Umang was a CA Final rank-holder and this particular FMCG company was this dream company. Ever since he had appeared for his CA CPT exams years ago, he would pass by the imposing skyscrapers that housed the company\’s corporate headquarters. Today was the D-day. It was a Rs 20 lacs+ job as a CA fresher, hard to find elsewhere. So he was stressed. Quite normal, isn\’t it? It is normal to have stress during an interview. It is your dream job and a goof-up can mar your prospects, denying you entry into that coveted company.
The same familiar feelings of butterflies, shortness of breath and dry mouth are all quite normal when you feel under the spotlight.
As he waited in the reception, dressed formally, he was literally sweating.
He had been waiting since the last 35 minutes and there was no response. When he approached the reception, she replied in a terse tone – Please wait.
He was simply asked to wait. But he wondered, for how long?
After another 4o minutes and multiple glasses of water, he was called into the interview room. The panel said hello, smiled and then – that was this stony silence. They didn\’t utter a word thereon.
Interviews are designed to be stressful, the company wants to evaluate whether you have the inner mental strength to take it, be it on a trading floor or factory floor. Technically, the panel was using a \”waiting and silence\” method of interview. Since he would need to be a financial controller to their sales & marketing function, the goal was to assess whether the candidate will initiate the conversation. On the job, the candidate has to deal with external stakeholders and thus must demonstrate composure and control to strike up a friendly conversation.
Finally, he managed to start the conversation, suggesting that he be given an opportunity to tell something about himself. When allowed to do so, he uttered those rehearsed stereotyped lines in a monotone
As the conversation ensued around technical questions, he was irritated as one of the panelists was apparently out there to annihilate his fortunes, be it interrupting his answers, making/answering phone calls, often appearing to be uninterested. He asked strange questions,
- \”How will you improve the design of a cigarette?\’
- \’Convince me to start smoking\’
- \’What if you caught a colleague cheating on his expenses?\’
- \’How do you feel this interview is going?\’
He made taunting remarks like, \’I don\’t think you can handle this position\’, \’I don\’t feel like we are getting to the heart of the matter here\’ or \’That is the worst answer I have ever heard.\’
He was asked to draw the scatter diagram for a CAPM model on a sheet of paper. After that he was asked to explain the same. Once through, the interviewers reacted by saying
\”You think this was an answer that we can call as to be good-enough ?\”
Umang answered would be: \”Sir, I am a CA rank-holder !\”
He appeared to be now quite vocal in conveying his discomfort. The interview was anyways not heading anywhere.
After a few more rounds of Q&A, the HR said \’ We will get back to you \’.
Umang knew it was the end of the story. They never got back. All his dreams were quashed. he braced himself to join an offshore KPO of a leading investment bank in Bangalore, at almost half the salary.
What would you do if you were in Umang\’s place? What are the mistakes you could have avoided.
Here are our two cents !
a) This is a common mistake at interviews, quite tricky as well. There is no second doubts that as a candidate, you want o impress the interviewer, and show that you\’ve done your homework. However, the challenge is that in a bid to do so, you can come across as a little too overdone, or worse, rehearsed. The key is to present information in a conversational way, not in a robotic way.
b) Remember the interview may resort to any of these stress tactics a employed above. The key is to remain calm and focused in spite of the pressure. Do not feel mortified, get angry or defensive or even lose control. Neither should you become aggressive, hostile, argumentative or disrespectful.
Say in the CAPM question above, a good reaction would be to stand back and calmly say: \”This is the concept to the best of my understanding. However, I am just a fresher and am just aware of the theoretical question. I am sure there are many practical dimensions that I will need to learn on the job \”
c) Remember that what is being closely observed is not what you are saying but the manner, behaviour and body language so as to predict your performance on-the-job. If you lose it and utter \’How dare you ask me something like that?\’ can rule you out from further consideration.
d) Please be smart enough to understand that these are are deliberate attempts to trap you. Don\’t take them personally. if you can play along, and remain detached and professional, it will drive home the message that you can handle potentially stressful situations with aplomb.Rise to the challenge by ignoring the stress. While it is easier said than done, try to concentrate on showcasing your skills and accomplishments.
e) The protracted silence can be killing. So seize the initiative and try something like this.
\”Dear Sir/Madam. I guess I would be employed to solve problems. If you want to stress me realistically, I request you to put one or two problems or challenges you are facing. I will attempt to answer how I would tackle them, had I been an employee of this company. If I can\’t help you on this level, you shouldn\’t hire me.\”
f) Do not feel rushed into answering. Slow down, collect your thoughts, take a deep breath and speak calmly.
g) If the interviewer keeps interrupting, give brief answers so that there is no scope for being cut off.
h) Stick to what you have said even if you are asked the same question again or the interviewer doubts your veracity. In this way, refusing to be intimidated will help you to actually turn the situation around and take control of the interview.
Stress can be your friend
Stress is normally assumed to be negative. However, a bit of it is crucial for you to perform at your best in an interview. Embrace it and see it as an enhancer rather than a disabler.
![\"images](\"https://blog.cajobportal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/images-1.jpg\")
P.S. It is not necessary that every interviewer will put you through the hoops. These tips will help you just in case such a situation arises.