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I still remember the day when I faced first interview of my life, it was PI (personal interview) at the FMCG conglomerate that had come for selection at our institute campus. 7 out of our 10 friends made through the interview and rest 3 of us could not. Though we were almost alike in terms of study and marks, I wondered what the reasons were for us not breaking through the interview.

Over the years, I have been on both sides of the table. Initially while giving interviews in all seriousness and then gradually taking interviews and hiring people for the companies I was working.

Though the candidates whom I have interviewed were not remarkably bad, but the ones who were eventually hired, had some common traits which made them stand out. It is also worth mentioning that these hires have had a long and fruitful associations with the companies they were hired for.

What I realized and am going to share with you is the crux to succeed in an interview. It’s always the first impression which matters most apart from self confidence and knowledge. If your first impression is positive, it means half the job done. Here are the few tips to utilize that one chance to make a good first impression:

Smile Please

If I ask you with what kind of people you would like to interact/ meet then your answer would be in adjectives like joyful, enthusiastic, eager to meet etc. Same applies with the interviewer also who is meeting with the candidate for the first time. So a good smile on face, a firm handshake and eye contact are the few ways to make you likable by the employer. And if interviewer likes you it will enhance your chances of getting the offer letter.

Chit chat

As an interviewer I have heard this answer sometimes, when I ask about the strength of candidate, “Being a talkative person I mingle with the people very well.” It means irrespective of whether you are talkative or not if you engage in small talk when meeting with the new people will always help to know each other. Small talk or chit chat with interviewer also puts both parties at ease and this small talk could be your golden chance to demonstrate your abilities/ skill and correlate them with the requirement of the job.

Do your homework

I remember the days of my childhood. I was not so regular in doing my home work given by teacher at school. So standing on bench, other punishments (like writing “I’ll do my home work regularly 100 times”) were the regular thing with me. But the day I my home work is complete I used to go with full of confidence and happiness, that means no punishment today! That way I realized doing homework is a good thing.

Translated at workplace/interview stage, whenever you go for interview you should also do your homework first. Know as much as possible about the company and the job profile by visiting company website, job posting from the company on websites like www.naukri.com , www.monster.com etc. or see the company review at www.talentequity.in Also, not to forget to know about the interviewer also (if you know who will take interview). You can look about him at various professional networking sites like www.linkedin.com or www.siliconindia.com or simply search www.google.com by his name or email id, to know more about the person.

Get ready with FAQs

One research shows that 70% of the questions are common, asked in most of the interviews. The idea behind asking those questions by the interviewer it to analyze the views, attitude and ideas of the candidate. So prepare and practice those common questions in a professional way. You also can refer to our blog to know about all these types of FAQs asked in any interview.

Walk the talk and talk the walk

Interview does not mean always to say big about your performance/achievement. Talk real and don’t forget to support your statement with proof/ figure. If you say, you have successfully achieved 120% of target of last quarter which was Rs. 80 lacs, will create a positive impact on the interviewer. So always quantify your claims of success/ achievements.

I am sure that this tips are applicable globally and will help you succeed in any interview.  Keep watching this space for more tips and resources for you

Last week one of my friends Sumit received this awful and not so unexpected news, “Effective today your services are not required. Kindly collect your belongings/ dues by the weekend”.

He immediately called me up with very stressed and frustrated voice and complained about the employer that he has worked with them for more than 4 years now and how they could do that with him!. “Please arrange some interview for me today itself”, he said. I asked him to calm down and suggested him to go home and relax.

These kinds of situations are not very uncommon these days. Getting tensed and frustrated is very obvious. But this is the time where we need to control our thoughts and respond in a cool and mature way.

Some tips what to do after you being laid off:

Be Positive:

Kind of responses like of Sumit is very obvious in these types of situations. Even if this was anticipated, you will go through many thoughts. Some negativity, anger, jealousy,frustration may come but you need to be watchful enough. Don’t let these thoughts hinder in your life. Be positive and think positive. Like there is a saying “Only a calm mind can sail you through the storm.”

Don’t take it personally:

“I have been loyal to the company and still they have asked me to go”. Don’t badmouth or think badly for your employer. That decision might be driven by bad health of the company. So don’t take it personally. The company will move on and you also should move on.

Don’t feel ashamed:

I have one friend who lost his job twice during last six months. So he started his own business and he is doing quite ok in that. If you are laid off that does not mean that you are not competent in you work, it is the end of just one chapter and you need to start new one. After a year you will think that better you lay off, that’s why you are in such a good position today.

Good time for vacation:

When I asked one of my acquaintances after he was unceremoniously dropped, what are his plans. He replied, “Since I don’t have much responsibility so I’ll utilize this break as a vacation and have some fun”. This could be the right time to spend some quality time with your family and plan for the future with a calm mind. So you can think to go for small vacation.

Go through self assessment:

Before going for a job search go through a self assessment. That will help you to put your best foot forward towards finding a matching job. Ask these questions to yourself :

- What kind of job I want?

- In which domain I want to work?

- Should I change my specialization?

Check your connections:

This is the start of the job search.  Making a comprehensive list of whom you know and where they are.  Get this organized on paper or in Microsoft Excel and start contacting them!

Good luck and do share your story with you

The most stressful part of job interview is to get stuck in those questions which are generic in nature but nevertheless difficult to answer. Here is a few answers to those questions, that should help you.

01 Tell us about yourself?
For a long time, I would go around talking about my place of birth, education and work experience etc etc. Then I  realised how silly it sounds.
Interviewers want to know the candidates skillsets, strengths and achievements in the past and how these are related to the requirement of job.
For example: “I am really passionate about my work. Whatever I do I do it with full of my dedication, determination and devotion. I am working in insurance sales for last two years and that has given me a lot confidence and taught me the importance of time management and goal setting. I have been consistently achieving my targets for the last 3 quarters. I also have organized and been part of various road shows and counseling activity for lead generation”.

02 Why are you leaving current job?
It is very easy to criticise your employers and there the interviewer deducts the marks. As a thumb rule remember to stay away from saying negative things about your former/current employer. Instead focus on the positive.

For example: “I have learned many things from my last job like team play, client management, being an efficent worker. However now I am looking for new challenges. So that I can further utilize my potential and also widen up my skill sets.”

03 What are your weaknesses?
Sitting with friends, I would say things casually. However at an interview this is a great chance for the candidate to show positive attitude. Here you can use a real examples of weaknesses you have overcome.

For example: “Initially i was quite scared of working on Excel sheets, the formula making used to frighten me, but over time I took it as a challenge and have overcome my fear of Excel and numbers. In fact I am also now responsible to manage the MIS for the sales team.”

04 What motivates you?
I have heard of movies, good food, friends as answers. But then the answer to this question should reflect the positive attitude of candidate. So rather than giving frivolous answers, focus on attitude.
For example: “ The challenge of finishing projects on time and also ensuring client satisfaction motivates me”.

05 What is your expectation in terms of salary?
Now Salary negotiation is an art. There is a good saying “You don’t get what you deserve, you only get what you negotiate.” So you should negotiate your salary very carefully. We would suggest don’t give the numbers directly.   It is good to say “based on my experience and the demand of the job I expect the appropriate range to be paid for this role.”

It is important to have and show an interest in the job profile offered. You can definitely do a small research on www.talentequity.in to know what the salary range is for the profile offered and what is the industry trends like.

Simple isn’t it?

There is a good saying “Making mistake is not a crime but not learning from the mistake is a crime”, and that my friends is very true, when it comes to resumes. A resume is your identity, that the reader sees, and creates an impression about you. So we cannot afford to make mistakes with that one, can we?

I have come across some resumes which have such silly mistakes and some grave ones, that I found it appropriate to share in this forum. These mistakes on resume are exceptionally difficult to repair the damage once an employer gets it. So we need to take extreme care that we do no make any mistake in resume. Here are the most common errors and how you can avoid them, to make an impressive resume:

1. Silly errors
Your resume needs to be correct in all aspects. If it isn’t, employers will conclude that this person is not serious about how/what someone thinks about him. It is a good idea to check your resume twice to ensure there is not any silly spelling mistake or grammar mistake in it. Or better still, ask someone else to proof read your resume.

2. Lack of achievements
Employers need to understand what you’ve done and achieved. So please mention both of them together and don’t stop at one. For example a statement like “Team leader in XYZ BPO”, will capture less attention than “Supervised more than 15 employees for XYZ BPO and was also part of client interaction to understand their requirements and expectations from us”.

It is a good idea to spend some time thinking and mentioning about your achievements at workplace than simply rattling of your responsibilities.

3. No correlation between resume and requirement of job
Employers want you to write a resume specifically for them. You need to create a correlation between requirement of the job with your skill and experience. Only then you will stand out as a deserving candidate for that particular job.

4. No keywords
When applying for a position in a particular industry or company, it is important to speak the same language. It is desirable for the company to know that the prospect candidate knows about the company, industry. Please use keywords relevant to the job you are applying for.

5. Irrelevant information
Sometimes candidates get carried away and stuff our resume with information which the employers have no interest to know. Some examples like:
• Won painting competition in class 8th
• Was class monitor in 9th standard
Statements like these are considered irrelevant information and is not in sync with the job requirement. Please be specific, to the point and be concise.

6. Vague statements
Exaggerated statements like, “Seeking a challenging position that offers professional growth” puts of most employers I know. Give employers something specific and, more importantly, something that focuses on their requirement as well as your own. Tell them truly what your short term and long term goals are.

7. Cover letter
An intelligently drafted cover letter can increase your chance for selection. A cover letter gives you an opportunity to mention what you may have not added in the resume. You can mention the reasons as to why you are suitable for the the job opening. You can talk about the skill sets you posses or the relevant experience and interest that you have, which makes you a good candidate for the job.

8. Clumsy formatting
Your resume should be well formatted. The font should be professional and not a fancy looking one. Use fonts like TimesNewRoman or Calibiri or Verdana or Trebuchet for creating an impression. Try using a standard font size across the resume. Too much of variations causes distraction.

9. Silly email ids
Email ids like resumes help create an impression about the person that you are. Email ids like love4uxxx@abc.com are not favorable. We suggest you have a more professional email ids for resumes like firstname.lastname@mailprovider.com

10. Incorrect information
The purpose of creating and sending cover letter and resume to prospective employer is to get contacted by them. So if you give incorrect information w.r.t any part of job that you have not done or exaggerated about or as simple as your contact details, employers will shy away from contacting you and your whole purpose of having a good resume will be defeated.

This is true that we get the job if we fulfill the requirements of the job but if we take care of these hygiene factors mentioned above then we can put forward our resume in an effective and efficient way.

All the best for your job search

The meaning of being contended may be different for the different people. For example, for one person, it may be earning more money, whereas for someone else it may mean his ability to adapt things as they are. Having money, jobs etc. are not the parameters for happiness, but your attitude towards them

Being contended is a true joy that comes out from the heart and is not circumstantial. It’s a feeling of satisfaction, freedom, health and opportunity to do good things for yourself and others.

I will share with you my list of top 5 activities that will make you contended at work and otherwise:

1. Work which you like: There is a good saying, “If you are not getting happiness from the work you do for living, you would not be happy ever.” It means you have to do the work which interests you. If you don’t like what you are doing then you can not perform well in that work. So there is no use of doing that work. Instead do that work which you like to do, where you can put your passion, enthusiasm. That will give you good result and you will be contended.

2. Mind your thoughts: Watch your thoughts because your thoughts become your actions, your action becomes your habit and your habit becomes your attitude and your attitude decides your happiness. So we can say that being contended depend on our thoughts. We do not have to keep thinking negatively or unpleasant thoughts simply because they come in our minds. We always can choose to positive thoughts instead. The more we practice stopping our negative thoughts and thinking positively, the better we will become and contended we will feel.

3. Don’t worry: Worrying for no reason is the human tendency. We face many problems in our life. We should face them with a cool and calm mind. There is a good saying: “if a problem can be solved, no need to worry about it and if a problem can not be solved what is the use of worrying?” So instead of worrying we should act to the situation calmly.

4. Expect Less: Expectation is the source of sorrow. We have a set of expectations from the people around us. We can not always get the response the way we expect. So this mismatch of expectation and response hurt us a lot. So we should not expect the expected and be ready for unexpected. There is a good saying “When you feel down because you didn’t get what you want, just sit tight and be happy, because God is thinking or something better to give you”.

5. Wear a smile always: Smiling is directly linked to happiness. It will not only make you feel happy but people around you will also feel happy. A genuine smile will prevent the negative thought to come in your mind. So a simple smile can do wonder for you.

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