Allen John Maniyamkott was about to call it a day on December 1, his 21st birthday, when he got the biggest birthday present of all time: A job offer from Amsterdam-based financial firm Optiver. The final semester B Tech student at the IIT Bombay is only one of the two Indians to land the plum post this year with an annual salary of about Rs 80 lakh and additional perks.
The student from Paroppadi near Kozhikode has been appointed as a derivative trader after tedious rounds of placement tests and interviews that lasted 18 days. Optiver was among the companies that conducted placement tests at the IIT Bombay on the first day of recruitment.
Though 700 students submitted their resumes for the tests, the company shortlisted only half of them. Allen was one of them. The mechanical engineering student excelled in the maths numerical test that demanded answers for 80 objective type questions in eight minutes. Allen got it all while half of the candidates lost out.
Allen was one of the 24 candidates who survived a logical reasoning test and a written test. They were divided into three groups and made to compete among each other in a card game related to share trading. A dozen on them survived the final test to proceed to the interviews.
The first round of interview centred on mathematical puzzles, probability and speed math games. The second round was an HR interview which also examined the candidate’s financial expertise and general knowledge. The devaluation of the yuan, the debt crisis in Greece and the oil price crash were all subjects of the interview. Allen said his habit of regular newspaper reading paid.
The interview board also put into use stress interview techniques. The interviewers sounded intimidating. They gave you looks even if you answered them right, Allen said. The trick was to assess the confidence level of the candidate. Rapid-fire questions were another stress technique.
Allen said he was also helped by his knowledge of French and German. IIT offers courses in both these languages. Allen became candid when he was asked about his limitations. He said he was not good at public speaking. He also said he was trying to overcome the limitation by working as a teaching assistant at the IIT. He earned Rs 6,000 per month for taking four classes in computer science and modern physics for juniors.
Early dreamer, achiever
Allen started dreaming of IIT when he was in ninth standard. He went through the syllabus and mastered the basics with the support from his brother.
He went to Chennai to do a plus-one course with a plan. He secured the KVPY scholarship for higher studies. He came 343rd in the IIT entrance exam in 2012 and 22nd in the engineering entrance exam in Kerala.
Allen was an early achiever. He had come second in a quiz competition organised by the Union non-conventional energy department when he was studying at the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kozhikode.
Allen is the son of John Antony, who was a deputy registrar at the Calicut University, and Nancy Varghese, a teacher. His elder brother Amal is pursuing a rural MBA course in the Institute of Rural Management (IRMA) at Anand in Gujarat.
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