Preparing for an interview…

As the interviewee

A few things that we need to keep in mind before going / appearing for an interview are:

1. Understand the job profile in detail from the placement agency or the recruitment person from the hiring company who has contacted you.

2. Go online and read about the company on its website or from other links giving you information about the organisation and what it does.

3. Read and re-read your resume to check for any spelling mistakes and/or grammar mistakes and make appropriate corrections, if any.

4. Carry a printout of your recent resume when you go for the interview. Know what is written on your resume so that questions about the same can be answered accurately.

5. You may need to carry along copies /originals of your certifications and testimonials. Carry these in a formal and neat office file. A passport size picture should also be carried.

6. Follow a formal dress code for the interview.

7. Arrive at the venue at least 15 minutes in advance so that you may visit the washroom and get your mind at ease before the interview.

8. Before going into the interview room please make sure your cell phone is on the silent or offline mode.

9. Greet the receptionist with a smile (first impressions count!) and ask for the person concerned. Greet the person concerned with a smile and a courteous Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening.

10. Be confident and reply to all questions asked truthfully and honestly.

As the interviewer

Interviewers too should be prepared for taking interviews and one should:

1. Understand the profile in depth that you are interviewing the candidate for; study the job description carefully and list down the attributes required for the job.

2. Read the candidate’s resume before taking the interview so that you have an idea of the candidate’s profile before meeting him/her. Check for the following:

a. Organisation of events in the resume
b. Clarity of description and conciseness of events described
c. Unexplained breaks in education and service if any
d. Quality of resume i.e. template used, grammar, spellings etc.

3. Keep a list of questions that you would want to ask ready with you. In case you need to ask a case study, keep a printed copy of the same on the desk.

4. If more than one interviewer is going to be present then both/all interviewers should be briefed about the job profile and the candidate’s profile before the interview.

5. Make sure that the room in which the interview is to be conducted is booked for the appropriate time slot and that any appointments/meetings that you may have, are rescheduled or appropriately scheduled.

6. Proper seating and lightening arrangements.

7. Before going into the interview room please make sure your cell phone is on the silent or offline mode.

8. Provide for relevant stationery if necessary during the interview.

9. Offer the candidate water before the interview starts.

10. Start the interview by making the candidate feel comfortable and less nervous.

Dressing for Success

We all want to look our best when we go for an interview and impress the interviewer and get the job. Grooming and dress attire has now become an important part of the interview. So how does one go about being “Dressed for Success”?

For Gentlemen

Be attired in a clean, well ironed full sleeved shirt which is tucked into formal pants evenly.

If the job profile requires it then a well matched tie should be worn along with a blazer (this depends on the level for which you are being interviewed too)

Shirt cuffs should be closed using the cuff buttons or smart cufflinks.

Formal pants should be well ironed and should be worn with a formal belt having a small and sleek buckle.

The pants should not be above ankle length and should not be too long that it brushes against the floor. Pants should be comfortable and not too tight or too loose.

Shoes should be well polished and formal in nature. Matching socks should be clean and colour-matched with your pants and shoes.

Preferably men should be clean shaven but if sporting a beard then the same should be neatly trimmed.

Hair should be trimmed and may be gelled to look neat.

Hands should be well manicured and nails cut evenly.

For Ladies

Be attired preferably in smart western formals which would be a well ironed full/half sleeved formal shirt, neatly tucked into formal pants/skirt. The shirt may be kept out too.

Ladies may wear a blazer if the job profile requires it.

If wearing a skirt, ladies need to make sure that their stockings (if worn) do not have any ladders or runs in them and are well worn. Skirts should be knee length and not too tight or loose.

If attired in Indian formals then make sure that the same is well ironed and comfortable.

Jewellery should be kept to the minimum and should be smart formal jewellery.

Formal shoes should be well cleaned and polished, and if wearing open sandals make sure that feet are clean and well kept.

Well manicured hands are a must.

Makeup should be kept to the minimum and should not be patchy in nature. Do not wear makeup if you are not comfortable with it and cannot carry it off.

Hair should be tied up in a ponytail or a bun if very long, short hair should be well brushed and may be gelled or well blow-dried.

Carry a formal purse which is not too small or too big.

General Do’s and Don’ts

Do visit the washroom before your interview and make sure that you are well groomed.

Do make sure that there is no food stuck in your teeth and your breath is fresh – pop in a mouth freshener.

Don’t wear clothes that do not match.

Don’t keep cigarette packets / lighter in your front shirt pocket.

Hope the above keeps you "Dressed for Success" at all times!!

Why do we look for a change?

Change is the only constant in life. It is the only thing that makes us look forward to the next day of our life. So why is it then, when we say that we want to change jobs we get curious looks from all around us?

What makes us look for a change; look for another job? There could be a number of reasons, and could range from being personal in nature to professional growth. Exit interviews are a good way to realize why employees want to change or move from their existing profiles.

Most of the reasons for leaving an organisation have to do with the following broad heads:

Salary – one of the most important and motivation reasons people like you and me work, to earn money to spend on food, shelter and clothes. A lot of individuals are faced with the challenge of managing a house and its expenses, a family and their expenses and these can only be met if there is sufficient income. Salary is one of THE motivating factors for changing jobs.

Job Satisfaction – this is a very important aspect of an individual’s life as an employee. Every employee requires and strives for job satisfaction, satisfaction that they have done a good day’s work and are content with the results. After salary, job satisfaction is one of the major reasons why individuals look out for a change in their profiles.

Job Profile – another important reason for change is the current job profile that the individual is handling. Aspiring individuals are always on the look-out for different job profiles and added responsibilities and the drive within them to excel at this result in them looking out for changes in their job profiles especially if they do not receive these challenges in their present jobs.

Change in Career – at times an individual may want to change his/her career completely and start afresh with a different career path. This may be a result of boredom in his/her present assignment, no job satisfaction etc. These changes may be as drastic as going from an employee to a freelancer.

Lack of appreciation – appreciation and approval of a task well done is a motivation tool for each and every individual, whether he/she is an office boy, a clerk, a manager or a CEO. If there is no appreciation for a job well done then chances are that the individual becomes demotivated and his/her performance starts to deteriorate and result in no job satisfaction leading to being on the look-out for a change in his/her profile.

Manager / Supervisor – it is rightfully said that an employee leaves his/her manager/supervisor and not the company. This has been proven time and time again in all kinds of organisations where the manager has been instrumental in an employee leaving a well loved job profile in search for another with a better manager.

Performance – at times, the management of an organisation may ask an employee who is not performing upto the required standards of the organisation to leave the organisation and look out for another job.

Personal commitments – these types of commitments are usually faced by females; when they are work before marriage and after marriage they leave the city or due to family constraints do not work; transfer of their husband’s job to another city; maternity and child responsibilities; distance of job location from their residence; further education, etc

The above are some of the reasons that I have come across for an individual to leave their present job and look out for a change. The list above is in no way comprehensive and may include other reasons as well.

A Synopsis of your life…

The first step towards embarking on a new career whether after completion of education or after serving in an organisation for a certain amount of tenure is making (or redoing) your resume. Yes, the one (or 2 or 3) sheet/s that have to encompass your entire life accurately and smartly.

Call it by any other name, Curriculum Vitae, a Biodata or a Resume it still remains a synopsis of your life.

Writing this synopsis has been one of the major challenges for all job hunters – what template to use, which details to be included which are to be left out, should one include passport details, height and weight details, family details etc. From the various resumes that have passed me while taking interviews, I believe the ideal ones are those that include all or most of the following data:

The Individual’s full name and complete contact details
An individual should always provide detailed contact information so that he/she may be contacted for any further queries or for further rounds of interviews. Lack of information gives an impression of poor attention to detail of the candidate.

A brief executive summary of the individual’s work experience
This is usually meant for candidates having 3-4 or more years of experience wherein they can give a brief summary of their professional experience and their competencies. This helps in giving the interviewer a brief understanding of the candidate.

The individual’s academic / educational details including any diplomas undertaken
Educational qualifications should be mentioned in a sensible chronicle order. For individuals with vast experience their qualifications may start with their graduation details. For individuals with less experience and wanting to present their previous excellent academic records they may include their 10th and 12th class results too. It may not always be necessary to include the percentage of marks acquired at various stages of education unless the job profile calls for it. Inclusion of any extra post-graduate diplomas undertaken should be mentioned as well.

The individual’s professional experience

Name of organisation – the correct and full name of the organisation and maybe a couple of lines regarding its business give the interviewer a clearer picture of the organisation.
Tenure at the organisation and designation held – this may be given in terms of Month & Year or Date/Month/Year. These details are necessary as it informs an interviewer about the tenure that you have spent at the company and may want to question the candidate on the same. The designation held at various organisations help in seeing the career growth of the candidate, if any.
Brief summary of the profile and responsibilities – By including a synopsis of the profile and responsibilities, the candidate gives the interviewer an insight to the kind of work and tasks that he/she has been exposed to and has been able to achieve. This is important as the past responsibilities should be in line with what the interviewer has in store for the candidate in the future.

Any extracurricular activities undertaken by the Individual and awards earned by him/her
This lends an insight into the personal side of the candidate, his/her interests, hobbies etc. This may also bring out certain managerial qualities like leadership, motivation etc in the candidate.

Details about height/weight/eyesight
This would depend on the type of job applied for, e.g. companies hiring for airline staff and hotel staff may require this necessary information – but don’t make it a standard format for all job applications.

Remember:
Your resume reaches first and it needs to be able to “sell” your candidature to the interviewer before you can go in and meet up with him/her.

Be honest and truthful in your resume and do not try to over-sell yourself.

Type your resume in a legible font and text size; preferably stick to the Arial, Times New Roman and the Verdana fonts and a text size of 10 or 11.

When in doubt about the content in your resume get a second opinion.

For candidates from the software industry, highlight your involvement in the various projects that you were part of and the responsibilities undertaken by you.

Be brief and to the point, highlight your achievements.

Why??

Why have I decided to write yet another blog on Human Resources? Aren’t there enough on the internet already? Yes, there are quite a few of them already – just do a search and you will come out with a few hundred!

The reason or the why behind this blog is that there is no definite reason at all!! I wanted to use this outlet to write about my experiences as an HR professional and through this help others in the field. I also want to learn from other professionals and put those teachings here too, so this could grow to be a site where anyone who visits would learn a little and take back something with them that will help them grow.

Does this sound like a good reason to start writing this blog? I hope so!!

The spark that ignited the passion....

As I completed my school homework I glanced towards my mother as she started to wind up her work at the table. When she asked me to help her check some figures I jumped at the chance as it was a small respite from my work! Telephone Allowance, Vehicle Allowance, drivers’ salary, LTA – terms that meant nothing to me at that time were read out to me and I confirmed the amounts against the terms. I was astounded to see that people got their telephone bills paid by the company.. till my mother pointed out that this was only for individuals in a special grade – grade? What was a grade? What I get at school? I asked… I was then rewarded with a basic explanation of what grades were and what salary structures were. My mother, an independent Management Consultant in Compensation & Benefits introduced me to the world of Human Resources – Thank you Mum!!

After college the decision to get into HR just happened, it was not influenced by my mother’s exceptional tenure in the field nor was it influenced by the prevalent herd mentality, as I said, it just happened… I started developing this deep new found love and passion for interacting with people, understanding the way their minds work, the world of numbers and salaries, the recruiting and the appraising and I knew this was where I wanted to stay!

Getting into HR was easy; study the various motivation and leadership theories from Maslow to the X & Y theory, understand the nuances of recruitment and selection, master the art of inter-personal skills, etc. Studying and reading through the various HR books was easy, understanding the terms and ways of working were easy, but what the books did not teach you was that the HR department was the department that all “loved to hate”!! How do you react to an employee saying “Oh, HR! They don’t do any work and they don’t do anything for employees – they just do what the management says!”

These retorts were not few and I soon realized that to be in this profession one needed to love HR with a deep passion and not to get depressed when these statements were flung to you. One of my earlier bosses said “Accept that people don’t like you, and go about changing their perception about you and the department.” This advice has stayed with me till date and has helped me in my tenure in HR; I have even started sharing this advice with all the new entrants into the HR stream.

Hence the spark became a flame and I dwell in the warmth of Human Resources with no regrets whatsoever…