not get overexcited. Before plunging into the discussion, clear your mind and jot down all the valid points on a piece of paper. Try to think straight, speak upfront confidently and do not show any hesitation.

HR round – The HR round had two separate personal interview rounds. In the first one I was interviewed by a senior executive and second one was a VP level interaction.

Interview questions I faced in the HR round and how I answered them

Tell me about yourself.

Answer: This is your golden opportunity show that you and your interviewer are both on the same page. Don’t forget to speak about your achievements in the recent past to help set your case.

Sell me a pen

Answer: Answer confidently when you face the ‘Sell me this pen’ question. Use simple sentences and some humor to communicate your idea properly. For instance, say – “Only last week I shipped 10 boxes of these premium quality pens to Elon Musk’s office. This is my last piece. You can try it out for a week and then pay me. If you are unhappy, let me know I will personally come back to pick it up and it won’t cost you a dime.”

Why do you want to start your career in Sales after completing your B. Tech. in Mechanical Engineering?

Answer: My answer was very honest but I feel it worked. I told my interviewer clearly that I realized I was a peoples’ person in my B. Tech and Sales was a career that actually paid a person for being talkative! I told him clearly that building rapport with people is my forte as I loved interacting with all kinds of people in my batch, campus, and also during fests and workshops.

What is the difference between marketing and sales?

Answer: Even though both the fields are different, they are closely interlinked as they aim jointly at increasing revenue. I have seen that in small organizations, the same team handles both Sales and Marketing assignments. While Marketing paves a way to reach customers and build long lasting relationship, selling products to customers is Sales. Hence, in a way Sales is the result of Marketing.

How will you sell our app?

Answer: I will join communities patronized by parents and students so that I can understand their requirements better. I will sync up with the Marketing team and add these inputs into their overall messaging. I will also understand Byju’s social media outreach and sync up with the calendar for tracking. This will help me tap onto leads when they are piping hot! When I call up these leads, I will not just talk but also listen to their version of the story and try to drive the conversation on these lines. On the contrary, when I pitch to a small business owner like a school or tuition center, my messaging will be crisp, business centric and loaded with points about the app’s innovative features.

Tell me three things about yourself which will make me hire you.

Answer: I spoke about my accomplishments, my passions and my friend circle. I could have answered this question better but it’s just an afterthought. Make sure you don’t ramble and stay alert during the conversation.

Why don’t you go for higher studies?

Answer: Again, be honest. The HR interview person knows that you are attending an interview because you want the job. Still they ask a question to confuse you and break your confidence. Don’t let the pressure test demoralize you.

My learnings from this Byju’s interview
I did not face a technical round, as a result of which my interviewer focused a lot on sales-oriented questions. I tried to answer them in the best possible manner. I do not have any previous experience in Sales and I assumed the interviewer knew about it. I should have tried to sound more convincing and sold myself better. That is where I feel I lacked. Below are some of my learning from this off-campus interview.
In order to successfully crack your interview at Byju’s, you must be thorough with all your basics:-

Have clear concepts about whatever you speak and please do not bluff.

Try to back up your points with statistics and logic so that you sound more convincing.

Don’t let the interviewer know you are nervous inside. And even if you feel anxious, handle your stress like a boss.

Giving correct answers may be important but portraying a positive attitude consistently throughout the interview is more important. Therefore, don’t be hyper. Before answering kindly clear your mind, be straight forward and don’t hesitate to speak. You will notice everything will fall in place correctly. All the best!