Well, it was quite an unexpected thing to occur after I was finally home. I was a bit tired as the day was very hectic and involved the placement process of Day Zero. Futures First were the firm which came to recruit on the first day. It all started at 9 in the morning with the pre-placement talks and introduction to the company. And then followed a series of tests which eliminated and filtered out those who were not qualified. Having cleared both the tests, I was still a bit precarious to appear in the final elimination round which was at 5PM in the evening. But that was more than just fun. All 15 survivors of the last stage were asked to play a game of a poker-like structure of betting and winning more than your partners. The questions were asked and the stakes were put. At the end, this very engrossing game meant that 5 of us were to be further eliminated. Then remained 10 of us. From Electronics and Communication, I was there along-with my classmates Samarth and Akash. Needless to say, we were through to the final round of Personal Interviews with the company personnel. As after the game we were instructed to go home and come for the interviews on Monday, I and Akash came back home to get a good day’s meal. Nothing to eat for the whole day and we were starving like anything. We decided to go to Freezeland to have some sandwiches as a reward for what we achieved so far that day. So off we went to Freezeland. I was on my way to the restaurant when my phone rang. I pulled over my vehicle and picked it up to find Rohit Makhija at the other end panting heavily and telling me that I was supposed to report at the InfoCity at Gandhinagar in about 45 minutes in formals and alongwith all the documents for the interview. I was more surprised than shocked to see that it was 9:30 PM at night..!! But I called home to keep a glass of milk ready and called Akash (who was also on the way) to immediately return home and get ready for it.
– In 20 minutes time –
We were in my car headed towards Gandhinagar for a 30 km ride to the interview place. Samarth was already there and had talked with us about the venue and time. Fortunately Akash had brought some Bhaji-pav sandwiches (yes, I am not joking) and a bottle full of juice. So it was kind of a fun-trip. We were least bit serious and concerned about the interviews as we thought more of the serene atmosphere outside. In about 20 minutes, we were in Gandhinagar. Finding the Tower 1 of InfoCity was a cakewalk and in no time, we were there. Now the atmosphere there was quite placid. No sign of anyone there on the campus. We waited for Samarth and other 3 from Computer branch to arrive. Then they finally arrived and the time was 10:45 PM. Reporting time was 11PM and we made our way up there to the Futures First office.
We were duly welcomed with very warm hospitality. We were then ushered to the Conference Room. We then filled up a form regarding our future prospects and the reason for our interest in the company. There we were served with the finest of the coffees I have ever tasted. Well, we later discovered that it was the magic of the automatic coffee machine from Nescafe. Not much time passed when the first one was called in for the interview. A Computer guy was the first to go in. We were all anxious and a bit nervous. But it took about 25 to 30 minutes for him to get done with it. Then went in Parth from Computers. Again for another 30 minutes. First from Electronics to go in was Samarth. He was pretty confident and we all were cracking jokes and enjoying ourselves in between some nervous moments. He went in and rather came out quickly. He was interviewed for only about 15 minutes. My turn soon came and I was ready. I was called in after Samarth and I entered the cabin, with an air of confidence. It was about 1 AM in the morning. But the interview people seemed least bit sleepy. They were pretty sure of their interview method. I was interviewed by Mr. Nikhil for about 40 to 45 minutes constantly and was asked why I was so interested in it though being strong technically. I made my best efforts and was really happy the way I performed. After me, was Akash. He was more interested in this company than any of us, telling this very frankly.
He rather was surprised the way his interview went. Because he was asked questions about his future planning and long term goals, he could not figure it out instantaneously. He was a bit slow and thoughtful in answering which did him in. It cost him and his lasted only 20 minutes. He personally thought he mistook the approach as we talked about it on our way back.
Then after all interviews were over, I was asked to stay back. I felt as if in a moment or two, I was going to be offered the job. I felt really nervous. But, when they called me in the cabin again, I came to know that it was the coveted HR interview stage I was heading to. I was shocked, but I pulled my self together and made myself ready for another dose of questions ranging from ‘Where do you see yourself in 5 years?’ to ‘How many plants do you see in this room?’. I was literally bombarded with questions at 3 AM in the morning. But I knew the best solution and held my composure. I can say I did pretty well, and convinced them that I was up for it no matter what pressure there was to be. Then after a scrutinized analysis of my mindset and capabilities, they let me go. It was about 60 minutes that my second interview lasted. But I felt more elated that I did really well. The guys in the conference room were all with questioning eyes about what I was doing in there until then. They were expecting me to be offered the job. When I said the things I was asked, they were surprised to see the amount of research those people do on the person they are hiring. But soon everything got over. It was 4:30 AM in the morning. We finally came out of the office with everyone done with the interviews.
We had not eaten a single thing since morning. We were starving. So we went to the God blessed canteen which was still open at that time in InfoCity. Two sandwiches and we were on our way back home again.
All said and done, I think my first job interview was by far the most memorable experience of my life. I will surely cherish it for a long long time. Thank you Samarth and Akash and all 3 computer guys including Pratik and Parth. I surely had a great time with you people. 
No comments:
Post a Comment