Mantras to grab the job of your choice

There is no shortcut to success but still there are some basic points which have to be kept in mind to beat the interview process. Sometimes we fail to present our strengths to grab the job opportunity of our choice. Let us know what all necessary points we need to keep in mind while going for an interview:

Before walking in for interview

1)Evaluate the job profile: Before walking in for interview you should go through the job profile to know what the recruiter is looking for. Then prepare a cover letter indicating your strengths and skills to ensure that you are the right choice for the job.

2)Know about the employer: You should research properly about the employer before going for an interview. Know about their products, recent landmarks and future goals so that you don’t fumble when asked a tricky question. This will also show your keenness to join the company.

3)Make your resume concise: Your resume should be concise and clear. Mention only those points for which you can present the proof. Do not give routine skills such as ‘hardworking’. Mention your achievements and competencies specifically and present your flaws smartly so that they appear as virtues.

4) Smarten up your appearance: Dress up in sober colours such as grey, blue and beige. Your footwear should be polished well. Girls should avoid wearing heels. Comb your hair properly and use simple accessories and jewellery.

During the interview

Follow perfect posture: Walk confidently, sit straight and don’t be uneasy. Put your hands on your knees or on the armrest. Keep your feet together firmly on the ground. If you want to change position, cross your ankles, don’t sit with crossed legs.

Be attentive: It depends on an interviewee in which direction his/her interview goes as questions posed are based on the previous answers. You should keep the interview focused to your professional life. Give to the point answers and avoid rambling. If you don’t an answer to a question accept it. Avoid getting into controversial topics.

Be patient: Employer may ask questions to provoke you to know how you tackle stressful situation, so be calm and patient. If you feel that based on fact your answer is correct but recruiter is asking its validity, be self-confident, don’t argue.

Ask questions: Be inquisitive as it shows that you are keen to take up the job and willing to stay for a long term. Ask about the responsibilities that you will be taking care of, upcoming crucial projects and other things you will be allowed to do.

The questions asked by the interviewer will be mainly based on the job profile. Apart from this you should frame your own set of questions to know what best of you can contribute to the company and the job.

Five probable questions to be asked by the candidate

• What kind of on-the-job training is provided?
• What will be my core responsibilities?
• What does company expect from me and in what time duration?
• What is the possibility for promotion?
• To whom will I report? What team/resources would I get at my disposal?

What should be your answer to the question – What is your salary expectation?

Most of the candidates trip when asked about the salary expectation. You should mention the range of your salary expectation. If the salary offered is below your expectation ask the recruiter if it could be discussed after knowing the salary break-up.

Top 10 interview questions

1. Tell us something about yourself
2. Why did you quit your last job?
3. Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?
4. Why should we recruit you?
5. How do you manage failure?
6. Tell something about your important achievements
7. What are your other interests?
8. What is your greatest weakness/strength?
9. How did you handle your toughest professional problem?
10. What makes you to join this company?

Source: Economic Times

Five ways to succeed in career

G.P Sai Pranith, Ph.D Scholar, IIT – Delhi. Ramesh and Baradwaj, two final year students of CSE were discussing their plans in the following manner: Ramesh: “Maybe, I will join some software company” Baradwaj: “I will become a network engineer in CISCO. I did CISCO certification in Routing and Switching last year along with our degree.” Now, one can easily imagine who is sure of success. 1. Being Specific: We find now a days many students, especially in Engineering courses, having no specific goals. Even when they set their targets, they are not specific and definite. The target should be set in a manner that it will continuously motivate you to work towards it. Another great advantage of having well-defined target is it will automatically make you stay away from useless and unproductive activities. The target should be specific and humane in approach. Having a bit of concern towards fellow human beings and country makes one very much devoted towards ones target. As a researcher, I want to see that no farmer dies due to drying crops, so I have decided to work on designing low-cost solar pumps. 2. Taking full responsibility:“The price of greatness is responsibility” – Winston Churchill We find people brooding over their past and blaming some body or the other for it. This happens because they fail to own responsibility of their past and unplanned deeds. Most of our fears are regarding our future and once we set a specific target and take full responsibility of our life, automatically we feel a great creative energy within us. Brooding over the past and fearing the future are both futile activities. Instead, we can use all our energies in building our future using the present moment by taking complete responsibility of our activities. 3. Working Intelligently:What does this mean? …..Using all our energies on getting the work done and being present with the work, instead of bothering about the results that only come later. Regarding working out the targets, realizing not only what to do but also how to do, is important. We find a number of engineering students reading All-in-ones and local author guides to clear their exams and score good marks. Though they give us temporary benefit, in the long run, we will be affected if we do not possess the subject conceptual knowledge. It is always better to ‘understand’ the subjects by reading standard textbooks prescribed in syllabus and if time permits reference books. The best thing to do is to browse the net at least for half an hour every day in latest and advanced things happening the respective branch of engineering, around the globe. Especially in final semester, due to less number of subjects, compared to other semesters, this habit will ensure overall development of a student. Engineering students can have the excellent assistance from the video lectures of IIT and IISc professors, uploaded by NPTEL (National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning) on YouTube website free. These courses are in simple language and are offered for almost all the engineering subjects and they cover the major part of the syllabus in 30-40 lectures. Another boon, ‘Wikipedia’ is a supermarket of knowledge. By reading standard textbooks, watching such lectures and a regular web browsing, one can attain the confidence and mastery required to create or invent new things in their fields. 4. Working for the target:Management researcher, Luther Gulick has coined an acronym POSDCORB for managing organizations. POSDCORB stands for Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, CO-ordinating,Reporting and Budgeting. For students, this POSDCORB can be modified to: P – Planning our target. O – Organizing the steps required to achieve the target S -- Selecting the proper institute that will help to achieve target D – Directing all the efforts to finish activities, necessary to achieve the objective CO – Coordinate daily activities efficiently and effectively, R – Recording daily progress, ( at least before going to bed) B – Budgeting our expenses which may include staying separately (especially in pre-final and final years of the course), attend coaching for useful extra certificate courses, (For Ex: for Civil Engg students.. AUTOCAD, ARCHICAD, PRIMAVERA, STADDPRO, For CSE students: CISCO, MS, ORACLE courses etc.) and cost of applications etc so that we can avoid financial glitches in the last moment and start working for the target. 5. Self-Confidence:  “ You are the creator of YOUR OWN destiny” … Swami Vivekananda.“ All power is within YOU. You can do anything and everything” … Swami Vivekananda “Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings.” -Samuel Johnson This is an important ingredient in the recipe of success. We believe that Sachin Tendulkar or Bill Gates appear confident because they have achieved great success. However, the thing is vice-versa. As they were self-confident, they could achieve success of Himalayan magnitudes. We can see the self-confidence of Bill Gates, who was a dropout of prestigious Harvard University to start his venture, MICROSOFT. The list of examples is endless. If you are confident and have sustained self-confidence, one day your juniors will quote your name from that list. Finally, “it is not important who we are today. It is important who we will be!” That is clearly in our hand…as ‘You’ are the creator of ‘YOUR OWN’ destiny.

Follow these Resume and Interview Tips and have a job in your hand

Resume Tips 
Summarise your education and employment experience. 
Be sure to focus on the aspects of your background that match the requirements of the job you’re applying for, and skip the things that are outdated or irrelevant. 

Describe your specific strengths and expertise. 
Convey, if appropriate, how your skills might be applied in new or different ways or for a different type of job than you’ve had in the past. 

Highlight your accomplishments in previous jobs, not just your duties or responsibilities. 
Everyone has job duties; it’s how you approached them and what you accomplished in carrying them out that makes you stand out. 

Show progression. 
Whether it’s in school, leadership roles, or your work, highlight how your experience has helped you grow. Mention promotions or skills you’ve picked up along the way. 

Highlight specific qualifications for this job. 
If you are applying for a specific position, be sure to call out experience or accomplishments that make you qualified—or even more qualified than another applicant. For example, if you’ve worked with a particular technology the job requires or you have experience that might give you an edge, be sure to mention it. 

Talk about related extracurricular or volunteer work. 
Just because you weren’t paid for it, that doesn’t mean it’s not important! If you have this type of experience, include it to underscore your passion for the field. 

Include links to projects you’ve worked on. 
This substantiates the experience and accomplishments you describe in your resume, giving the recruiter a better idea of how you put your skills into practice. 

It’s okay to use more than one page. 
Include all relevant experience rather than cutting things to make your resume fit on one page. 
That said, be sure your summaries are succinct and your most important information appears on the first page. 

And don’t underestimate how important it is to: 
Make sure your CV/resume is completely up-to-date, including ensuring your contact information is current. Be honest. Paint the best possible picture of yourself, but don’t exaggerate. And proofread for typos and errors - more than once! 

Use Microsoft CV/ resume builder. 
What’s the best way to format your resume/CV to get yourself noticed? If you’re a little unsure what you should include—and what to leave out—get it right with Microsoft CV/Resume Builder. This tool will help you build a solid CV step by step. 

Check out Microsoft Jobs Blog. 
For more resume advice directly from the recruiters, visit the company’s JobsBlog Resume Building page. 

Interview Tips 
Do your homework. 
Read the job description and then read it again. 
Where? When? 
Know the location of your interview and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get there so you're not late. 

Know your subject—you. 
Know which of your skills and experiences qualify you for this job and be prepared to give examples. 

Ask questions 
Relax, smile, be yourself, and ask us as many questions as you’d like. Interviews are a two-way process, after all. 

Dress for success. 
Be smart and dress smart. While the dress code in our offices is casual, we take the interview and selection processes very seriously so we recommend you wear business attire for your interview