Breasting the tape.....

Placement season is around the corner & with news trickling in that corporates may be looking to hire again, the interview is back in business.It is the culmination of their studies for many and in my view the part where a person breasts the tape at the close of a race. You want to do this part very well.

In an imperfect world the interview seems to be the best bet for a person to land a job, so it makes sense to give it your best shot.

The following may be some pointers......

1. Dress appropriately.A business suit is appropriate. If you're a man, wear a tie.For women it is not fashion day, unless of course you are looking for a job in the fashion industry.( being shabby is not being cool and most interviewers would show you the door for being poorly dressed)

2. Shut up. Did I tell you about the time someone came and told me his life story for 45 minutes and then allowed me 10 minutes to explain the job? I think you know how that story ends.

3. Listen. The most useful skill in sales is listening — and in an interview, you're selling yourself. If you say, "I think the best computers in the world are PCs and people who use Macs have more style than substance" after the interviewer mentions his iPhone, you could be left with your opinion and no paycheck.

4. Ask questions. You can avoid the problem above by responding to the question, "Do you think we should scrap all the PCs here and buy Macs?" by saying, "That depends on lots of factors. What would your requirements be?"

5. Show interest. This could also be called "sucking up." When an interviewee doesn't ask me anything about myself, she's not just saying "I've got pride in my accomplishments and don't need to pander to you." She's also showing me that she isn't good at showing interest in other people. Which means she's going to have a hard time politically in the company. And since that's going to reflect badly on me...no job for her.

6. Do your research about the company and the people who are going to interview you.

7. Answer the question you wish they'd asked.
How many times have you left an interview thinking, "I never got a chance to tell them about my achievements.So tell them............( however if your interviewer suffers from low confidence- God help you )

8. Be clear about what the interviewer want's. Do not assume anything.


One way of acing an interview is by correctly answering a very risky question that many interviewers ask and interviewees dance around: “If we hired you, what would you do to help us do ‘X”’. X can be anything from creating a new production process to slicing customer support time in half. This is your chance to show your experience, knowledge of the company, and its competitive challenges.

Most interviewers are not looking for a specific or right answer. They are looking to see how you would approach and solve the problem or the logical procedure you would adopt in getting there or there abouts.

Doesn't it make sense? As a manager you would spend the better part of the day problem solving rather than handing out SODEXHO booklets, unless that us what you are being hired to do.

What if I asked you, how many trees would there be in Bangalore's Lal Bagh ( a huge 600 acre park )?

Take a shot..............and tell me.

Recruitment Culture!

It has been widely recognized that some of the most important decision to be made in the corporate world centre on recruitment and selection. Even with the best intentions one generally lands up with guys who do not measure up to the task and when firing decisions are to be made it is a sad day with much soul searching and breast beating. As a culture we do not fire easily in India.

Why fire if you can hire wisely, is the point of discussion. Poor manpower planning and recruitment and selection procedure land many a new employee on the ‘bench’ only to be told that they have warmed the bench sufficiently long and may now look for other pastures. This message generally comes from the junior most HR executive while the senior line managers and HR managers are either in a meeting or out playing golf. (It is little wonder that HR is feared and many an employee runs for cover when they see the HR)
Apparently one American company has adopted a method wherein the recruiters watch how a person crosses a street dense with traffic and then conclusions are drawn on the suitability of the candidate for various profiles & whether he/she should be on board or not.

While the method may raise a few eyebrows, I think it is well worth a try, because who knows………………………..what may succeed !

As an example, an owner of a large firm hired his SCUBA diving instructor as the CEO of his firm, as the man impressed him. Did the diver succeed? You bet he did……..much to the amazement of all and sundry.

Why did he succeed? It’s all about attitude, chum………………………………………………

The street crosser:

1. Matador. Fearless, the Matador thinks nothing of daring the cars and taxis with his elegant dance through traffic. Crosswalks are just paint to a Matador. Red lights are mere suggestions. Nor does the Matador care whether the oncoming traffic shows no sign of stopping. After all, what’s a little glancing blow? Best Positions: Entrepreneurs, super salesmen, and financial mavericks.
2. Wader. Bold but not fearless, the Wader is eager to cross, demonstrating ample initiative but a little more common sense. Waders may phone and text while on the move…but not when venturing into traffic. They recognize that getting struck by any part of a car is a bad thing. That’s why they let the Matadors run interference. While the hotshots are busy tempting fate, the Wader is getting to the other side first. Best Positions: Excellent CEOs, vice presidents, software designers, project leaders and design heads.
3. Text Walker. Having mastered typing, talking and walking at once, the Text Walker tends to forget that crossing a car-clotted street is real life while tapping keys on a little plastic box is not. Text Walkers may appear on the surface to be Waders or even Matadors, but with one critical distinction—progress in their case is often an illusion. The Text walker tends to meander, drift, and even pause midway. They lack the presence of mind to stay on task. Best Positions: Creative’s and lower-level programmers. They exhibit flashes of talent but are ill-suited for management or higher-level responsibilities.
4. Light Jumper. Though a Light Jumper starts out determined to follow the letter of the law, when the crosswalk light turns yellow he can’t help but jump the curb. Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr. Hyde. A Light Jumper is not above shouting and glaring at motorists who narrowly miss him even though they still legally have the right of way. Best Positions: Dependable but ballsy attorneys, independent CPAs and trusty managers with hidden tattoos.
5. Curb Huggers. No matter how empty the street, Curb Huggers would never dream of leaving the sidewalk for the crosswalk a second earlier than the law (or the “Walk” sign) allows. Ironically, Curb Huggers rarely make it across before the light turns and, by playing it safe, are often sitting ducks for signal-jumping taxis. Best Positions: Accountants, statisticians, or rules-based occupations. Excellent at scheduling and attending meetings, especially when the purpose is to schedule new meetings.

I'm thinking of introducing this concept to my students, next month, when I launch into a course on HRM.