Placement Stress

Placement Stress

 

'Placements', 'Jobs', 'Salary Packages' – these are common terms you hear during your placement season at college, home, relatives and …. everyone.

It is quite stressful, Isn’t It. But always remember – "It is not stress that hurts us, it is our reaction to it."

 

As human beings, developing stress at an important phase of life is absolutely normal. But the way you handle it and not letting it to make you underperform is very important.

Remember Campus Placements is also a slightly random process, where luck plays an important role in my opinion. It is by no means a clear testament of your calibre or potential.

Let me share with you few things about the stress that one experiences during placements and ways you can handle and adjust to it.

Placements consist of about 5 stages through which stress keeps accumulating-

•  Resume making
•  Preparation
• Company Tests
• Release of Shortlist
• The Final Interviews.

1.     Students often panic as they start comparing their resumes among each other as this decides whether they will get selected for the job or not. Learning from someone else is a great thing, but stressing out because of self-doubt and inferiority complex is detrimental to you. One should believe in oneself and back his/her strengths rather than worrying about what others have on their resume.

2.     Remember the Placement deadlines are strict. Ensure to make your resume on time to get reviewed by your faculty, seniors and prepare the final draft well in advance to avoid unnecessary stress. 

3.     Aptitude and technical Preparation for placement is one of the most stressful times of placements. Managing academics, completing projects, preparing for additional exams, preparing for different fields of your choices etc, with so much on hand it is natural human tendency to freak out when you see huge tasks coming on your way. But what matters is how you handle this huge chunk of tasks in relatively short span of time. Please relax, make a time table for the day to allocate hours for placement preparations, academics, refreshing activities. Follow the schedule diligently.

4.  During the preparation too, you should focus on your preparation and continue following your plan of action instead of panicking because your peer is doing something else for preparation. During any discussion with your peers if you find something worthwhile, incorporate that into your timeline and do it as per your schedule rather than becoming panic. 

5. On the written test day, one important aspect to ace in the test is to go in without any  tension. Stay calm, trust your preparation, do not think of your peers preparation level. The most important aspect is self-confidence. 

6.     Some exams may go well and some may not. People often freak out after messing up one exam and let that stress affect the other exams as well. This is one thing everyone should try to avoid. If one written test did not go as per expectation, leave it there, and move on. 

7.     Next stress building phase is the shortlisting process. You see your peers getting shortlisted, surely the pressure builds up, you start frightening. This fear would only hurt you and hamper your preparation for other firms. The key is to remain calm and focussed and keep trying your chance. 

8.     Finally, the stress levels reach its peak when you have to face interview. Tensed look becomes a common sight at the interview board. One thing to keep in mind is – In life there will be rejections and acceptances, but we ought to remain calm in both the situations. If you get placed, you should be there during the next placement process helping your peers instead of celebrating. 

9.     The ones who face rejection should take the positives and learn from the interview and be ready for the upcoming interviews. No doubt seeing your friends getting placed, while you are facing rejections can be disheartening, but the ones who get depressed sink further down. Instead, they should pull up their socks, pump up themselves with confidence.  

 Peer support surely helps, everyone reading this article, kindly support your peers during their stressful periods and stand with them through it.

 ALL THE BEST!!

by: D N Roopa, Assistant Professor.

Appropriate attire for an interview at Start -ups and Corporates

 

You receive interview calls from start-ups and also larger corporations. In larger corporations, cubicles, fluorescent lights, and HR departments dictate the office atmosphere. Start-ups -especially tech start-ups- have become known for their anti-corporate attitudes.

Showing up for an interview, depending on whether it’s a start up or a corporate office would have a big impact on how everyone in the interview panel will perceive you.

Companies – no two are alike. They all have different cultures, people, and atmospheres. When you go into the interview, you have to complement their culture, not stand against it. That is why your interview attire is very important. You must remember that, you need to show you are a professional who is taking the opportunity seriously, but also that you will fit in with the company culture.

To know the culture of the company that you are appearing for interview, visit the company’s website and see if they have some pictures of their current employees posted on the website. If that is unavailable, see if you can tap into your network, or even reach out to a current employee of the company and discuss to learn about the company, what their culture is like and how people show up on a day-to-day basis. Definitely, this will give you a good prompt as to how you should show up for an interview.

Your subject knowledge confidence and amiability are essential. But making a good first impression by your appearance is very crucial in dictating the final outcome of the job interview. Most of the interviewers take just two seconds to judge whether you a potential candidate or not. Before you say a single word to the interviewer, you have already made an impression based on how you’re dressed.

Knowing what to wear to a job interview is an age-old enigma. Do not experiment in this. There are some hard and fast set of rules to be followed.

So here is a guide to make sure you choose an appropriate attire to excel that job interview you are applying for.

How to Dress for an Interview at a Start-up:

For an Interview at a start-up, if you showing up too casually, they may perceive that you are not taking the opportunity seriously. And if you overdress, they may think you are rigid with corporate attitude. 

·      For Women, It’s always safe to go the traditional, pairing a dress with a stylish but casual blazer. If the company where you are interviewing appears to be more “low key”, you can get away with pairing the blazer with jeans and heels. In fact, you can use the casual blazer as a constant and vary the rest of your outfit around the culture of the company. 

·      For Men, Hot pastel shirts, ripped jeans, an overdose of cologne and a pair of shades might impress your crush in the class. But when it comes to job interviews, the two piece or three piece might look too formal. Rather, you can wear a sport coat to show professionalism without being stuffy. Slacks and a button-down shirt will serve you well.

How to Dress for an Interview at a Corporate:

Recall the old adage, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” That’s always the case when meeting a person for the first time, but especially when it comes to a job interview at corporates. 

·      Women can leave a lasting impression on the interviewer if they decide to go Indian as well. Wearing kurtis, suits or sarees to a job interview is also a trend that cannot be neglected. The elegance of Indian can get you the much-needed advantage. Wear a plain cotton saree or a salwar-kameez with a dupatta. Put on a blazer above it and you have made a great combination. Just make sure you avoid a lot of patterns and details. The simple, the better. Also wearing sleeveless is a strict “no”. 

·      Men can wear neatly pressed cotton or gabardine pants with cotton collard long sleeved button down white coloured shirts. Tie is optional. Remember your shoes speaks louder than words, wear well-polished, clean, decent shoes.

·      For both women and men, footwear should be fairly low heeled. High heels are difficult to walk-in. You never should grab attention while walking in uncomfortable noisy footwear.

 

All the best!!! Go ahead, use these simple tips and ace that next big interview with Confidence!

 

Author: D N Roopa, Assistant Professor, JSS Academy of Technical Education, Bengaluru.

 

Tips to prepare for recruitment process

Finding the right job and preparing for the recruitment process can be tricky. These tips may help you to set yourself up for success.

#1: Do your homework.

Do some research and learn about the company you are called for interview. You can visit their website and learn as much as you can. Being prepared will also minimize your anxiety.

#2: Dress appropriately.

Dress for the occasion. Current trend is business-casual attire, but it's still ok to wear a business-formal. Be sure to shake hands firmly and maintain eye contact.

#3 Be confident.

Make sure you can speak confidently about any experiences you've had in the workplace and in the classroom. Specific examples of how you've contributed to an organization or learned something exciting are of interest in the interviewer’s perspective. You have been called for the interview, as they have seen potential in you, so be sure to sell yourself by promoting your skills and abilities.

#4 Stay composed.

Being composed in the workplace is crucial. And an interview is a good measurement of how you handle pressure.

#5: Ask questions.

Jotting down the questions you would like to ask the interviewer about the company will lessen your anxiety. It demonstrates that you are interested in them and wants to know who they are, what they do etc.

#6: Get clarification.

If you don't understand a question posed by the interviewer, don't hesitate...ask them to repeat it. If you know exactly what they are asking, you have a better shot at giving your best answer

#7: Follow up.

It's a good practice to thank interviewers for their time. You may also request for a business card from the person or people that you meet with and sending a note to each one as soon as possible after the interview. This helps to build a professional network.

 

By: D N Roopa, Assistant Professor, JSSATE