What does it take for an MBA student to get the best placement in his college?

How do you impress interviewers from a Paris-based investment bank?

Parth Agarwal secured the highest domestic salary of Rs 1.6 million per annum, among Faculty of Management Studies graduates, from Paris-based Calyon Bank.

He chatted with Get Ahead readers about how he got there during a chat on March 15.

• MBA topper spills secret of success

For those of you who missed the chat, here's the transcript.

Parth Agarwal says,  Hi. This is Parth, and I am ready to take your questions!

Deb asked, hi Parth,The recent trend shows that many IIM students chose to do 2nd MBA abroad,esp from top colleges.whats the reson behind it.

Parth Agarwal answers, The reason is that it gives their career a more global perspective. But now ,with so many foreign companies coming to recruit, and Indian institutes becoming global, we should see a decline in that trend.

karl asked, hey how ya going? how to negotiate salaries mate?

Parth Agarwal answers, Hi Karl, as we're B-school fresh graduates, we are not allowed to negotiate for salaries.

Mani asked, Hey parth..i will be doing my summers at ITC for 2 months..can u give some suggestions and tips as to how to go a bout it..

Parth Agarwal answers, Hi Mani. First of all congratulations for the placement. ITC is a great place to work. There are no specifis tips -- it depends on the kind of project you have. Just remember one thing that two months is a very short duration of time. So don't try to do too many things. Stick to what has been given to you. And always be in the good books of your guide.

Mani asked, hi parth..these days u find many people rejecting foreign offers to stay back in india..is that becoming a trend these days?

Parth Agarwal answers, Yes, indeed it is becoming a trend. Today, India is the place to be.

gaurant asked, what shld we put in our cv to make it attractive k

Parth Agarwal answers, Make it interesting for the reader. Try to add projects, social service initiatives, extracurricular activites, hobbies, etc, to academics. Basically, indicate an all-rounded personality.

vijay asked, Hi parth, Can you explain further about your quote "having command on your CV". Thanks in advance

Parth Agarwal answers, Hi Vijay, good to have you here. By that phrase I meant you should know your CV very well. Everything written on your CV can be picked up by the interviewer and you can be grilled on it. The best thing is to give yourself many interviews; cross question yourself on each and every point!

sat asked,  Hi Parth..can u tell me abt. ur educational background,work-ex..

Parth Agarwal answers, Hi sat. I have done my schooling from St George's college, Mussoorie, a boarding school, then B Com from H R College Mumbai. Worked for a year with J P Morgan.

Anirudh asked, as an aspiring MBA what are the main things a student should consider or take care of so that he/she gets a good placement at the end of his academic period??

Parth Agarwal answers, Make sure that you try not to take a break after your graduation. Utilise it by working somewhere; it helps in the interviews.

dinesh asked, what is your advise to the people who could not get through IIM but heve thrust desire to grow like you.

Parth Agarwal answers, It does not really matter whether you are from IIM or any other Ivy league. Once you are in the industry, it's your hardwork and soft skills that matter.

sidd asked, First of all congtraz on being the topper parath...I heard there has been a slump in the Job takers this season,coz lot off the passouts now opt to become entrepreneurs of their own...wat is your idea abt it?

Parth Agarwal answers, No, nothing like that. It's just media hype.

nishank asked, first of all heartiest congratulations for begging the prestigous salary and post. Just tell us what the companies find in a candidate for such a job??

Parth Agarwal answers, You just need to show your passion for the job. Also show them how you would benefit and how the company would benefit from you.

deepak asked, I am engineer working for Indian Railways, working as a senior supervisor for last 4 years. What are the prospect of pursuing an MBA course for me?

Parth Agarwal answers, You have good prospects. Colleges look for people from diverse backgrounds. There are doctors doing MBA, so certainly you too have a good chance.

honey asked, Hi, parth Congrats a lot.... How u prepared for entrance??

Parth Agarwal answers, I fixed my daily schedule of studies for around 3-4 hours and stuck to it. Since I was working, I made sure that I made maximum use of weekends.

pramod asked,  My son is in XIth with science. Can you kindly advise how to motivate him for doing MBA. So far I find he is undecided about career

Parth Agarwal answers, Hello Mr Pramod. Eleventh grade is too early to motivate your child for an MBA. First, let him do his graduation. Then, probably, he himself would be the best judge of what he wants to do.

kanishka asked, Hi Parth i have done my BE(computerscience)and working as a management trainee. i am confused whether to do my MBA regular or correspondence? also wat is the scope of international business?

Parth Agarwal answers, It will be good if you can do a regular MBA. Correspondnce does not help much.

Murali asked, Hi Congrats, do you think Investment banking area is well dealt in all IIM classes and that is why lot of offers are in these are as during placements

Parth Agarwal answers, Yes Murali. Plus IIMs have a good alumni network in these I-banks.

Ruta asked, Hi parth, I am a software professional with 1.5 years of exp, did MCA . I posses good communicational skills and leadership skills and often think about doing an MBA and switching to marketing or General Management. Need ur advice on: 1. When shud i go for MBa, now or after 3-4 years work ex? 2. Which stream ?

Parth Agarwal answers, It'll be good if you can do your MBA now. I think you have enough work-ex. Moreover, in India, most good colleges prefer people with not too many years of work-ex. You can do IT + finance.

AnilK asked, i am having 2 years of work exp in software development. Kindly suggest how to prepare for these exams as it is very difficult to keep a balance between work and dedicated preparation.

Parth Agarwal ans wers, I was working too. You need to take advantage of weekends.

samrat asked, Can you please provide me to serach Good Jobs..? How to find properly..?

Parth Agarwal answers, You can visit jobsites...

andy asked, how to answer the questions regarding strengths and weakness

Parth Agarwal answers, Try to ask your friends about your strengths and weaknesses and give real life examples of each.

Parth Agarwal says, This is all we have time for today. It was nice chatting with you. Goodbye.