INTERVIEW SIMPLIFIED...

One of the most discussed topics across the globe is ‘Job Interviews’. One, who appears for and the other, who takes the interview, have their viewpoints and they are rarely shy to discuss the same. Lot of reading and self- help material is available which can be used by job aspirants.

This essay mainly tries to deal with students likely to undergo the campus placements.  They are freshers. Very little exposure and understanding of what is waiting for them. So far, they are treated with a kid glove approach by parents, usual indifference of the teachers, and a lot of one-sided feedback by their seniors. Nothing is intentional, but it still hurts.  

 Yet, when you actually get in the interview room you suddenly find that you are very lonely, nervous and most likely stressed. You also feel very cold which is not only because of the AC. You also find that you are in a vacuum of intellectual inertia. What you very certainly knew before you entered the room has suddenly deserted you and you feel that you are sure to look and sound like a fool.  

If you feel so, please be sure that you are in a majority.

Very few of the working people today can say something worthwhile about their interviews with some pride. They would tell you that given another chance they would have done better rather than what they actually did.

Let us try and understand the whole process in a very simple way. 

Would it help you to clear the interview?

May be!

In and Out:

Whatever little experience I have about attending, giving, taking and training interviews tells me that it is a very simple process if you keep it simple. There is only one fact. Either you are “In” or “Out”. There is no ATKT, grace marks, condos and generally no second chances.

If you are ‘in’ you are so called salvaged. And if you are ‘out’ please be sure to know that there would be always another chance. But the chance would help you only if you change for the better in between the two chances. If you keep on repeating the same approach and mistakes which has so far failed then very rarely you would produce different result. So, are you ready to change? Are you ready to stretch? Are you ready to study once again? Are you ready to go back to basics? Are you ready to adapt to what they (as recruiters) want, rather than what you think you have?

Interview simplified!

Please understand that in a short span of 15 to 20 minutes the interviewer would be mainly concentrating on finding out whether you fit in the general picture of the job profile. And he cannot check everything about you. He also depends upon certain thumb rules and precedents. There is something called as law of averages, the region you belong to, the previous experiences about your colleges, the performances of your worthy seniors, contribute to your success. The Image of the Institute is the single largest factor which contributes to the campus selections of students, when everything else remains same.

Time Division:

In any standard interview the time divisions are very important. The first two minutes are extremely vital as they can give a clue to the interviewer about what you are and whether you are interesting enough to proceed further. The next part is generally about your education, to be closely followed by your projects. You have by now consumed about 10 to 12 minutes. If the interviewer wishes he may ask you about your hobbies, extracurricular activities. The final impression is formed by the questions on the subject knowledge and in what way and language you are answering the same.  

Projects:

Most of the professional students present a very light-hearted approach to the projects they submit for their degrees. They regret their mistake for the whole of remaining working life. The project is the nearest thing to actually working in the company, hence carries a lot of weight in the selection process. If you have actually done something serious it generally reflects on your face. It helps to prepare the project part very very seriously. The readymade projects sold in the market only benefit the ones who sell them to the vulnerable students.

The last things:

By now the panelist is on the verge of deciding whether you are in or out. The last thing checked is about your fixations, prejudices, attitudes and attributes. Are you rigid or flexible? Are you able to listen? What is your temper? Would you work unconditionally? Would you be in blame mold? Are you satisfied with the salary component? Would you work in shifts? Would you work in junior supervisory cadre? Would you work under a female boss? Are you aware about continuous evaluation? Would you work in interior towns? There are number of attitude check questions which need some in depth analysis before you can answer them in a correct way. The process of interview is linked with each component in a sort of treasure hunt. Unless you clear one step you are not allowed in next. One mistake in one clue and you are out of the hunt.

Ready for rejection:

After you do everything right you may feel that you are bound to be selected. It is not so! You may still be rejected. Why? Because there are others who might have performed better! Or there might be illogical things which cause your downfall. Be prepared for all such eventualities. The good thing is that even today at least in private sector good sense generally prevails and that reflects in the selections.

Common Ground:

You have understood that in this process of 15 to 20 minutes which decides your future you are supposed to speak about yourselves for the better part of the interview. What you have done, what are achievements, why you selected your branch, what your hobbies, what is your family background are the things you talk about. Nobody can challenge your statements unless they are foolish. So, the only common ground is your knowledge about domain subjects. You are expected to know about and the interviewer generally knows better than you. So, he is in a position to evaluate whether you have done anything worthwhile in the tenure of your degree. It is not how you parrot but how you explain generally helps. The comprehension rather than reproduction is valued.

In a process where you have to deal most of the time with you and your skills and knowledge, how can you explain your fear and failure? Whatever happens, you are supposed to know at least yourself. You should not and cannot fail, if you take some basic steps and counsel yourself regularly.

So, all the best!