The Magic Wand

One final word before we go on to discuss specific questions and the reasons why they are asked in an interview. The other day in the class I asked how many of the students felt that I had a magic wand and I just had to wave it to turn them into the most sought after managers in the job market. While most students were not very amused by the question there were eight to ten of them surprisingly raised their hands and said, they did. The response was at once, scary and humbling. Though no teacher or a trainer has such a stick which she can wave to turn you into super managers that the industry will kill to acquire, you certainly have one. It is called decision. You can certainly take a decision to become someone that the industry is looking for by deciding two things. One you are willing to outwork every one else in the world and that you will be honest to the core. Bingo. As far as knowledge goes every one has to be a student all his life and make an everlasting commitment to learning. You have to tell yourself that you are good person but you have to become better. There always is scope for improvement. You have to be the best you can be. You were created unique and you have to be without equal. If you can prove to the interviewer that you have great work ethic and uncompromising integrity you will ace every interview you go to provided you have the skills required for the job. Apart from that it is a marketing thing. The secret to smart sell yourself is that you need to find out what the company wants in an employee and show them that you have in you what they are looking for. Can you match your abilities with the requirements of the job? If you can, the job is yours.
So part of the process of your search for a suitable job is to thoroughly research what the employer wants. You must spend some time finding out what the employer is looking for. If you are applying for a job in response to an interview read the advertisement closely and figure out the employer’s needs. Then go ahead and provide them what they need. If your college has a placement cell who has invited a company for recruiting candidates for certain position, talk to the people manning the cell and find out everything you can about the company and the industry it functions in. Discuss the profile of the job on offer with the people in the Placement Cell. Make a check list of all the abilities and skills the job requires. Check out if you have the qualities and qualifications the company wants you to have. If you do not have some of the skills required, make a commitment to acquire the skills needed. If there have been any articles about the company that appeared in the press in the recent past read up the articles and be aware of the direction the company is moving in.
Ask yourself also a few questions like do you have the temperament to do the job you are going to be interviewed for? Is their any likelihood that you will be willing to the job without rumination if such a situation were to arise at some time in the future? This is as tough a question to answer as it is important. The answer to the question will determine how much fun you are going to have doing the job and in your life. If you were to answer the question in the affirmative you have found a job which will never be a boring because you love doing it. The secret to happiness in life is either finding what you love doing and doing it for remuneration or without it; or begin to love what you are doing. At this stage in your life when you are checking things out it is not a bad idea to go ahead and try a few things and then figure out what you like doing and what you don’t. Take a few risks. There is no bigger tragedy in life than to be stuck all your life in a rut for a little bit of extra money. No one ever regrets having spent less time in the office or at the place of work because most people are in the wrong job. The time to think what job is good for you and what job you will absolutely love doing is now before you commit your self. For most people it is too late the moment they get their first job because they never have the opportunity or the guts to change direction later.

You can’t sell from an empty wagon

So what you know is that you can’t prepare for a job interview overnight though it is also true that you should always be ready to face one. After all an interview is nothing but the interviewer and the interviewee getting to know each other and determining if the interviewee is suitable for the job she is being interviewed for. What you can do right away is remain positive and upbeat, have a good self image and do something every day that will take you closer to your goal. The goal is to become the best person you can be. Remember you are not really in competition with anyone else. Your motto is every day in every way I will become better and better. You have to sharpen your axe every day as Stephen Covey will say. Your axe here is your brain, your character and your personality.
Let us create a hypothetical situation. For a moment assume you are the CEO of your own Company and you are going for a holiday and plan to be travelling around the world. You will be gone for six months. You are looking for a Chief Manager who will look after your Company in your absence. What kind of a manager will you recruit? What qualities should your manager have? The other day when we discussed this in the class full of students of business management a huge list of desirable qualities was proffered by them. They would want their Chief Manager to have good communication and interpersonal skills, problem solving and conflict resolution skills. They expected their manager to be educated, experienced, intelligent, punctual, well dressed and well mannered. He should be a good team player be able to work under pressure and have great leadership qualities. He should have good knowledge about the world in general and the world of business in particular. The right manager should not only be high on IQ but also on EQ, should know how to compliment and criticize as also be flexible while still being firm. She should be able to manage her time and meet targets of the company. She should be responsive while being responsible. Everyone agreed that the qualities that would be the most important would be that the candidate be honest and have high integrity. No one wanted a manager who would be unethical, dishonest, unorganized, rude, crude and foul mouthed. An intelligent but dishonest manager will clean you out before you have enplaned let alone gone around the world.
Remember when you go for an interview the industry is also looking for all those qualities in you that you will look for if you had to appoint someone to run your business. Is it very tough to acquire all those traits of character and personality? No you are just a decision away from being the manager that everyone needs and desires to run businesses. Once you have taken that decision you have to hone the required skills and work on your self every day. Success is first an inside job. You have to work on your self and become absolutely irresistible and make success a habit. It is a life-long commitment. Everyday in every way you become better and better. Your journey in life is not about perfection but about progress. Being a good manager is the same thing as being a good human being only more efficient. Yet it is not about doing one thing a hundred percent better; it is about doing a hundred things one percent better regularly.
Landing a good job is all about selling your wonderful qualities. You cannot sell them if you don’t have them. You cannot sell from an empty wagon. Preparing for an interview is not just about learning how to wear a tie and dress up well or learn how to answer a question. It is not even about learning the right posture and body language, it is about deciding to be absolutely honest and having uncompromising integrity. After that it is about acquiring the right skills and knowledge and willingness to work hard. Your time starts now. The price of success is non negotiable.