I haven't written for a while, but that doesn't mean I wasn't really feeling anything or not getting any new experiences.. In the past year, I have graduated from my engineering college and have switched two jobs and moved away from Delhi to Bangalore..!!
Yeah, I also know that two jobs in less than an year is way too much. But I guess being in the wrong place is worse.. I was more than too stressed in the last few months of engineering.. Had lots of hatred for lots of people.. Lost the "so called friends" to be left with only "Real friends". I was apprehensive about finding a job, fretting about the future, wondering if pursuing a MBA was a better choice than my choice of getting a job right now.. [I know I get way too many decision time cramps, but I guess it isn't that uncommon for the rest of the people]..
Recalling it all, I wonder at the anxiety levels I had, though I always pretend to be way too cool to worry.. But then the truth is I was nervous and anxious, [I know, I have grown up in terms of taking responsibility for my actions and choices] and I can admit it now, thanks to the new found confidence.
[Yeah, I guess I was a little on the side of being over confident with strong undertones of being ignorant]. I gave my first interview in February. It was a joint campus recruitment process [and the only one in which my college would participate], I was kind of over confident and too rigid and tough. I cleared the written exam [ I know lot of people there couldn't believe I made it to the list]. I don't think people thought I wasn't intelligent, but people do thought I wasn't serious enough to care to prepare. The truth is, I really didn't prepare. It was an easy paper and not having the pressure to perform maybe made me come out a winner, after all it was just easy elementary maths..
Anyways, I always knew that campus recruitment is the easy way to job market. It generally doesn't have a rigorous technical round and the number of aspiring candidates are from the same background, people whose capabilities you are aware of and the best part, the college name doesn't matter as you all belong to the same level, no one is from a better college.
It was an Infosys drive, I was called for interview, but I guess my honesty killed me there. I was giving my biased answers, my thoughts rather than the well knows "Yes Sirs" and the familiar nodding in with the interviewer even if you have a different stand on the subject. I still don't consider changing any of it. [ You may say, its because I have a good job now, but trust me, I didn't regret doing any of it then as well].. It was more than an year back and I still remember all the answers I said to his questions. He wanted to know if I would take decisions [Yeah, my most dreaded area, an area I generally don't like to explore in anxiety].. I can't explain without quoting the question.
He had asked me a situational question-"you are in Delhi, your parents are there in Jaipur and want you to come there as soon as possible. How would you proceed? What would you do?"
The obvious and interview time answer would be, "I would catch the first plane to Jaipur and go.." How convenient. If asked to elaborate, you would tell you would inquire about the available flight and if nothing is available for the next 6 hours [which is approx. the time taken by car/bus to reach Jaipur], you would take the bus or train.. [Trying to show that you weighed the options].. If I knew the answers, then why didn't I say so? You can call it my habit of doing thing my way or being adamant, but the thing is the answer I wrote above isn't the way I think or approach things. If I said so, got selected, I guess he didn't hire me, but someone who would give the popular google answers. [Yes, I also turn to google for answers and over the last year I have realised the Google potential to influence learning, but sometimes the answer should come from you, the solutions to problems are based on situations and something that was a hit for others might not be a hit for you.] So I still feel that people who want to hear google answers should in fact hire google.
What answer did I give? Well I said.. I'll call my parents to know "Why they want me there in the first place?" I am no movie star to just run to catch a plane. I would then weigh my options, both in terms of finances and time spans and then decide my mode of commuting between the places. And he thought I was indecisive and didn't hire me. No problem, he got people who won't think twice, would just run to any random place catching flights for even the minutest of issues that can be resolved on phone, saving time and money. I don't hold grudges, but still not being hired because of a lame reason like this felt bad. I was upset and even considered saying the answers that would please the ears of people, the answers I call 'Google answers'. But, I decided against it. [See I can very well take decisions..lolz]
Anyways, the next chance for interview came much later in August. It was for HCL Technologies. It was through an online exam conducted via some organisation AMCAT. I cleared the written and then went for the interview. It was long queue and lots of wait later, I finally got in.. I hate such interviews where you are competing with people from all over India. [The elite colleges aren't there but then there are thousands of others from colleges like you and the scary part is you can't guess there potential to boost self].. Anyways, we went in for the technical group discussion. Yeah, and that too in a computers subject, which you didn't read, [I was an electronics and communication student] so it was a disaster though I tried correlating stuffs.. But I guess it was bound to happen, I wasn't shortlisted.
Then came my next chance in September. I was called for interview at Ericsson's. It was a dream to work there for all the ECE students. I was happy. The mail didn't detail the fact that interview would be conducted the same day as written and thus I went in casuals without my mark sheets.. There I wrote the exam again, cleared it again with great score and there I was 2nd in line for the interview. The interview was more than 30 minutes long for the first girl and people were staring at me as I was the only one in casuals and about to go in for interview. I was getting nervous now. I wasn't properly dressed for the interview and I wasn't carrying my mark sheets. The first girl came out, said the guy is too strict. I was even more nervous now. I somehow went in After the initial greetings my interview started. It was a going good technically but my body language was a little too nervous and I was lacking confidence. It was a stress interview and I had my break down. I cried. Interview ended after I answered the question right. The HR was announcing the results and then asking people to either leave or sign the documents stating they were hired. He announced my name and asked me to wait as he wanted to talk to me. He asked about the interview and then he asked me if everything was fine and if I had some family problems for having a break down. I didn't lie. I could have, but I felt it wasn't necessary. He then gave me a very valuable feedback, something that would change the way I would appear in any interview there after.. He told me that I was too good, too technically sound and I should have been confident, not worrying about not being in formals or not carrying my mark sheets.. Sometimes the greatest opportunities walk your way when you are least prepared, so always keep your calm and have faith in your knowledge. He asked me if I were him, would I hire self? I could have said the "Pursuit of happiness" kind of answer, but I nodded a NO. Its the truth, I wouldn't have hired that version of me, probably a positive reaction from my side would have helped me get hired, but I guess I wasn't still prepared. Then he also said, you were good, but you can't handle too much of pressure I guess and wished me luck for the future. He didn't hire me, but I don't think he was wrong, as he wasn't really expecting the known answers but wanted me to show I learnt the lesson.
Well, it was November and I was still jobless and directionless.. I then got another call from HCL. This time it was for the Infosystems branch rather than technologies. I went there wearing a casual shirt over jeans. I cleared round one than two and then round three was technical. I was a little freaked but then talking to a fellow interview candidate made me calmer and I rocked the interview. I then cleared the HR round and I was finally hired in November and the joining was in December.
Yeah, I also know that two jobs in less than an year is way too much. But I guess being in the wrong place is worse.. I was more than too stressed in the last few months of engineering.. Had lots of hatred for lots of people.. Lost the "so called friends" to be left with only "Real friends". I was apprehensive about finding a job, fretting about the future, wondering if pursuing a MBA was a better choice than my choice of getting a job right now.. [I know I get way too many decision time cramps, but I guess it isn't that uncommon for the rest of the people]..
Recalling it all, I wonder at the anxiety levels I had, though I always pretend to be way too cool to worry.. But then the truth is I was nervous and anxious, [I know, I have grown up in terms of taking responsibility for my actions and choices] and I can admit it now, thanks to the new found confidence.
[Yeah, I guess I was a little on the side of being over confident with strong undertones of being ignorant]. I gave my first interview in February. It was a joint campus recruitment process [and the only one in which my college would participate], I was kind of over confident and too rigid and tough. I cleared the written exam [ I know lot of people there couldn't believe I made it to the list]. I don't think people thought I wasn't intelligent, but people do thought I wasn't serious enough to care to prepare. The truth is, I really didn't prepare. It was an easy paper and not having the pressure to perform maybe made me come out a winner, after all it was just easy elementary maths..
Anyways, I always knew that campus recruitment is the easy way to job market. It generally doesn't have a rigorous technical round and the number of aspiring candidates are from the same background, people whose capabilities you are aware of and the best part, the college name doesn't matter as you all belong to the same level, no one is from a better college.
It was an Infosys drive, I was called for interview, but I guess my honesty killed me there. I was giving my biased answers, my thoughts rather than the well knows "Yes Sirs" and the familiar nodding in with the interviewer even if you have a different stand on the subject. I still don't consider changing any of it. [ You may say, its because I have a good job now, but trust me, I didn't regret doing any of it then as well].. It was more than an year back and I still remember all the answers I said to his questions. He wanted to know if I would take decisions [Yeah, my most dreaded area, an area I generally don't like to explore in anxiety].. I can't explain without quoting the question.
He had asked me a situational question-"you are in Delhi, your parents are there in Jaipur and want you to come there as soon as possible. How would you proceed? What would you do?"
The obvious and interview time answer would be, "I would catch the first plane to Jaipur and go.." How convenient. If asked to elaborate, you would tell you would inquire about the available flight and if nothing is available for the next 6 hours [which is approx. the time taken by car/bus to reach Jaipur], you would take the bus or train.. [Trying to show that you weighed the options].. If I knew the answers, then why didn't I say so? You can call it my habit of doing thing my way or being adamant, but the thing is the answer I wrote above isn't the way I think or approach things. If I said so, got selected, I guess he didn't hire me, but someone who would give the popular google answers. [Yes, I also turn to google for answers and over the last year I have realised the Google potential to influence learning, but sometimes the answer should come from you, the solutions to problems are based on situations and something that was a hit for others might not be a hit for you.] So I still feel that people who want to hear google answers should in fact hire google.
What answer did I give? Well I said.. I'll call my parents to know "Why they want me there in the first place?" I am no movie star to just run to catch a plane. I would then weigh my options, both in terms of finances and time spans and then decide my mode of commuting between the places. And he thought I was indecisive and didn't hire me. No problem, he got people who won't think twice, would just run to any random place catching flights for even the minutest of issues that can be resolved on phone, saving time and money. I don't hold grudges, but still not being hired because of a lame reason like this felt bad. I was upset and even considered saying the answers that would please the ears of people, the answers I call 'Google answers'. But, I decided against it. [See I can very well take decisions..lolz]
Anyways, the next chance for interview came much later in August. It was for HCL Technologies. It was through an online exam conducted via some organisation AMCAT. I cleared the written and then went for the interview. It was long queue and lots of wait later, I finally got in.. I hate such interviews where you are competing with people from all over India. [The elite colleges aren't there but then there are thousands of others from colleges like you and the scary part is you can't guess there potential to boost self].. Anyways, we went in for the technical group discussion. Yeah, and that too in a computers subject, which you didn't read, [I was an electronics and communication student] so it was a disaster though I tried correlating stuffs.. But I guess it was bound to happen, I wasn't shortlisted.
Then came my next chance in September. I was called for interview at Ericsson's. It was a dream to work there for all the ECE students. I was happy. The mail didn't detail the fact that interview would be conducted the same day as written and thus I went in casuals without my mark sheets.. There I wrote the exam again, cleared it again with great score and there I was 2nd in line for the interview. The interview was more than 30 minutes long for the first girl and people were staring at me as I was the only one in casuals and about to go in for interview. I was getting nervous now. I wasn't properly dressed for the interview and I wasn't carrying my mark sheets. The first girl came out, said the guy is too strict. I was even more nervous now. I somehow went in After the initial greetings my interview started. It was a going good technically but my body language was a little too nervous and I was lacking confidence. It was a stress interview and I had my break down. I cried. Interview ended after I answered the question right. The HR was announcing the results and then asking people to either leave or sign the documents stating they were hired. He announced my name and asked me to wait as he wanted to talk to me. He asked about the interview and then he asked me if everything was fine and if I had some family problems for having a break down. I didn't lie. I could have, but I felt it wasn't necessary. He then gave me a very valuable feedback, something that would change the way I would appear in any interview there after.. He told me that I was too good, too technically sound and I should have been confident, not worrying about not being in formals or not carrying my mark sheets.. Sometimes the greatest opportunities walk your way when you are least prepared, so always keep your calm and have faith in your knowledge. He asked me if I were him, would I hire self? I could have said the "Pursuit of happiness" kind of answer, but I nodded a NO. Its the truth, I wouldn't have hired that version of me, probably a positive reaction from my side would have helped me get hired, but I guess I wasn't still prepared. Then he also said, you were good, but you can't handle too much of pressure I guess and wished me luck for the future. He didn't hire me, but I don't think he was wrong, as he wasn't really expecting the known answers but wanted me to show I learnt the lesson.
Well, it was November and I was still jobless and directionless.. I then got another call from HCL. This time it was for the Infosystems branch rather than technologies. I went there wearing a casual shirt over jeans. I cleared round one than two and then round three was technical. I was a little freaked but then talking to a fellow interview candidate made me calmer and I rocked the interview. I then cleared the HR round and I was finally hired in November and the joining was in December.
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