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Secrets of Job Interviews


ii

Publishing-in-support-of,

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING

RZ 94, Sector - 6, Dwarka, New Delhi - 110075 Shubham Vihar, Mangla, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh - 495001

Website: www.educreation.in __________________________________________________

© Copyright, Author

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written consent of its writer.

ISBN: 978-1-61813-611-4

Price: ` 338.00

The opinions/ contents expressed in this book are solely of the author and do not represent the opinions/ standings/ thoughts of Educreation.

Printed in India


iii

Secrets of

Job

Interviews Get your dream Job

Shashidhar Panchanana

EDUCREATION PUBLISHING (Since 2011)

www.educreation.in


iv


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Acknowledgments ____________________________________________________________

I want to thank all of the people who have put great

effort and made a significant contribution to what I have

become today.

I thank God for providing the inspiration and

resources to accomplish this goal. God had been a great

friend and helper throughout my journey.

I am grateful to my brother, Arunkumar

Panchanana, and Friend, Chidanand Angadi. The love,

support and brilliance of these people are included in

this book at no extra charge.

I thank my family, who always believed in my

ability to succeed and helped me to get everything I

needed to reach my goals.

My humble thanks go to those who trained, coached

and influenced me to write this book.

For all the thousands of you who allowed me to

support you in your job search, to you I give my

appreciation and good wishes for making this book

possible.


vi

I dedicate this book to my grandparents Krishnappa Ichangi and

Yashoda Krishnappa Ichangi.


vii

How to read this book ____________________________________________________________

Reading a book is one thing, but getting the most out of

it is different. Majority of people only reach the surface

of the book but never really take the pain to dig out the

treasure hidden within it. Hence, they may get a portion

of the treasure, but they lose the chance to get the whole

treasure.

How do you know that you get the most out of a

book? You get the most out of this book when it

significantly improves your life to the greatest

possible extent. Because of that, an important goal of

reading books is getting actionable ideas. To get the

most out of the books, you should then put those

actionable ideas into action.

Here are some steps you can follow to get the most

out of this book:

1) Preview this book

Before spending too much time on this book; preview

the book by reading its cover, introduction, table of

contents, and skimming through the chapters.

Previewing will help you to be familiar with the

structure of this book which will help you understand the

big picture of this book; in which whatever you‟ll read

later can be put in the right place with the right context.

2) Decide your purpose and the depth of your

reading

If you think this book is worth reading, you should then

decide your purpose of reading the book. Your purpose

states the kind of actionable ideas you expect from this

book. Is there a problem you expect to be solved? Is


viii

there an area in your life you expect to be improved?

Next, you should decide how deep your reading will be.

It deals with the amount of time you are willing to spend

on this book. The more actionable ideas you think it has,

the deeper your reading should be.

3) For each chapter you read:

1. Preview the chapter

Go through the titles, subtitles and pictures in the

chapter. Just like previewing the book, previewing the

chapter builds your familiarity with it and helps you put

the details you get later in the right context.

2. Quick read the chapter

Next, you can quick read the chapter. This step fills in

the details of the context you build in the previous step

while giving you a glimpse of which might be the

important ideas.

3. Reread to highlight important ideas

in the chapter

This time you reread the chapter to decide which are the

important ideas of the chapter. I‟d suggest highlighting

the important ideas you find. I personally use two kinds

of highlights, one for important ideas and another one

for very important ideas.

4) Create the book map

After reading the whole book, I‟d suggest creating a

book summary of your own. Creating a book summary

helps you internalize the ideas you get.

The first part of such summary is a book map. A

book map maps the structure of the entire book.

Normally, you can just use the table of contents as the

book map, but don‟t use a very detailed table of

contents. The purpose of a book map is to quickly give


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you a glimpse of the structure of the book. Too many

details may distract you from the big picture.

5) Write the ideas you get from each chapter

Next, you can write the ideas you get from each chapter

by simply looking at your highlights in that chapter.

Remember, your goal is to get actionable ideas, so you

should focus on them. Writing the ideas you get from

your reading helps you further internalize those ideas.

6) Write the main ideas you get from the entire

book

A good book often contains a lot of actionable ideas, so

the list of ideas with step 5 may be too long to act upon

effectively. You should then have a separate list of the

main ideas from the entire book. This list helps you

focus on the most important ideas so that it will be easier

for you to apply them.

If you use two kinds of highlight that I have

mentioned in step 3.3, you can get the main ideas of the

book by simply looking at your „very important‟

highlights.

7) Next create action list

The action is what puts you ahead of 90% or more other

people who just read the book but do not apply what

they learn. In fact, the action is the key. Actionable ideas

are useless if you do not put them into action.

To help you know what you have learnt, decide

what actions you will do to apply it. Look at your list of

main ideas (step 6) to decide the most important action.


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8) Integrate the next action list into your master

next action list

After creating your next action list of the books; you can

then integrate it into your master next action list. By

putting the actions in the book there, the application of

the book now integrates into your daily workflow.

Don‟t forget to be flexible. The more important a

book is, the more steps you should use. „Important‟

books are those which have bigger potential of life-

changing experience.

Using these steps, you do not just read the book;

you mean it.


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Index _______________________________________________________________

Sr. No. Contents Page No.

Introduction. xii

1. How to Decide on a Career Path 1

2. Ways for New College Graduates

to Gain Job Experience

13

3. Importance of International

Certification

16

4. Setup Your Email to Look

Professional

20

5. The Secrets to Writing a Resume

that is Guaranteed to Get

You the Job

27

6. Uploading Resumes in Job Portals 34

7. List of Job Searching Websites 40

8. Email Templates and Cover Letter 41

9. Types of Interviews and How to

Ace Them

48

10 How to Behave Inside an

Interview Hall

52

11. Interviews – Body Language

Do‟s and Don‟ts

54

12. Useful Tips to Dress up for an

Interview for Males and Females

57

13. Interview Questions and Answers

Samples

64


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Introduction

Interviews are the enablers of great jobs. With good interview

skills, people can land on enjoyable work which in turn links

to everything they want out of life; many people stay in the

same job because they fear or loathe interviews, others just

lack the confidence to drive the change needed in their life.

This mini book was put together by an author who has

several years of experience in the field of Information

Technology. These tips, although sometimes obvious and

simple or to avoid the traps many people fall into which,

prevent them from securing their dream job. We all spend a

large proportion of our lives at work so it‟s paramount that

your work is appropriate to suit your lifestyle and aspirations.

When you find a job you enjoy, are passionate about and

are good at, then you have really got your life into perspective.

People in jobs they dislike are far more likely to suffer stress

and anxiety, leading to poor performance, sleepless nights and

even problems in their personal life and relationships. If you

want to make a change for the better or are happy in your

work, but just want to refresh your interview skills to allow

you to progress then this mini book should be of great use to

you.

Remain positive and believe you can have the job you

deserve.



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Chapter 1

How to Decide on a

Career Path

Today, the process of choosing a career for young adults

is not a linear path, but instead a complex process

influenced by a myriad of internal and external factors.

But now, deciding on a career may seem scary, but

it is easier when you give yourself a lot of options and

time to consider it. However, the problem is the lack of

match between your aptitude and the skill sets. You are

fortunate if your skill sets match your aptitude.

Otherwise, while it is easy to develop your skill sets

according to your aptitude, the challenge is to change

your attitude in accordance with the skill sets. Your

aptitude slowly and unknowingly develops in you a

mindset toward a particular field of activity. Hence, the

parents should identify the child's aptitude and

encourage the child in developing the required skill sets.



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Waiting till the end of the one's schooling to decide on

the career field may not be a healthy option.

Although the idea of a "job for life" is fast

becoming a thing of the past, the field of work which

you choose is important because it will determine where

you will spend a good deal of your working life and will

also define how many opportunities you will have to

branch out using your basic skill set. So, choose wisely

and select a field that encompasses as many of your

talents as possible, to allow you to the greatest freedom

and leeway for shifting around a field doing different

jobs with a good set of basic skills, along with a good

dose of solid confidence in your worth and abilities.

a) Begin by determining what you like to do.

A lot of people look to others to determine their career

paths – teachers, parents, neighbors and peers. Think

about people you respect and what they do for work.

Take time to map out your wants and to match your

skills with the skills that are actively sought within

certain fields of work. This will involve a fair bit of

research work but it is well worth it.

b) Identify the skills you use when you are doing the

thing(s) you enjoy.

Look at the things you are good at doing already. This

will give you a very good indication of what you are

likely to enjoy doing by way of a career. For instance,

perhaps you like being with animals. Already this simple

but important enjoyment opens up a very broad field of

work for you that encompasses such possible jobs as

caring for animals, veterinary work, animal advocacy,

transporting animals, calming animals (e.g. horse

whispering), making animal clothing and feed items,



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running a pet store etc. Once you have identified a

potential field, you are then ready to match your skills.

c) Think of fields broadly.

A field of work is wider than a single job. It is an area in

which many jobs or trades are possible, and you should

be able to consider your training and interests in terms of

looking for a career path that will give you a shot at least

five related types of jobs that are available within that

field. For instance, if you learn engineering, you might

consider being an engineer out in the field (such as oil

production), a manager of a site, an office manager, a

trainer of engineering skills and a consultant in

engineering; or, if you study law, you may want to be a

lawyer in a large law firm, a lawyer in a non-profit

organization, a team leader in an office of any type (even

non-law), a manager of a company or a writer of

corporate compliance manuals. Realize that the breadth

of the field will be determined in part by the training you

receive and also by your own personal, up-to-date "skill

set", as well as your willingness to try new things and to

be retrained.

d) Consider cross-field work.

When working out what you would like to be and what

you will need to study to get to this point, give

consideration to the possibilities involved in crossing

fields; for instance, many teachers are good with word

skills and hence make excellent editors and publishers.

Think outside the square your title bestows (or will

bestow) upon you.



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e) Learn as much as possible about the

qualifications required for fields that interest

you.

Library, Internet and direct contact research will be

required here. It is also helpful to ask your school, local

community services, university etc. for assistance in

career choices and development. Your thorough research

will help you to determine quickly which areas you want

to study, as well as the depth of study required. Dig deep

and look at third and fourth year subject/skills training

requirements as well, so that you don't find any nasty

surprises awaiting you, such as additional time or harder

skills that do not match your interests or abilities.

f) Find people who work in the field and learn from

them.

Once you have worked out which specific jobs interest

you, speak to those already working in these areas. This

will enable you to hear their suggestions and to ask them

what they like and dislike about the field in which they

work. Sometimes, you may even have an opportunity to

do some work experience with a place that interests you,

to help you to "get a feel" for the work involved.

g) Evaluate your choice of field according to your

own perceptions and the information you have

gathered.

Assess the comments you've received, weigh these up

with your research work and add in your own feelings

about your potential career path. This is the time to

decide whether this career continues to appeal to you.

Do not forget to include the type of lifestyle you would

like in balancing the equation. If you make enormous

compromises as to the type of lifestyle that you

ultimately want, you may be unhappy and live to regret



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this. As such, it is wise to try to combine your career

choice with a lifestyle balance, with minor or short-term

compromises rather than major, long-term ones.

h) Sign up for an educational or training program

in the career of your choice.

While studying, do not neglect to take advantage of

networking opportunities and chances to work in your

career field either as a volunteer or in short-term paid

positions. These opportunities will give you the best

possible feeling for the work and the types of people in

the field that you will be working with. It will help you

to filter out any unnecessary areas of study or to take on

additional subjects and skills training that may be of

possible use and could help to extend your horizons.

i) Keep Positive.

When you are finally trained and ready to find that

dream career, the most important thing is to maintain a

positive outlook about your life and to be ready for

change, difference and shifts in your comfort zones. This

is the real world and it moves rapidly; it is important to

keep up with changes and to take a positive approach by

making opportunities out of challenges. However,

always keep what is unique about you because at the end

of the day, that is the most special thing many employers

are looking for while choosing the most suitable

candidate from several skilled and educated workers

available to them.

j) Career Choice Interview Protocol (Answer the

questions)

Introduction/Background

1) Tell me about your college (Graduate School)

experience?



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a) What did you major in?

b) How did you decide on this major?

2) What did you enjoy most about college (graduate

school) classes, activities, etc?

3) What extracurricular activities did you

participate in?

Formative Background

1) Reflecting on your formative years as a child or

adolescent, what influences do you view as most

salient to the way you approach your work or

school?

a) How has your family background influenced

the way you approach your work?

b) How did you spend your time as a child?/What

would a person have seen if they shadowed you

for a day when you were a child?

c) Were you involved in any volunteer

organization, scout or were active in a church

or temple?

d) As a child, were you intensely involved in one

or more activities?

2) Who has had the greatest influence on your approach

to work and/or how you have made crucial decisions

in your career thus far?

a) Were there any particular people who attracted

you to your field of work?

b) Would you consider any of them as your

mentors? How did they affect you? What did

you learn from them?

c) Were there any “anti-mentors”? How did they

affect you

d) Name any influential book, movie or someone

you didn't know personally.



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3) Would you say that there has been an experience,

opportunity or project, either in your youth or more

recently that was transformative or has had an

important effect on your life or career?

4) Can you recall instances of events in your youth that

were early indications of your social awareness

and/or entrepreneurial inclinations? Do you recall

what motivated you to initiate each of those

endeavors?

Goals and Responsibilities

1) In your studies, to whom or what did you feel most

responsible?

2) Who do you predict you will feel responsible to in

your future job?

3) In your schooling, was there an overarching purpose

or goal that gives meaning to what you do that is

essential to making your work worthwhile? What is

it? Will this remain the same in your future job? [If

unclear, probe for: self vs. other orientation;

universalism vs. particularism.]

a) Do you have a particular time frame in mind

with respect to this goal? How quickly do you

expect or hope for having an impact?

b) (If unclear) How does this connect to your day-

to-day work?

c) Are there certain tactics or techniques that have

helped you achieve your goals in your day-to-

day experiences? [Probe for strategies]

d) What experiences or influences were more

important, in forming this goal?

e) How do you know whether you are on

track/making progress toward this goal?



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f) How would you describe an ideal culture

within an organization? How would one go

about creating this kind of culture?

4) Have your goals changed over your college or

graduate school years? If so, how have they

changed? What caused them to change?

5) What direction do you see for the future of your own

career?

a) How do you measure success?

b) How will you know when you‟ve achieved it?

c) What, if anything, might make you decide to

leave your field of work?

d) Do you have particular hopes or requirements

about your income?

The Work Process

1) Do you have a particular philosophy, or perhaps

rules or aphorisms, which guide your overall

approach to your work?

a) If so, how did you come to acquire this

philosophy?

b) What are some examples of how you have

employed this philosophy in your school work

or recent career?

c) To what degree does this philosophy reflect

your approach to life in general?

2) Which of your accomplishments are you most proud

of?

a) To what do you attribute your success in this

endeavor?

b) What strategies did you use to accomplish this

achievement?

c) How did you learn these strategies yourself?



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Opportunities and Supports

1) What are some of the things that are helping you to

pursue your goals in college or in recent work? Do

you have ideas about what supports you will need in

your future work? [Probe for: most important

opportunities or supports]

2) Are there specific qualities that have contributed to

your achievements? (Qualities – attribute: e.g.

determination, persistence)

a) What about qualities that have held you back or

made it harder to pursue your goals?

3) What keeps you going or sustains your commitment

to your goals? Your work in school? Your work in

your new position?

Career Decisions

1) Do you know what you will be doing after

graduation?

2) What will you be doing (or what do you hope to be

doing) in your new job/program?

3) How did you decide on this specific job? Tell me

about your thought process when you were deciding

on this job?

a) What other jobs did you apply to?

b) Was the decision to accept this job hard?

c) What appealed to you about this job or field of

work?

d) If you were not doing this, what might you be

doing instead?

4) What, if any, would make you give up working at

your organization? Would you give up your work all

together? If so, what would you do?



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5) What do you expect your work to be like? How may

the day to day be?

6) What do you predict you will like about your work

or dislike?

7) What kinds of things do you hope to accomplish in

your work in the future?

a) What are you hoping will be the greater impact

of the work you are planning on doing?

Beliefs and Values

1) Would you say that there are any personal beliefs or

core values that guide your studies and work?

(Beliefs – world view: e.g. belief in truth,

justice, fairness)

a) What experiences or influences were most

important, in forming these beliefs/values?

b) How do these personal values or beliefs

determine the types of projects with which you

get involved?

2) Do you predict these are the values same or different

than the values of colleagues and others in your

field?

a) (If in conflict) what effect does this have, if

any, on pursuit of your goals?

b) Does this degree of consistency have any

relation to the reasons that you chose to join

your own organization?

c) Might it [degree of consistency] be different if

you were working in another industry?

d) Do you predict tension between your beliefs

and values and those of individuals in your

organization? If yes, how will you deal with it?

3) What kinds of work or leaders do you admire? Why

do you admire them?



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