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IIT IIM Graduate Shares How Harry Potter Helped Him Crack B-School Interviews

byAkanksha Agarwal
12th August 2020
2 minute read

Potterheads, have you ever met people who think the books are childish? And when you tried to explain to them that the magical world weaved in the story is so much more than that, were they still unconvinced? Well, next time be sure to show them this story.

Rohan Jain, a graduate from IIT Kanpur and IIM Ahmedabad, recently talked about having read each Harry Potter book at least 7 times and also went on to narrate how they helped him crack 3 business school interviews.

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Harry Potter got me into IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta. Let me explain. There was a time when I used to pride myself on the fact that I have read each Harry Potter book at least seven times, and could recite quotes and stories by heart. IIMA – The panelists asked me about my hobbies, and I mentioned about reading books. I spent the next 10 minutes quoting instances from the Harry Potter series. That part of the interview really helped break the ice. The panelists even jokingly asked me if I had a crush on Emma Watson! IIMB – The interview wasn't going that well. The panelists suddenly decided to ask me about my favourite book, and that changed the tone of the interview. I spent the next 20 minutes explaining how much I had learned from Harry Potter, and how those learnings could be useful in management. By the end of the interview, the panelists were impressed. IIMC – Here also, I spent around 10 minutes just speaking about Harry Potter. Harry Potter has helped me take control of most of the interviews I have given, because that was one subject where I usually knew much more than the panelists. I might not have received the admission letter from Hogwarts, but Harry Potter still ended up filling my life with magic. Happy birthday, Harry Potter! #harrypotterbirthday #harrypotter #magic #hogwarts #potterhead #jkrowling #repost #nostalgia #iima #iimb #iimc #motivation

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Harry Potter got me into IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, and IIM Calcutta. Let me explain.

There was a time when I used to pride myself on the fact that I have read each Harry Potter book at least seven times, and could recite quotes and stories by heart.

IIMA – The panelists asked me about my hobbies, and I mentioned about reading books. I spent the next 10 minutes quoting instances from the Harry Potter series. That part of the interview really helped break the ice. The panelists even jokingly asked me if I had a crush on Emma Watson!

IIMB – The interview wasn’t going that well. The panelists suddenly decided to ask me about my favourite book, and that changed the tone of the interview. I spent the next 20 minutes explaining how much I had learned from Harry Potter, and how those learnings could be useful in management. By the end of the interview, the panelists were impressed.

IIMC – Here also, I spent around 10 minutes just speaking about Harry Potter.

Harry Potter has helped me take control of most of the interviews I have given because that was one subject where I usually knew much more than the panelists. I might not have received the admission letter from Hogwarts, but Harry Potter still ended up filling my life with magic.

Soon, other people also shared how the books helped them in improving their vocabulary, ignite an interest in management, and getting through professional hurdles.

How has Harry Potter helped you achieve your dreams?

Cover Image Source – left, right

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