Job Interview, Part - 5 {The Last Part}

December 12, 2011

Job Interview, Part - 5 {The Last Part}

Continued from my previous posts,

"Job Interview, Part - 1" (http://ansumanjena.blogspot.com/2011/11/job-interview-part-1.html)

"Job Interview, Part - 2" (http://ansumanjena.blogspot.com/2011/11/job-interview-part-2.html)

"Job Interview, Part - 3" (http://ansumanjena.blogspot.com/2011/11/job-interview-part-3.html)

and

"Job Interview, Part - 4" (http://ansumanjena.blogspot.com/2011/12/job-interview-part-4.html)

Common in… take your seat… Vibha said as she kept reading.

I came near the chair meant for me and stood still. I don’t know why.

Vibha looked at me (diverting her focus from reading). Oh common Ansuman, feel comfortable… take your seat. Again she ducked her head into those papers.

I occupied the chair nearby. Put the folder (containing my CV, certificates etc) on my lap and looked at Vibha. She was still bust in reading.

Ansuman, your native is Jajpur… right? She asked turning pages and quickly scanning some documents.

I was silent. May be a bit absent minded / nervous / both.

She looked at me again… common speak up ! ! !

Yes mam… its Jajpur.

Tell me something about Jajpur.

Jajpur is a district in Odisha. Surrounded by Bhadrak, Keonjhar kendrapara and Cuttack. Approximately 110 Kilometers from the state capital Bhubaneswar. Earlier known as “Biraja Khetra” etc. I talked about 2-3 minutes on Jajpur.

Now Vibha looked at me and said, “Tell me three things you like and three things you dislike about Jajpur?”

I took a 5 seconds pause and then started, “the three things I like the most about Jajpur are…”

Rich cultural heritage
Rich mineral resources
Simplicity, honesty, dedication and smartness of the natives.

“There is nothing which I dislike / hate about Jajpur but yes there are some areas of improvement / areas to work on and they are…”

The communication and infrastructure facility.
Pure drinking water for everyone
Protection of the remains of the temples, palaces, the Buddhist monuments, the remains of the ancient city and promoting them as tourist places.

You said the people are smart, honest and dedicated; tell me one thing you want to change about them?

There are some people opposing industrialization in the Kalinganagar area. I believe it’s good as it will bring various employment and livelihood opportunities, revenue for the State and certainly develop the standard of living of the local people at least. But certain group of people with dirty political intention are opposing and fueling anger among the locals. I want to change this mindset of the people.

Ansuman, you have a different hair style… why !?

I didn’t knew how was my hairstyle or how was I looking at that time; as I can only remember combing my hair after shower in my room early in the morning around 6-7 AM. But I replied, “I believe it suits my personality and I am sellable in this hair style”.

May be she was stunned with my answer. Because her mouth was open (not much wide), raised eyebrows, eye balls drouping out and a small yet complex smile on her curvy lips.

Have I said something wrong? Am I looking like a jerk? Is my hairstyle really bad enough? I should have taken special care about my hair style and looks in particular before entering in to this room. There were thousands of random questions exploding in my mind.

Sellable… hmmm… good. It’s the most bold answer I have ever heard for a sales profile, not even from the experience ones… being a fresher I appreciate your attitude.

I said “thank you madam” without knowing the importance of her words. I was busy in thinking about my hair style because I was completely unaware about my looks and hair style.

What was your GD topic?

Our topic was “With the increasing popularity of Cricket; should it be granted the status of our National Game”.

Hmmm… and Sambit was the observer right?

Yes mam.

He has given you good comments. You have written that you want to setup an orphanage…

Yes mam I really do.

At that point of time I was sure that Vibha has my CV, the GD feedback reports and the psychometric test report in her hand and she was reading the same since I entered the room. बाप रे... बाप...

Then tell me how you are going to achieve the same?

Mam for the setup and smooth maintenance I need a lot of money and therefore I have chosen Management as my profession after completing B.Sc. Zoology. People with Degree in Zoology rarely opt for MBA but I did. I knew it’s going to give me a decent bank balance and a hefty network. It was a conscious decision.

In the location preference column you have written Jajpur, Balasore and Puri; why?

I have completed my +2 and +3 in Jajpur. I know the location. It’s my home district. In Balasore I have completed a major part of my schooling from class 1 - 8. In Puri I was born. The reason I have mentioned these cities because I know the locality. I am comfortable in working in these areas. I know a few local people who could help me in my initial days to startup. These locations are mostly semi-urban or rural and I can also give a lead to Reliance Money for entering and expanding into the rural markets.

Which dish you cook the best?

I was unable to correlate. Puzzled / confused. Gave a strange look and was silent.

You have written cooking is one of your hobbies…

Oh yes madam… I prepare ‘chicken chham chaam’ the best.

What? Chicken… chaam… chhaam… is it the name of the dish?

Yes mam.

What’s the recipe?

Nothing new or innovation mam… just named it so…

She laughed out loud. Ha ha ha ha. I smiled.

Tell me about your family?

We are three in our family my father, younger brother and me. Father is working as a Junior Clerk in the RTO, Bhubaneswar. Younger brother is pursuing B. Tech and recently got placed in Tory Harris…

The interview lasted for quite a long time after this. At the end when I was about to leave the hall she said, “Ansuman you have a lot of time in hand… work on your communication skill… it’s my personal suggestion and Sambit has also recommended the same…”

Why is she saying all these to me? What is the meaning of a lot of time? Is it the time till I opt for another interview or it’s the time in hand for joining reliance money? Am I selected? Are they selecting me? Again thousands of questions shook my brain.

If at all selected. Vibha added.

Those questions vanished. The hope for being selected vaporized. The fog of selection/rejection restored.

Thank you madam, I have already started working on it. Have a great session ahead madam. I uttered these as I moved out of the hall. I found that I was more tensed than entering in to the interview room. All my friends came to me. Most of their interview was over by that time except Sunita. They asked me what happened inside?

Not a single question she asked me out of my preparation. No normal or usual interview questions. The questions were mostly based on the GD feedback report, psychometric test report and directly from the CV. There is no scope to lie/bluff/pretend. No way you can hide facts.

We saw Vibha came out of her room and went downstairs.

{Cut to the result declaration}

All of us (including the students, faculty and the placement coordinators) reassembled in the same conference hall for the declaration of the results. It was already 10.30 PM. Few parents/guardians came over there mostly of local girls. They were also with us inside the hall.

The Naukri Lords appeared again. This time with smile and some documents.

Sambit started, “Finally we are here with the results. All of us are tired and eager to know the results. Let’s play a game. Yes… a game. I am not going to readout the names of the selected candidates and shall not put the list on the notice board. Rather I want you all to help us select by guessing who is selected. Shall we start?”

Yes. We all said.

What is this now? I was thinking.

Sambit came inside the audience with an extra cordless mic. “Do you think you are selected?” He asked randomly to someone.

Hmmmm… the candidate was not sure and kept thinking.

Sambit moved to another candidate seating adjacent and asked “what you have to say about him, is he selected?”

I think so…

You think so. That means you are not sure. “Do you think you are selected?”

Now he said yes with confidence.

Yes… much better… that’s the answer I was looking for. He moved again; now to a placement coordinator. “Sir, what do you think how many students we have selected from your institute?”

All. Said the coordinator.

Now this is over confidence. It’s not gonna happen. OK… let’s stop this game here and know the results. First I am going to announce the results of the CSTs. Then he announced the name of the candidates and their place of posting. Entire audience clapped and cheered for the selected candidates. Bhagwati (the topper of our college) was one of the selected CSTs, place of posting Mumbai. The selected candidates were to come to Vibha and Priyanka to sign on certain documents and for other formalities. Some candidates looked gloomy for not being selected. I was almost unconscious.

“Now it’s time for the CMTs and the first one is… the name of the first selected candidate is… the candidate who is going to get an annual package of 3.8 lakhs per annum… the lucky candidate is…” Sambit dramatized it like they do in the Reality TV Shows.

“And the candidate is… he/she has to stand up first as I declare the name… and the name of the selected candidate is… oh!!! He is a male candidate and his name is… he is fair in complexion… he has a unique hair style…”

Everyone started looking at each other. I was unable to look back properly as I was seating in between Sanjiv Sir (our placement in charge) and Sushant Tripathy sir (our former POM teacher and the then placement advisor of NIIST, Berhampur) in the front row. I was literally severing. Sambit was still busy in dramatizing and glamorizing the name of the selected candidate.

“The candidate is from Bhubaneswar… who is he? Where is he? If you can guess the name then we are going to select you too… who is he? He is here… present in this room right now… and he is… and the name is… ANSUMAN JENA, place of posting: Balasore”.

Me… the first candidate… selected!!! ???

Sanjiv sir hugged me tight. Sushant sir congratulated me. Sanjiv sir, “Its Baba who blessed you. Congratulations. Stand up Ansuman”.

I was lost… in a different world. Stood up.

Thousands of claps… kept echoing and vibrating my ecosystem. I went to the table to fill up the remaining formalities.

I saw and heard Vibha saying Priyanka, “he is the one I was telling you about…” As I approached closer to the table Pryanka, “oh you are the one who said ‘I am sellable’ to Vibha” offering me to shake hands.

I just smiled and shook hand with both of them. After some time Sambit finished announcing all the names. Akhay (from my GD group) was also selected. We were only two from our Institute Bhagwati and me. I collected the business cards of Sambit and Vibha.

{Cut to home coming}

After the formalities… wishes… etc finally I was about to move home. I was moving to the parking area. Took out my Nokia-Prism to share the news of selection with my loved ones. Damn… its already switched off. Mounted on the HH-CD Deluxe. Tried to kick start it but realized that there is no petrol in the tank. How could it be empty? Oh yes… a friend had taken the keys from me earlier in the day, I could remember. It was almost 11.30 PM. I had no Idea how am I going to reach home. No petrol… mobile switched off.

I moved out with the bike almost after half a kilometer I was a shop open. Both the required things were there pay phone and petrol. First I called Kunu and then Bapa, shared the good news. Filled petrol, paid and drove away.

When I reached home I was Kunu, Kamlesh, Amit and Piku were ready with crackers mostly with big Sutli Bombs (ଗଡମା) and started firing one after other. Hugged me… congratulated me… cheered for me. The sound of those bombs were so loud and it was mid night a few of the dwellers started soughing on us. We entered our room and to my surprise they there were a number of delicious looking dishes waiting for me… we all had a mega dinner together. They asked me what happened? What were the questions? And about everything… I answered. Finally we went to bed.

Resting on my bed I could still remember that moment when I left bed for the last time. The entire day ran quickly down from beginning to end. I was still thinking about the hair style that created a buzz. Suddenly I recalled yes I have taken a picture inside the hall (can you recall the picture taking incident I have requested you not to forget… refresh your memory). Yes, it must be there.

Take a look at the picture. This is it.