12 years ago, around this time of the year was when I applied and interviewed for a couple of government scholarships. I just finished my national service, and was working part-time at a small company selling household water filters. I was reminded of the case interview that was part of the selection process.
The question was around the strategy to brand and market a company involved in green beer manufacturing. I went all out on a branding campaign built around St Patrick’s Day, the celebratory mood, appealing to the Irish ancestry and all. And the directors and Assistant CEO nodded without batting an eyelid while I went through the presentation.
When I left the interview and met a friend who also just went through it, I asked him how he approached the topic. To my great embarrassment, he mentioned he talked about the circular economy, targeting consumers who were conscious about the environment and so on.
I guess the directors at IE Singapore were certainly open-minded if not mildly amused by me. Either by my strange general knowledge about the Irish or the creative approach I took with the topic. Either way, I was actually offered a scholarship and the rest is history.