At times i forget that its very hard to expect people to accept me as even an insane person and especially in scenes of interview. Before proceeding any further, me no rebel. I am not out here to change the world, leave alone myself. And i am not even in the same pincode of being active. Irunthaalum..there are some quirkiness of the regular systems which makes me nervous to the extent that..when forced to act normal to adhere to those rules i actually end up on the wrong side of the rule more often :(
We had a walkin interview session at our aapice recently. If there is a place to study people, venue of any interview, especially walk-ins would be THE best place. The kind of stress and pressure which people undergo to get a job..uhumm..livelihood..its tremendous. And if you want to pick out your choice of fake people..the options would be aplenty :) Not just the resumes..most of the people themselves act so fake that, it pains to see the kind of things people do to get jobs. I want to share somethings i do while attending interviews. Follow panna solli illai..panna koodathunnu sollavum illai. Its what i do when in such situations. I feel comfortable doing/being like this. This is definitely NOT a sermon post. The very first interview which i attended for my first job is one such example.
There were around 8 people who got selected for the interview from our center. After finishing the tests, we were told that there had been change in schedule and the second round was postponed. While leaving the premises we surrendered our temporary ID badges. The security officer asked whether we will be coming back. I said yes while all others mumbled No. I felt guilty of having given the wrong answer in the group. I gave the security aapicer my infamous asattu grin and nervously walked back. I was the only person to get callback for the second round.
The second round was even more torturous. Luckily for me, my neighbours kid(NK) had also got selected for the same kambeni for a higher post, him being an year senior to me. My mom wudnt've fussed more on my dress had i been a girl getting married. I was forced into a well pressed formal wear with matching shoes :(( and NK was given strict instructions to make sure i behave NORMALLY. I guess that was the ONLY interview i went on time, infact an hour early i guess. I almost slept by the time the rounds began and NK was called first. He came back with a flustered look and told me that the interviewer was very chaalu and he easily found that his was a fake resume. I couldnt understand then that why would he fake his resume. I felt that was one thing less for me to fear as i had nothing to show in mine, being a fresher :) Soon came my turn. The interviewer gave one look at me and started laughing. In my little nap (read slumber) before the call, i had badly wrinkled my shirt. One hand was full cuffs and other one was rolled into half. My shoelaces were off. I almost turned back when the interviewer asked me to give him my resume. By the time the questioning began i had lost all hopes of clearing the round. While i was about to leave knowing for sure i would never again ever see this office in my life, that person told me that "Its okay to come like this once in a while on Fridays..but our HR are very strict on dress code". I couldnt understand what he meant and thought it was the corporate way of reprimanding and came out confused. They asked me to wait for a while and the offer letter was issued the same day. My fetish for dress code was born the very moment i had my hands on the letter. My many myths about interviews were shattered that day and it helped me in my career down the line especially while attending interviews. Here is a 5 point something I use for any interviews:
a) Expect delays. There were cases when i went at 9 in the morning only to wait till 5 in the evening before getting the call.
b) Very rarely the interview panel bothers whether the attendees have had their lunch. So better eat well or at least carry something to eat. Empty stomachs are breeding grounds for anger.
c) The most important document in any interview is your resume. Make sure you carry the same version (or almost similar) as the one given to the panel which shortlisted you. I often make the mistake of updating my resume AFTER getting the call :(
d) The person on the other end of the table is NOT GOD. He or she isn't born on earth to provide your bread and in 11 out of ten cases (especially in prelim rounds) you would know the subject 100 times better than the panelists who would've been mostly stop gap reps. Doesnt need to be impolite. But stop worshipping the interviewer. Surely helps while replying to the questions.
e) No interview is FINAL unless its one from death bed.
Avlo thaanga kathai surukkam. Adutha postla meetalam..Varta :)
We had a walkin interview session at our aapice recently. If there is a place to study people, venue of any interview, especially walk-ins would be THE best place. The kind of stress and pressure which people undergo to get a job..uhumm..livelihood..its tremendous. And if you want to pick out your choice of fake people..the options would be aplenty :) Not just the resumes..most of the people themselves act so fake that, it pains to see the kind of things people do to get jobs. I want to share somethings i do while attending interviews. Follow panna solli illai..panna koodathunnu sollavum illai. Its what i do when in such situations. I feel comfortable doing/being like this. This is definitely NOT a sermon post. The very first interview which i attended for my first job is one such example.
There were around 8 people who got selected for the interview from our center. After finishing the tests, we were told that there had been change in schedule and the second round was postponed. While leaving the premises we surrendered our temporary ID badges. The security officer asked whether we will be coming back. I said yes while all others mumbled No. I felt guilty of having given the wrong answer in the group. I gave the security aapicer my infamous asattu grin and nervously walked back. I was the only person to get callback for the second round.
The second round was even more torturous. Luckily for me, my neighbours kid(NK) had also got selected for the same kambeni for a higher post, him being an year senior to me. My mom wudnt've fussed more on my dress had i been a girl getting married. I was forced into a well pressed formal wear with matching shoes :(( and NK was given strict instructions to make sure i behave NORMALLY. I guess that was the ONLY interview i went on time, infact an hour early i guess. I almost slept by the time the rounds began and NK was called first. He came back with a flustered look and told me that the interviewer was very chaalu and he easily found that his was a fake resume. I couldnt understand then that why would he fake his resume. I felt that was one thing less for me to fear as i had nothing to show in mine, being a fresher :) Soon came my turn. The interviewer gave one look at me and started laughing. In my little nap (read slumber) before the call, i had badly wrinkled my shirt. One hand was full cuffs and other one was rolled into half. My shoelaces were off. I almost turned back when the interviewer asked me to give him my resume. By the time the questioning began i had lost all hopes of clearing the round. While i was about to leave knowing for sure i would never again ever see this office in my life, that person told me that "Its okay to come like this once in a while on Fridays..but our HR are very strict on dress code". I couldnt understand what he meant and thought it was the corporate way of reprimanding and came out confused. They asked me to wait for a while and the offer letter was issued the same day. My fetish for dress code was born the very moment i had my hands on the letter. My many myths about interviews were shattered that day and it helped me in my career down the line especially while attending interviews. Here is a 5 point something I use for any interviews:
a) Expect delays. There were cases when i went at 9 in the morning only to wait till 5 in the evening before getting the call.
b) Very rarely the interview panel bothers whether the attendees have had their lunch. So better eat well or at least carry something to eat. Empty stomachs are breeding grounds for anger.
c) The most important document in any interview is your resume. Make sure you carry the same version (or almost similar) as the one given to the panel which shortlisted you. I often make the mistake of updating my resume AFTER getting the call :(
d) The person on the other end of the table is NOT GOD. He or she isn't born on earth to provide your bread and in 11 out of ten cases (especially in prelim rounds) you would know the subject 100 times better than the panelists who would've been mostly stop gap reps. Doesnt need to be impolite. But stop worshipping the interviewer. Surely helps while replying to the questions.
e) No interview is FINAL unless its one from death bed.
Avlo thaanga kathai surukkam. Adutha postla meetalam..Varta :)
Comments
Laughing loud reading the way you met the panel :D...//One hand was full cuffs and other one was rolled into half. My shoelaces were off.// Still laughing :D
You hit upon a most essential quality for success in a job. Authenticity. If you fake, you will not succeed. If you are just yourself, you will. Simple. Especially if you are as good as Gils.
On your points, (a) should be a definite no-no for any company. Keeping one waiting whole day long is a waste of time (for you, even though you'll tell the interviewer in the kambaeni that you are okay with waiting) and smacks of unplannedness and unprofessionalism. :-( (b) is true. In my current kambaeni, if called for an interview, it is a day long activity, which we tell them in advance (we don't believe in walk-ins (avvlo openings illai) and we are small specialized fish (piranhasnnu vechchukkunga) when compared to the jaambavaans) and we provide them lunch as well (for all the grilling, roasting that happens inside the conference room, there is some respite in food before the fireworks begin again:-)) (c)kkum tick mark. Resumela vilaaduvaanga jananga. kaetta, "It was long time back, I cannot recollect it"nu solliduvaanga (appuram edhukku resumela pohttaangalaam? appuram, "Is that project there in the resume?"nnu kaekkaravangalum irukkaanga) (d) :-D Playing one-upmanship by either one can prove detrimental to either. :-D (e) engayO poyitteenga. :-)
Gilsappicer girls vs. boys in interviews angleai yaen kondu varalai? ;-) ;-) Just spicing up your controversy quotient. ;-)
amam, adhuenna santhadi sakkala ella interview panelistaiyum mattum thattrudhu.
I like the way sharman joshi faces the interview in '3 idiots'. absolutely confident with a genuine smile.
liked the title! unique to gils.
death bedla yaarukku interview kudukkanum emarajanukka ? appa pass nna passa ?
Nice tips for people facing interviews.. confidence is something that I feel is the most imp element.