Interview part-2: Tell me about you

Let us have a recap of ‘Interview-part1: Apples, oranges and interviews’. It is a discussion on how to sell your skills in an interview. It is a personality test to understand your attitude, aptitude and experience in your field. Let me share my own experience.

An interview call came to me. I attended the interview. It was a complete fiasco. Are you interested in knowing about it? (Why not? There was a hidden pleasure in listening to others’ failures like these. Isn’t it?)   

To my dismay there was only one person present there to interview me. He was also busy in his phone instructing his wife to do this and that and getting instructed. Sometimes he kept his voice very low. I was growing nervous and impatient. I rested my weakening forearms on his table and watched him irritating his wife as well as getting irritated in the process. I could figure out that he failed in his discussion with his wife.

He suddenly boomed “Tell me about you.” It was a very unfriendly tone .Before starting my reply, he continued “Do you have manners? Get off your hands from my table.” Can we call it ‘wife effect’ or ‘phone effect’?

My hands were trembling (Trust me! it was because of anger rather than fear) I blabbered something fast about my name, town, my father, mother and brother.

He shouted again “I asked only about you.”

I believed that I was telling about me. I felt quite confused. Then again I made an attempt to restart.This time also my 'login' attempt failed.  Consequently he pressed the bell on his table. I also kept my mouth shut, because my mind had already gone blank. A woman with a smile entered the room filling the whole place with a smell of lavender. The smile and the fragrance seemed to calm us down a little. Even so he looked at me and barked.

“…You go. Please send the next one, Mary.” The next man was lucky.

 This next lucky man is a friend of mine. We usually have a hearty laugh over this incident till now. He has become the General Manager of the same company.

But...let us go back to the interview. Let’s see how my friend handled the interview.

He was also asked the same question and here is how he handled it.

“Sir, I’m Mukesh from Chennai. I‘ve completed M.A in First class. I was school-first in my 10^th and 11^th    and then completed Pre-university and B.A in First class with distinction. Further I have type-writing higher and short hand-lower certifications. I received first prize in All India Radio’s quiz competition. I…erhm…”

“Ok. What are your hobbies?” the interviewer asked.

My friend, very politely, replied “...Sir it is Cricket. I was the captain of our college team.”

“Who is the captain of Indian team?”    “… Pataudi, sir”

“What qualities do you think he possesses to be the captain of our team?”

And so the game continued with the swift balls and sixes on the right pitch. No doubt. He came out ‘not-out’. He captured the attention of the interviewer in the first answer itself. He did not tell anything which was not relevant to the employer’s interest. Remember! Employers are always looking for people who would earn profits for the company

He told about his education and achievements and nothing else. Look at the answers. Analyze. Apply when it is necessary. So here are the golden rules: “Do not tell anything which is not useful to interviewer. Try to be different from others.”