Tag: Nitesh Srivastava

How not to get an internship at Google

By: Nitesh Srivastava

This photo was taken either during the first week of my internship, or shortly before security arrived to escort me off the premises. (Photo courtesy Nitesh Srivastava)

My colleagues here at MBA IRISH ECHOES asked me to write about the famed Google interview process, given that I interned with Google Fiber during my time in the Notre Dame MBA program. Here is my story. Full disclosure: I may or may not have embellished some of the details.

I never liked using Google or other online search engines. I always preferred instead to shout my questions at passersby on the street, or (as is high fashion nowadays) to make up my own facts. However, when I received an email in February 2016 that Google wanted to interview me for a marketing internship with Google Fiber, I figured that visiting www.google.com might be a prudent first step in preparing for the interview. I regained consciousness some days later with dozens of tabs open in my browser, my keyboard imprinted on the side of my face, and my phone informing me that my interview began in five minutes.  Continue reading “How not to get an internship at Google”

Here’s every case study that you will read in business school

By: Nitesh Srivastava

Pseudonym Inc.’s headquarters in Anytown, USA. (Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

Many classes in the Notre Dame MBA program (as well as other MBA programs) involve reading and analyzing case studies. For those of you not familiar with case studies, they often look like this:

INTRODUCTION

John Smith, CEO of Pseudonym Inc., stared out his office window on a Friday morning. He had just gotten off the phone with someone who had conveyed a really dire business problem to him. Would Pseudonym Inc. go bankrupt? Do CEOs actually stare out the window every time they get a phone call?

BACKGROUND

Pseudonym Inc. was founded in the 1970s by Steve Gobs. It had a breakthrough product in the 1980s with the Banana II personal toaster oven. In the 2000s, it revolutionized the personal toaster oven category with the jPod and the jPhone, which fit in consumers’ pockets and allowed them to heat up individual nachos or small handfuls of chestnuts on the go. This poorly disguised company history will be of no help in solving the case.  Continue reading “Here’s every case study that you will read in business school”

The war for team rooms in Mendoza, part 2

By: Nitesh Srivastava

Artist’s rendering of the Battle for Team Room 143, the geopolitical repercussions of which are still being felt throughout Mendoza today. (Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)

In the Notre Dame MBA program, students have exclusive access to team rooms in the Mendoza building where they can work on group projects together. Given the high demand for these rooms and the relatively low supply, the fight for these rooms often reduces students to their basest instincts. These are their stories.

Read Part I here.

After much politicking and the deployment of a complex pulley system, my friend Bill and I had claimed a team room so we could work on our marketing project. Unfortunately, I dozed off during my shift guarding the door. When I woke up and peeked through the window in the door, a horde of entrepreneurship students had amassed outside the room.

“Bill, I need your help!” I cried heroically.

“Just a minute. I’m close to a breakthrough,” Bill said as he entered really, really complex marketing formulas into an Excel spreadsheet.  Continue reading “The war for team rooms in Mendoza, part 2”

The war for team rooms in Mendoza, part 1

By: Nitesh Srivastava

Team rooms in Mendoza are worth their weight in gold. (Photo courtesy Nitesh Srivastava)

In the Notre Dame MBA program, students have exclusive access to team rooms in the Mendoza building where they can work on group projects together. Given the high demand for these rooms and the relatively low supply, the fight for these rooms often reduces students to their basest instincts. These are their stories.

I needed to work with my friend Bill on a marketing project the other day, but all the team rooms were occupied. “No worries,” I told Bill. “Many of these rooms only have one student in them, in clear violation of the rules. As Notre Dame MBA candidates, we will use our newfound persuasive communication skills to convince them to leave. Follow me.” I opened the door to the closest team room and said hello.  Continue reading “The war for team rooms in Mendoza, part 1”

Five media outlets to read to succeed in business school

By: Nitesh Srivastava

As if you didn’t get enough to read from your classes. (Photo courtesy Nitesh Srivastava)

In the Notre Dame MBA program, students have the option to subscribe at a discount to The Wall Street Journal. Here are five other media outlets that people interested in business may find helpful in their academic and professional development:

1. Poets and Quants – For prospective MBA students, this one-stop shop for business school news, insights, and rankings is a vital tool for determining what program is the right fit for them. For current MBA students, it is a good resource for keeping tabs on the competition.

2. Bloomberg News – Originally, Bloomberg News was a financial news service intended for Bloomberg Terminal users. Today, it covers a broader range of topics for a more general audience. In 2009, Bloomberg News purchased the magazine Businessweek, which has since been rebranded Bloomberg Businessweek.  Continue reading “Five media outlets to read to succeed in business school”