Job Interview - The First Encounter

On the mentioned backdrop, I asked the interviewer permission to enter the room. He welcomed me with a handshake and asked me to have a seat. Just as a host of a game show, he explained the rules of the game.
Rules:
1. 10-15 minutes is the interview time.
2. Short Questions, Short Answers expected
3. Feedback would be provided.

Having grasped (nothing much to be) the rules, I gave my CV to him. He started with reiteration of he facts mentioned in the CV like the senior secondary percentage, my rank at IIT-JEE, my CGPA. As he went through the projects he asked me to talk a little bit about them. I mentioned in brief what the project was about and what were my responsibilities as well as achievements in the project. The final line of my CV had the mention of ‘Keeping track of Stock Markets’ as my interest. From there on the QA session started. (The job profile was related to the stock markets)

Note: I: Interviewer; AA: Myself

I: How do you keep track of stock markets?
AA: The Economic Times and CNBC TV18.

I: What is the stock price of Yahoo! (I did my internship at Yahoo!)
AA: I mainly look at Indian Stock Markets (where Yahoo! is not listed). But I do know that it is not fairing that well due to the competition from Google.

I: Choose any two stocks
AA: Reliance and ONGC

I: What are their 52 week high and low
AA: Reliance: 800 and 400
ONGC: 900 and 500

I: When did Reliance go down to the 52 week low?
AA: During the dispute of the Ambani brothers (The brothers used to control the company)

I: What is the latest news for the companies?
AA: ONGC has struck a gas find (2 days before) and Ambani brothers have agreed on a splitting formula for the company. (But he was looking for something else for the latter part of the answer)

I: Do you know anything about the gas find by Reliance?
AA: No. (Apparently, there was a gas find the day before. But I had not read today’s newspaper.)

I: What is the main difference in the operations of Reliance and ONGC?
AA: ONGC mainly operates outside the country while Reliance is within the country. (There is also the difference that Reliance is more into natural gas and petrochemical while ONGC is into oil and petroleum.)

I: Did you give GRE or CAT?
AA: Yes, I gave CAT but not GRE because going ahead I did want to pursue academics on the technical side.

I: So if you get selected through CAT, you would go to one of the IIMs and not join my company?
AA: I would definitely join your company for 2 reasons. Firstly, I would go to an IIM so that after completing my studies I could get into a company like yours. Secondly, you are placing me at Mumbai where my family is and where I would prefer to work. (He was not that much convinced.)

I: Now, for the feedback. You have good communication skills (wonder how he got that), analytical skills, pretty clear about your career etc. The negative thing is that I fear I may lose you to an MBA. So, if at the end of the day I do not shortlist you it would be because of this.

Thanking him I went out of the room and asked the next person to go in. I was sure that the one negative thing he had mentioned was negative enough to spell my doom. I wondered (then and not now) if I should not have mentioned giving the CAT. Now I had to wait so that once the shortlist comes, I may have to go for the second round of interview which I did and …