Comments on: Placement Interview : From Many Angles

By: Sushant Warde

Sushant Warde — Sat, 12 Nov 2016 05:04:04 +0000

Dear Vivek sir,

Excellent pointers. Really liked Yashaswini’s response too.

Just set in motion some thoughts in my mind.

When the company comes to a campus, they also have a tough job – To guage the capability and at best, make a (slightly guided, at times) gamble in the end. Why can’t our students help them in this process?

The companies, I think, mainly assess these three broad parameters in any recruit. (At least, the sensible ones :P)

1) ability to think
2) ability to put in efforts
3) basic outlook of the person

Authenticity was mentioned and questioned later. How can a recruit be authentic?

My two pence:
I personally think, that this is a two way process. The recruiters also need to have the maturity to assess and interpret that authenticity into organizational value.

But if I just focus on the recruits, it is certainly not easy. First and foremost, are the recruits (campus students) mature enough to understand their authentic self?

But there is something I do, which helps me be prepared for showcasing my authentic side at the right moment. (Credits to my dad to introducing me to this thought process)

Psychology proves that you exhibit a lot of your true traits when you are happy. Now there must be a lot of things which might make you happy. Which are the ones, which could be of use to the company as well – think on those lines. For example: while playing with babies could make you happy (and it does speak something about your personality), it isn’t something which is of much value to the company. But ‘doing something new, taking an approach which not many have taken before – makes you happy’ can be effectively used in a job.
To arrive at this, Think of situations, where you were happy and proud of the efforts you put in, or the thought process you applied, or a combination of both. Take insights from there. “What was it about the situation which makes it so special?” “Who are the people who helped you during the situation?” “What is the learning from that situation which has stayed with you forever” “if given a chance, how would you like to do it differently?”
Have an honest self-interview around these questions for different situations. Identify common themes across them. Written records of your observations always help.
Once you have prepared yourself for understanding yourself, keep in mind one disclaimer: we normally always assume a slightly higher version of ourselves than what we actually are.

Having done all this, the next important aspect is using this info in your interviews. These points can be wowen in the responses you might prepare for person-related questions: “tell me something about yourself”, “walk me through your cv”, “strengths/weakness” etc. But otherwise, I really liked the chess analogy as provided by Deepak in the comments above. Interview is like a game of chess. While some preparation helps you, it is a dynamic process of conversation with a lot dependent on the interviewer too.

As a concluding note, interviewees need to remember one thing: on the interview table, you and the interviewer are equals. Both of you are looking to benefit from the deal. Help each other understand the true value you are offering. Enjoy the journey, the destination is incidental.

By: Deepak Sachdeva

Deepak Sachdeva — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 20:24:09 +0000

The post is really an interesting read and the two comments by Naveen and Yashaswini certainly pop up a couple of interesting points.
As per my opinion is concerned I couldn't agree more on the authenticity part.I believe that the best of any individual only comes at the forefront when he/she is being true to his/her identity. Often the best way of doing this is to underplay things and believe that this is not the last great thing you would do in your life. We often tend to over commit and end up getting nervous for the supposed 'D-day/moment'. Rather it often gets easier when one takes things normally and goes with the flow (I second Yashaswini). One strategy that might work here is to think of occasions when great men have failed at important times and that too often when much more was at stake. For example, Sachin getting out on a meagre 4 in 2003 World cup is my favourite. This would make you believe that there are people doing bigger things and failing at the same time. So its ok if you too will not make it. I call it the 'worst-case' strategy. This helps one to be fearless and hence reduces the chances of getting nervous in the process. But having said this it never implies to a slack preparation. The kind of structured preparation that Naveen talked about helps one gain confidence and gives peace that its the best shot possible.
Lastly, am reminded of one bit that my prof told back in my MBA prep days.His advice to all his students was " Any interview is like a game of chess. Your every move has to be in accordance with opponent's move. So don't read too much into it and try enjoying the Dynamism of the process." Easier said than done I must say.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 11:14:02 +0000

Thanks. This was too Good. Lot of points refreshed.

Amezed with the depth of understanding Mr. Vivek has.