Why conventional interview strategies are not working anymore ?

Are you being taught same conventional old fashioned strategies to crack Personal Interview ?

  1. Act confident during the Interview (no matter what happens)
  2. Fake it till you make it (rehashed version of act confident but little more classy, you finally want to muster the courage to fake confidence)
  3. Take more and more mock interviews (This is becoming more and more popular)
  4. Try breathing exercises (New age approach)
Ref : Atomicobject.com

Now, right before you think I am against all of these. Stop. I never said I am against any of these. Each of them have a place in cracking Personal interview, handling tough interview questions, communicating effectively.

If you learn to breathe correctly, you can really control your anxiety, fear, panic attacks effectively.

If you practice more Mock interviews, it will help you to effectively deliver your message without any problems. It will also make you more confident facing interviewers. You will also get feedback on correcting your body language.

If you imagine yourself as more confident before the interview, you will feel more confident during the Interview.

But if you don’t learn or if nobody taught you effective ways to handle the interview questions. If nobody taught you the skill to frame answers, if nobody taught you the skill to reframe the negative things, if nobody taught you when to say something under certain circumstance but say totally different thing under different circumstance, even if the question is same, then all these fake till you make it, breathing exercises, taking more mock interviews is not going to help you much but it will work against you.

Interviewer : Why do you have Poor Graduation score ?

Me : Because our college was Autonomous. Our papers were tougher than other colleges (YAWN) I scored well in some subjects, on the other hand, the subjects which required me to remember and mug up more information, I performed poorly. (Trying to act confident)

Interviewer : But a lot of subjects in MBA curriculum require you to remember and mug up more and more information, how can you handle that ?

Me : (Deep Breathing but don’t know what to say) No sir, I can manage. I will work harder then.

Interviewer : So why didn’t you work hard when you were completing your graduation ?

Me : Because I really didn’t like Engineering (Not knowing when to say what)

Interviewer : What if you don’t like MBA ?

Me : (Thinking really hard) No sir, I would definitely like it. That’s why I scored 98.5%ile in CAT because I really want to do MBA.

Interviewer : I don’t think so. (Looks at other interviewer and asks do you want to ask him any question)

Interviewer 2 : No. Thank you.

You leave the room completely knowing that you completely screwed up your interview and your chances of selection are close to zero. In case, if you get selected, it would be based on your Percentile and Academics if at all you get selected.

All of your breathing exercises, trying to act confident and taking more interviews sabotaged you because simply you didn’t know what to say, when to say it.

Now, enter the same situation when you are fully prepared.

You are expecting the question on Poor Graduation Score so you answer it before they consciously express their concern. (This may not be necessary in all the cases)

Interviewer : Tell me something about yourself

Me : (Intro) and (then I directly jumped on to explaining my low graduation score, summer internship, job offer and other job offers) Despite I had low graduation score, I never allowed it to hold me back from what I wanted. I was offered job opportunity in Bayer Crop Science during my summer internship project and it also helped me to get job offer from a Manufacturing Company where I worked for one year.

After I left my job, I also happened to apply for P & G Supply Chain Role, except one of my classmates, nobody else received Interview call from them despite me having less work experience, low graduation score compared to all of them. (I didn’t say these exact things but I made sure my answer included all of these elements)

So Interviewer didn’t get chance to corner me into some uncomfortable situation. You job is exactly this. Under no circumstance, give your power to the Interviewer.

In order to do that, you need to learn some unconventional approaches.

What are some conventional strategies and myths holding you back and how to break free from all of them ?

When everyone else zigs, you should zag.

  1. Being generic.

If your answer or SOP sounds like everyone else, that means it’s first nail in your coffin. You have already stated digging your own grave.

Generic =  Death

Unique = Resurrection from Dead

How do you know if something is generic? Easy.

If what you say could be said by the next person coming after you, it’s generic. If what you say could only have been written by you, it’s specific and unique.

That’s why I emphasize so much on spending more time on self discovery and introspection given inside GD WAT PI Revolution.

Here is generic (one of the worst answers) answer for Why MBA

I wish to go for MBA because I want to become Entrepreneur and serve the country and create job opportunities.

I want to learn from the eminent faculty members and students from diverse backgrounds. I think X school is perfect for me.

Here is answer prepared after hours of research which allowed someone to get into SP-Jain with 86%ile with no work experience (then modelled by several students to get into Top B-schools) (Here is how to approach Why MBA question)

“Sales and marketing is something that has always interested me which is why I decided to pursue my specializations and all internships relating to it (Past)

An MBA will provide me with 3 critical pillars which will help me achieve my short and long term goals.

Firstly it will provide me with a much deeper and formal insight on subjects relating to marketing and sales management (Future)

An MBA from SP-Jain in Marketing will not only enhance my learning through its top notch faculty but will also provide me with a lot of exposure through its global fast track in Darden school of business,University of Virginia and docc programs. (Why the particular B-school)

Secondly it will help network with best brains of the country from diverse backgrounds and interact with top notch faculty who are experts in the field of marketing. (Future)

Moreover my background in BBA-Marketing/Sales will go a long a way in adding value to the PGDM batch particularly in Marketing and Sales. (Present)

Thirdly it will help me in career progression and provide me with an industrial connect and a chance to work with companies like HUL and P & G as branch or area sales manager. (Future)

Moreover working in these companies will give me valuable skills in sales and distribution which will provide me corporate exposure before I go back to my our own business” (Future)

2. Creating a chronological list of your achievements/education/awards/work experience

Here is generic answer for Introduce yourself which is very generic

My name is Kiran. My father is a Civil Servant, my mother is Housewife.

I completed my schooling from Darjeeling then I chose go for Science. Then I took admission in NIT Rourkela for Computer Engineering.

After 4 years of graduation, I worked for 2 years in TCS as Support Engineer.

My hobbies are watching movies, listening to jazz music and trekking.

The interviewer doesn’t care about your chronological history. Everyone says that. They are bored listening to same things over and over again. If you have uploaded your scores, your work experience certificate, then there are high chances that they already know most of the information. Why you want to waste their time by regurgitating the same thing again.

If you answer like this, you have already put the interviewers to sleep. They have already become numb, tired, mentally exhausted after listening to these things every few minutes for 6-8 hours a day for last 2 weeks. They don’t want to listen to it anymore.

Tell me something, if you came across a salesman who is pushy, nosey and constantly trying to sell you his vacuum cleaner. It doesn’t matter if you want it or not, he somehow wants to sell it to you. He doesn’t care what you want, he doesn’t care if you really need it or not. He is just interested in selling it to you by hook or crook.

Can you stand the sight of such a salesperson ?

Now imagine a scenario, you are searching for vacuum cleaner to clean your home. You go to a electronics shop, you are just looking at different varieties of vacuum cleaners. You are confused which one to look for.

A salesperson standing there senses that you might need help. He approaches you, instead of asking you which machine you are looking for. He asks you “Sir, may I help you ?” You say “Yes”

Then he goes on asking “ What are you looking for ?” You go on describing your situation. He understands your requirement then he asks “Can I suggest you something which would fit into your requirement ?” You can’t say “NO” to him. You say “YES” to him.

He suggests you one which is appropriate according to your requirement, the one which fits your budget, your requirement etc etc.

Your job is exactly like this. You are a Salesman here. Instead of understanding concerns of other person, if you try to push your agenda on him/her, you are going to get more resistance.

Here is answer to Introduce yourself using Irresistible Intrigue Formula and using Hooks to grab their attention (name and other details changed)

My name is Nisha. I am born and brought up in a middle class joint family so education and values were more important to me than material pursuits.Right through my formative years, I have believed in the motto ‘hard work and self-discipline is the key to success’. This has formed the basis of my performance throughout my academic tenure wherein I was the school topper for seven consecutive years. My self-belief was further reinforced when I cleared the competitive selection process for the Bachelor of Business Studies course.

Despite maintaining my primary focus on academics, active participation in extracurricular activities has helped in shaping my overall personality. I have been involved in several activities like leading student council to organize events as well as volunteering at an NGO where I taught a group of thirty underprivileged children.

Going beyond classes, I have taken part in business events and simulation games at University and national level which has helped me to gauge my true potential when pitted against the brightest of minds.

I have also sought corporate exposure to gain a real world perspective of classroom learning. As a knowledge intern at The Boston Consulting Group, I developed an aptitude for organization flexibility, problem solving and analytical skills. My performance was appreciated and in recognition of my efficacy, my two-month internship tenure at BCG was extended to three months.

I have also sought corporate exposure to gain a real world perspective of classroom learning. Pursuing three internships while simultaneously working on a year-long research project, funded by the University of Delhi, I have constantly pushed myself to perform under high pressure and strict schedules. It was during these three months that I first got a glimpse into the world of management consulting.

See how simple and interesting it’s to read and listen to this. It doesn’t sound like I am listening or reading a chronological list of things. The person who said something similar along these lines almost always got questions on BCG (one of her hooks) How to use hooks ? Learn more

Except IIM-Ahmedabad, in all other IIMs, FMS she got questions on her BCG internship, even she used it during her summer internship and pre-placement interviews to get questions on this, she finally got job offer from Bain and Company (because of her overall achievements, academics, summer internship, interview performance, not necessarily just because of that)

Don’t make the interviewer work harder than he has to. Remember, your job is to pick, describe and analyse the most important things about you: you must work hard so that the interviewer does not have to.

A lot of students create a laundry list of their qualifications, work experience, achievements. Interviewers are not necessarily looking for someone to vomit their entire resume on them. They are looking to know more about you in way that is the most engaging without too much technical jargon.

3. No specificity

A lot of students boast about their achievements but when they write their answer, there is no mention of any figures, numbers, trends to give it more credibility and let other person know

Here is one example with no specificity

I started my online business 3 years ago. I started getting more and more traffic from Youtube, I was able to monetize it. Then I shifted my focus to Quora, Instagram, Search Engines.

It multiplied my website traffic by many folds. I was able to charge higher because I started getting better results.

Here is example with specific numbers

I started my online business 3 years ago. Initially, I used to get 100 visitors to my website and finally I was able to monetize the traffic. Then I shifted my focus on creating more organic channels like Quora, Instagram and Search Engines. My traffic multiplied by 3 times without spending any money on Paid Advertising.

I also reinvested money into training so I was able to create 25 testimonials instead of just 2 and over 100s of people started seeing results and started contacting me. So I was able to develop better product and charge 3-5 times higher while delivering results in much more elegant way. My revenue increased 10 times in last 12 months.

4. Not learning how to effectively tackle different types of questions

This is the most important but it’s not paid much attention.

I get asked many a times, why don’t you provide many mock interviews. I think mock interview is a great tool to sharpen your axe when you are already done with writing good answers. Good mock interview with feedback will help you with how to correct your body language, how to correct your speech, how to communicate effectively. Not necessarily, what you need to say.

If you don’t believe me, try this in your next interview. If you have poor grad score or gap, instead of learning how to reframe it, try doing more practice. Keep giving more mock interviews, try acting more confident. Tell me what happens then.

Ref : Njlifehacks.com

In most cases, it won’t really work and when you think it works, it’s because you were never cross questioned on it. No matter what happens to you, it has not worked unless your interviewer has bought into your B.S.

The next problem is students usually want to take short cut, start writing SOP and Interview answers without any research. Because who has time for research.

Writing answers quickly is easy. It doesn’t require a lot of time.

I borrowed the techniques like A.R.M.S.(which involves reframing from Ramit Sethi) Irresistible Intrigue Formula (which involves Hooks and Storytelling from Oren Klaff) from different experts because I realized everyone was using dated techniques to crack the interview

Earlier, the more confident you are, better CAT/XAT score you have, the more work experience you have, the more achievements you have, You had better chance of getting selected.

I wanted to create level playing field for everybody, even if the person doesn’t have great CAT score or more work experience, but he/she has learned to use her strengths in such a way that he/she has an edge over you.

It does matter to have an edge over the other aspirants when you can’t match up with their CAT/XAT scores, Work experience.

When everyone is trying to please the interviewer by supplicating to them, ensuring not to ruffle feathers, praising the institute, you don’t necessarily indulge into all of these activities.

The next problem is students usually want to take short cut, start writing SOP and Interview answers without any research. Because who has time for that

5. Focusing on unimportant things

Another thing, many students focus too much on GK, Current Affairs and don’t provide enough attention to their profile.

Because it’s a norm that, at X institute, they ask only GK questions.

Usually, you get GK and random questions because you failed to grab their attention right from the start, if you have grabbed attention with something worth attention grabbing, they won’t usually ask these types of questions.

This may not work under all the situations but if you learn the art of storytelling and hooks, they will start hanging on every damn word you say, you don’t have to play any games.

Even if you get GK questions, you can use right moment to divert it to your areas of interest. It may not happen always but you have better odds of cracking the interview.

6. Complicating simple things

Some students think if they complicate or over complicate their minor achievements, it would sound great. So they write long winded answer where they go round and round in circles without getting to the point.

They write statements so big, words so esoteric, that by the time you reach the end of the statement, you have already forgotten what the statement was trying to say.

In such cases, interviewer won’t bother to read it 4-5 times in order to get the meaning. He would start throwing random questions based on his limited understanding of what he read from your profile.

Ref : tmforum.org

Another important mistake is using the words you don’t usually use during the interviews in order to impress the interviewer.

Why would someone use certain words they don’t normally use while communicating ?

They think if they use such pompous words, they would sound and look intelligent.

Here is one example (This person converted IIM-Bangalore call)

The most exciting phase was the final year project where the realization of failure to materialize the initial concept idea midway during the course;building a new idea while leading a team of four towards successfully implementing an award-winning project,boosted my confidence.

The research experience under a God-like professor resulted in sleepless nights, introspection about life and an IEEE paper publication, and also attached was a determined decision to let go of the coveted IIT-Madras internship offer.

Here is example of simplifying the same thing (which one would you prefer ?)

The most exciting phase was during final year project, where we had to drop the initial concept midway during the semester, due to technical limitations.

Research experience under an eminent professor resulted in sleepless nights, introspection about life, an IEEE paper publication, and also a determined decision to let go of the coveted IIT-Madras internship offer

7. Explaining too much

Your words either orally or in written form, should explain things in succinct manner. If you have to explain too much about what you have already written, then you have already lost the game before it has begun.

Stop saying “this shows how I am (insert the quality), this shows I am (insert the quality) It should be evident from the example, if you have to over explain something, you have already lost.

8. Getting into unknown territories like Religion, Politics, Social or Ideological opinions to show how smart you are

Some students think just because they are into regular habit of reading, they have become so smart, now they want to prove it to everyone else.

So they start passing their opinions on topics such as religion, politics etc etc.

What they don’t understand is

“Not only could this be an automatic red light if they get the wrong interviewer, but all the time they spend on this they are not talking anything about why they are special, different and therefore valuable to the school.

Your goal is to get in, not to convince anyone of anything. The only relevant topic is you. The Interviewer won’t care what your precious position is, and they won’t be entertaining you long enough to figure it out either way.

9. Refusing to take responsibility of failure, blame others.

If they are confronted with the questions like challenging situation faced, problem you overcame, Poor Graduation score etc etc, instead of taking responsibility, they end up blaming the luck, colleagues, parents, superior, friends etc etc.

When you point fingers towards others, you are automatically showing them that you don’t take responsibility of your life and what happens to you.

The point is not whose mistake it’s, the point is how you can solve the problem or handle situation effectively.

10. Lying in the Interview

This is quite common during the interviews. The problem happens when you get caught. But you can get away with small lies without anyone being suspicious (Not that I am telling you to lie) when you say big fat lie or if you lie and forget what your lie was and then unconsciously you will say something that would make them suspicious. I know of one student who was caught lying in XLRI interview, he confessed that he was lying all along about his gap years in other interviews. In XLRI, he was caught red handed.

Earlier, I talked about fake it till you make it. Faking doesn’t mean lying.

Ref : Workopolis.com

When you get caught, it’s game over for you.

Two years ago, I was approached by Mr.X who received call from NM. His score was on borderline. He had gap year after 12th. He was trying to cook up a fake reason to justify the gap. When I further inquired, I realized that he had a great story behind it and it was so good, that  it needed to be told.

My job was just to give him courage to get the story out. I told him not to hide anything and share the story. He had all his doubts that why it won’t work. But eventually, he decided to share it. He talked about odds he faced in the gap year, how he overcame that.

If he would have done absolutely nothing to repair the situation, then that probably wouldn’t have been such a great story but that wasn’t the case. But he had done something significant to overcome the odds. That’s why it was such a great story.

When he shared his story, there was silence in the room and interviewer applauded and congratulated him for the same. He converted NMIMS call.

Don’t mess with the truth. Don’t stretch, twist or otherwise mess with the facts. Don’t make claims that sound dodgy, even if true, unless you have thorough corroborating detail. Not only must what you say be true, it must be easily perceived to be true

Be humbly confident, neither arrogant nor too modest. Don’t hype yourself or any of your experiences.

How to Structure SOP for Maximum Impact ?

There are 2 good styles you can use. There is nothing right or wrong. Use whatever is suitable for you.

If you don’t know how to write SOP, read this blog post

1st style

  1. Start with a quote. (Make sure it’s not a esoteric quote or too cheesy one) (Not necessary, but if you chose the right quote, it will maximize impact of overall SOP)
  2. Next para should start with why you mentioned that quote and how it’s relevant to your life (Give at least 2 examples)
  3. Talk about your formative years.
    Where did you live ? Did you change places ? Did you live in Hostel ?
    Talk about your academics. Were you amongst top performers ? Talk about your favorite subjects.
    Did you take part in co-curricular or extracurricular activities ? Did you take any initiative on your own ? Talk about qualities you have learned
  4. Talk about your graduation days
    Why did you choose what you chose ? Talk about your academics. Talk about extracurricular and co-curricular activities. Talk about the special projects/assignments you undertook.
    Talk about electives, extra classes you have taken. Did you take any initiative ? Which skills you learned ? Talk about qualities you have learned
  5. Talk about your work experience
    Talk why did you choose to work for a particular company. Talk about your work responsibilities in non-technical language. Tell about your workplace achievements including accolades, appreciation and awards you have won. Did you get promoted ?
    Talk about your new initiatives you have undertaken. Talk about certifications, courses you have taken. Talk about skills you have learned. Talk about qualities you have learned
  6. Transition to what is/was missing. Why you felt the need to do MBA ? Limited work scope, lack of formal knowledge of management practices, networking, shorten career path etc, what were your reasons ? (Refer to Why MBA in Interviewer Seduction Formula)
  7. What’s your short term goal and what’s your long term goal. Can you be little more specific if possible. Can you think of specialization ? (Do it only when you are quite sure, otherwise it might trigger unnecessary questions) (Use Deep Research, read Interviewer Seduction Formula and Check Short Term and Long term Goals under Misc Tab)
  8. How your certifications, knowledge, skills, work experience will play a role to achieve short term and long term goal and how B-school or (particular course) will come into play. How that is necessary step to achieve your short term and long term goal (Use Hooks, Strengths, Unique Capabilities)
  9. Why that particular course (or B-school) ? Edify the B-school.(preferably why you resonate with the course or B-school) (Use Deep Research Lesson)

 

2nd style

  1. Start with a quote. (Make sure it’s not a esoteric quote or too cheesy one) (Not necessary, but if you chose the right quote, it will maximize impact of overall SOP)
  2. Next para should start with why you mentioned that quote and how it’s relevant to your work experience (Give at least 2 examples)
  3. Talk about your work experience
    Talk why did you choose to work for a particular company. Talk about your work responsibilities in non-technical language. Tell about your workplace achievements including accolades, appreciation and awards you have won. Did you get promoted ?
    Talk about your new initiatives you have undertaken. Talk about certifications, courses you have taken. Talk about skills you have learned. Talk about qualities you have learned
  4. Talk about your formative years.
    Where did you live ? Did you change places ? Did you live in Hostel ?
    Talk about your academics. Were you amongst top performers ? Talk about your favorite subjects.
    Did you take part in co-curricular or extracurricular activities ? Did you take any initiative on your own ? Talk about qualities you have learned
  5. Talk about your graduation days
    Why did you choose what you chose ? Talk about your academics. Talk about extracurricular and co-curricular activities. Talk about the special projects/assignments you undertook. Talk about electives, extra classes you have taken. Did you take any initiative ? Which skills you learned ? Talk about qualities you have learned
  6. Transition to what is/was missing. Why you felt the need to do MBA ? Limited work scope, lack of formal knowledge of management practices, networking, shorten career path etc, what were your reasons ? (Refer to Why MBA in Interviewer Seduction Formula)
  7. What’s your short term goal and what’s your long term goal. Can you be little more specific if possible. Can you think of specialization ? (Do it only when you are quite sure, otherwise it might trigger unnecessary questions) (Use Deep Research, read Interviewer Seduction Formula and Check Short Term and Long term Goals under Misc Tab)
  8. How your certifications, knowledge, skills, work experience will play a role to achieve short term and long term goal and how B-school or (particular course) will come into play. How that is necessary step to achieve your short term and long term goal (Use Hooks, Strengths, Unique Capabilities)
  9. Why that particular course (or B-school) ? Edify the B-school.(preferably why you resonate with the course or B-school) (Use Deep Research Lesson)

I have just scratched the surface. I have developed such a systematic approach in GD WAT PI Revolution to help students write SOP from scratch, how to identify their hooks, strengths, capabilities systematically, how to do deep research about Institute/Course and then translate that into flawless SOP.

Featured Image Courtesy : Therapeutic Drumming

How to use Vulnerability in a correct way to deeply impact the Interviewer Panel ?

There are 2 mistakes almost everyone does when it comes to sharing their weakness, failure, adversity. These mistakes can even cost them an entire call or an entire year.

So what are these mistakes and what most students do ?

Not being Vulnerable Enough :  This trait is usually observed in Males. That doesn’t mean Females don’t exhibit it. Males usually are afraid to be vulnerable because they are biologically wired in a different way. They are told not to express emotions easily. They are told to toughen up. They are also told not to share their weaker side.

Boys don’t cry.

There is other side to it.

Being too much Vulnerable : Usually, it’s observed in Females. This also has roots in how Women are biologically wired. If someone exhibits this trait, he/she thinks it’s OK to share all the failures/mistakes in the hope to get approval/validation from the other person.

But that doesn’t usually happen during the interview. In fact, if you do it, it will backfire on you.

Today, I am going to share how I used Vulnerability correctly and I am also going to give you few examples to prove my point, so you know how to use it correctly to your advantage without falling into any of those deadly traps.

Watch this video by Brene Brown on Power of Vulnerability to know how to use it correctly.

Take a look at this matrix

Ref : Please Stop writing about how Vulnerable you are

There are 4 Quadrants.

  1. Loser : Low Status and Vulnerable
  2. Delusional Wannabe : Low Status and Not Vulnerable
  3. Accomplished & Aloof : High Status and Not Vulnerable
  4. Accomplished Leader : High Status and Vulnerable.

When you are talking about your weakness, failures, adversities, the panel members are least interested in your mistake. They are testing your maturity and ability to learn from it.

They want to know that can you face your own flaws and discuss them openly, working on improving it without trying to hide behind them or be in denial. If you do it correctly, it shows your leadership quality.

 

No one really wants to talk about their weaknesses and failures but everyone has failed at some point in their life.

The greatest managers and leaders have all made significant mistakes in business and their lives. The point is not to prove that you don’t fail, or won’t fail. You have to prove that you can bounce back from failure, learn required lessons and know how to face the failure if it occurs again.

Show them how you managed to get over failure, your learnings, what you learned about yourself (your faults/shortcomings as well as your biggest strengths) They want to see that if you can locate your underlying weakness and can you address it.

A failure must be the result of a weakness.

Ethical or Moral failure is a big NO NO

You are not out there to get sympathy. Don’t share anything with Interviewer that you wont share with your trusted advisor.

Share your real weakness, don’t pretend. Don’t care about looking good or bad. If you do it appropriately and Interviewer still judges you, it’s not your problem, it’s their problem.

For God’s sake, don’t state strength disguised as weakness.

I made some of these mistakes and now I can share them freely with you without any hesitation.

First, becoming too much vulnerable with low Status. When you do that, it feels like emotional manipulation. When students try to play victim card, he is seen as someone who manipulates others to get what he wants.

As we know, when we share our failures, vulnerability, adversity, challenges, we get maximum comments, likes and shares.

Remember Me Too, Depression is Real.

Many of these posts are downright negative, gloomy and the author hasn’t made any kind of attempt to come out of it. They are just being complainers.

There are very few who actually face the problem, do the work and come out of it and share their stories. They are considered as High Status & Vulnerable.

Many of other stories are out there just to garner sympathy.

I made this mistake in my SCMHRD Interview, when I was asked about my low graduation score, I blamed it on one of my family member’s critical illness. Instead of taking responsibility of my failure and facing it like a man, I tried to hide behind. I acted like a LOSER.

Results : It was backfired and my interview went into a totally different direction where interviewer thought I am using it to justify my failure. It worked against me. I was rejected. Despite scoring high in written exam, I totally f**ked  up by saying this. I was rejected.

One example of how Vulnerability can help you.

Last year, I was approached by Mr.X who received call from NM. His score was on borderline. He had gap year after 12th. He was trying to cook up a fake reason to justify the gap. When I further inquired, I realized that he had a great story behind it and it was so good, that  it needed to be told.

My job was just to give him courage to get the story out. I told him not to hide anything and share the story. He had all his doubts that why it won’t work. But eventually, he decided to share it. He talked about odds he faced in the gap year, how he overcame that.

If he would have done absolutely nothing to repair the situation, then that probably wouldn’t have been such a great story but that wasn’t the case. But he had done something significant to overcome the odds. That’s why it was such a great story.

When he shared his story, there was silence in the room and interviewer applauded and congratulated him for the same. He converted NMIMS call.

Let’s take my another example. I shared my CAT failure story. Read it here

I did that when I scored 98.5%ile, I didn’t share it when I scored 83.5%ile. I didn’t do it when I scored 91%ile. I waited. It’s sometimes better to just work and improve, instead of being vulnerable. If you don’t. You will be considered as a Loser.

I also shared about my rejects/accepts at different B-schools. I am quite candid about it. I also do share that I am not an MBA. I don’t’ feel inferior or I don’t feel shame about it. It helps me better connect with my audience.

I also did share how I overcame these failures. I only started talking about when I started having some/more wins in my hand. That situation is much better than complaining/blaming. Now, I use it to polarize the audience.

A lot of answers I get from students are not like these. If you haven’t overcome it or haven’t done something significant to mitigate the bad effects. You come across like a loser.

There is another example I particularly remember. How to answer questions without making other person feeling victimized.

There was a student who had face deformities and others used to make fun of his appearance. He was operated several times but instead of becoming negative, he started challenging himself to get out of comfort zone. He started participating in various competitions, public speaking, different events, started taking different courses.

When I read his answer I was so impressed.Not even a tinge of complaining attitude. He shared it when he overcame the issues and emerged successful. He didn’t make me feel victimized.

Then there is another quadrant. Accomplished and Aloof. If you are accomplished and if you feel like you shouldn’t be Vulnerable because why do you even want to share about your failures.

My advice to them “Dude, you should definitely talk about it. Not hold yourself back. It’s the biggest leverage point if you do it correctly without nonsense of complain, playing victim card. It’s a challenge, failure you have overcome.”

If you do that, you will win the hearts of panel.

I had a conversation with someone from XLRI few weeks back, she had 4 years gap for UPSC prep. When she was interviewed for Summers at Management Consulting firm. She was asked this question

So what is the real reason you want to work here ?

She gave her answer.

Don’t lie. We know you want to work here for money. Just say it.

Sir, if I wanted to work for money , why I would have invested 4 years on UPSC jeopardizing my job , not making money. If money was the motivator, I would have taken the job 4 years back.

The interviewer was so impressed, he made her meet everyone in the office and shred her story. Of course, she was selected.

If you have these stories inside you, work hard to find and use these stories on strategic occasions.You won’t make much progress by playing safe all the time.Learn to connect with your panel. You will have a long road ahead.

That’s what I teach , how too use approach of story telling to rise head and shoulders above the competition. How to share your adversities, failures, challenges without jeopardizing your chances of converting the call, instead use them as your highest leverage points.

If you want to learn this approach, check out GD WAT PI Revolution

 

What you can learn about cracking GD/WAT/PI by watching Dangal ?

Dangal is a movie based on real life story. It’s a story of a father, a daughter and a tough battle which had been fought by a daughter to eventually realize father’s unfulfilled dream.

There are quite a few remarkable moments in the movie which are very important.

There are lessons to be learnt.

1. NEVER FORGET THE STRATEGY THAT MADE YOU A WINNER

Geeta, the daughter of Mahavir wins the National Championship, while she was trained by her father. He prepares herself for the battle. He gives her the confidence to rise above the fear at every phase.

However, as soon as she wins the National championship, she is moved to a Sports facility where a new coach has been assigned to her whose teaching style is more or less based on new tactics rather than based on core strategies (the approach of her father)

But Geeta is so engrossed with this new style, she is not in the position to realize its shortcomings. This is further bolstered by the fact that she defeats her father using the same tactics she has learned from the coach which makes her believe that they are indeed superior.

In the process, she forgets the principles which won her the National Championship and she starts chasing new fancy tactics.

But this proves to be a total disaster for Geeta in every international match she encounters after that. Worst of all, she doesn’t even get chance to use many of those tactics anyways.

That doesn’t leave her any choice but to mend back her ways and go back to what her father taught her in the first place.

A lot of times, when you score high percentile, get calls from all colleges you are hoping to get calls from, when your scores are way above cut offs, when few of your initial interviews go well, at some point you start becoming complacent, you start forgetting/avoiding things which got you success.

Somehow, you start moving away from the game which brought you good results. You try to unnecessarily innovate, you try to make simple things complicated.

You start to think “Wait, how can it be so simple ?”

When you start deviating from it, success starts eluding you. Till the time you realize this, you already have started getting rejects, your confidence is shot down, your performance suddenly goes down

Then you have no choice left but stick to the Principles which brought you success earlier and reclaim your lost glory before it’s too late.

2. YOU FIRST WIN IN YOUR MIND AND THEN ON THE BATTLEFIELD.

Every big thing that you see, experience, touch has been envisioned in someone else’s mind long before the actual creation.

When you first try to do something new, the first sign of growth is anxiety & fear.

When you are traversing on the road you haven’t traversed before which has possibility to change the course of your life, when the fear is breathing down your neck, you feel that unfamiliar buzz, when you have anxious feeling in your stomach, know that you are on the right path.

It’s very uneasy feeling…it occupies your mind..it is uncomfortable to go through it…but anxiety,fear are emotions of growth.

If you immerse yourself in the moment, soon fear starts dissipating.

The fear/anxiety which Geeta felt when she was first told by her father she had to practice for wrestling , the fear she felt when she was told she had to fight her first Dangal and fear she felt when she had to choose male opponent (not a female one), the fear she felt when she played for Commonwealth games when she couldn’t see her father.

In every case, fear was there but it was different fear every single time..it’s like upgraded fear…next level of fear.

But to reach that next level, you have to conquer the fear/anxiety of the previous level.

Unless, you conquer that it’s difficult to win.

Before going to face the Interview (especially IIM, XL or any top B-school) it’s imperative that you will have fear/anxiety.

There will be myriad of thoughts occupying your mind

Whether I will be able to perform, whether my performance will live up to the mark, whether I would be able to answer all the questions, what if they ask me questions I haven’t prepared for, what if I don’t get selected (I don’t want to give these exams one more time, this is the 3rd time I am giving it) all these things occupy your mind.

But unless you conquer those fears, how you will be able to face the Interviewer panel ? Don’t you think the panelists are perceptive enough to get a hint ?

As interesting as you might think, after working with a lot of students preparing for the Interview, I realized that whenever an aspirant is very fearful of encountering part of him/her which makes him/her vulnerable, which makes him/her feel shameful, they encounter the same questions, they have been trying very hard to avoid.

Sad but True.

It feels like Interviewers read their minds…when I was fearful of my low grad score, career gap,leaving the job, I used to get these questions every time , when I finally decided to work on them and created strategy to properly handle them, I started worrying less about them.

Next time, when I got the same question, I was able to handle it pretty well and appease the interviewers unstated concerns and I didn’t get many investigative questions further that.

I think when you have this unwarranted fear, the other party tends to notice it..because subconsciously you are projecting it on to them

Just like the girls who have internal BS detectors which usually tell them the intention the guy have in his mind.

3. CHOOSE YOUR MENTOR CAREFULLY.

Choosing right mentor can help you in shortening your learning curve and get to your goals much faster than expected.

But it’s not just about his knowledge and skills, the mentor has to let go off softness/niceness.

You have to let others fight their own battles so that they can develop their character, you can’t fight for them. You are just facilitator.

You should be willing to be not as much likable at least initially but that’s part of the game. You can’t avoid it. They will hate you for it. They will despise you, they will curse you…but you know that is part of the process, they just can’t see it yet.

When Mahavir has to choose between being a father or a mentor. It’s a tough decision but he chooses to be a mentor first and father second. This “tough love” is much needed.

In my personal experience, when I get chance to review SOP, Interview answers, sometimes/many times, I get this resistance from the students, they don’t like what I have to say, they are in denial mode. Sometimes, when I give feedback, I never hear back from many of them.

But I know that I am not here to be liked.

I remember the biggest growth phases in my life happened when I let go of the denial and decided to listen to the advice which was uncomfortable.

It wasn’t easy, but it was long time before the truth slowly dawned on me.

Because the “Feel Good” advice doesn’t help anyone, the only things it can achieve is to give other person false sense that everything is alright but it stifles their growth in the long run.

4. WHEN YOU SET AN EXAMPLE, OTHERS FOLLOW YOU.

Geeta was first wrestler from India to win Gold medal in commonwealth games in 2010 and then have a look at how many gold medals India won after that.

We consciously and subconsciously create our own barriers. Some are real, however many are self imposed.

What’s self imposed barrier ?
I am not from IIT/NIT/BITs , how can I convert any B-school call ?
I am not fluent in English, unless you are fluent, you can’t crack the Interview
I am not just good enough to get into (insert B-school name)

A lot of times, it has something to do with “Deservedness“. I don’t deserve this, I don’t deserve that….I am not good enough.

Slowly, it starts becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Then everything seems so difficult, you get sucked into the quagmire of your self imposed beliefs, getting out of it requires re-arranging some furniture in your head.

Many a times, the challenge for me is to convince them that they have what it takes to crack Interview…many of their pre-conceived notions are just figment of their imagination or a conditioned beliefs

But nobody easily admits that interview is also a mental game.

So once you break those self imposed barriers, unshackle the chains holding you back, you step in your A-Game.

If you remember, Roger Banister who broke the record of running 100 m in 10 sec the first time when everyone else thought it was impossible and the year following that, many more broke the same record.

You have the opportunity to set that first record..create example for others and if that’s not possible for you..take inspiration from someone to set another example.

Last year, I get a call from someone just 10-12 days before SP-Jain Interview, he received SP-Jain call with no work experience and just 86%ile…

In most cases, if someone receives such interview call, he has already lost the battle it in his mind. That’s the the baggage you are carrying which tells you that it’s a lost cause…

But because his mind was not muddled with that baggage and he never thought it was impossible, he did it convert the call…

Anuj Agarwal SP-Jain converted at 86%ile

Again, I am not saying it’s possible for everyone but at least you can make full use of the opportunity presented in front of you.

5. CHAMPIONS ARE NOT MADE IN A SINGLE DAY (Patience is the key)

Geeta starts preparation at very early age before she starts competing into National Level Championship…it didn’t happen in few months or in few years.

Mastery takes time, patience is the key.

Your patience is tested at various times. it is uncomfortable period, but if you choose to embrace it, follow the process, you are going to get there, sooner or later….

Well, there are short cuts to success but don’t try to find short cuts to short cut.

You have to invest in yourself, your skills…which will finally pay off in the end…but you don’t know when.

Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”John Lenon

As much as true I think it’s, you will find a way to make things happen.

6. DON’T THROW IN THE TOWEL.

When you face the failure, it’s very tough time, irrespective of what everyone else tells you…it’s freaking tough…no amount of motivation, inspiration can make it less palpable…it can numb you for a while or can give you temporary hope/relief but eventually you have to deal with it.

When Geeta starts facing defeats in her international matches….it was a moment of shame, embarrassment, disgrace for her… but this is part of the process, sometimes quite essential.

But don’t throw in towel. It’s darkest before the dawn.

There were times, when I had faced major failures (not just CAT & Interview), when that happens, your so called “Close Friends/Relatives/Well Wishers” suddenly vanish. They are just not there. You have to face it alone.

I remember the times, when I used to come home and burst into tears and ask this question to myself several times…

Why it’s happening to me ? What’s wrong with me ? Why things always have to go wrong ?

Sometimes just thinking of those failure make me sick to my stomach…I remember those moments.

During your struggle phase, you have 2 options
Either Quit (and blame everyone, just like those who blame institutes and classes every time for their failure)

Or Hang in there, continue to work on your skills, knowledge, seek out answers…face the uncomfortable, get out of denial.

If you wish to take your GD WAT PI preparation to the next level, check out GD WAT PI Revolution

Arranged Marriage or Love Marriage ?

How do you know when someone had love marriage or arranged marriage ?

It’s simple.

When marriage update pops up on your facebook wall, click on “See Relationship“, what do you see ?

Did they just become friends 3-6 months before marriage. Probably an arranged marriage.

If that is not the case, look for their engagement date, see if they became friends just 3-6 months before engagement. Probably an arranged marriage.

This works wonderfully well in most of the cases if not all.

Let’s play a fun game. Want to find if any of your friends did Arranged or Love Marriage ?

Use this link

https://www.facebook.com/friendship/

And replace it with the names of prospective partners

https://www.facebook.com/friendship/george.clooney/julia.roberts

And see the magic like this

Oh wow, they are friends for long time..more than 2 years, probably love marriage.

Less than a year, probably an Arranged Marriage.

However, I don’t think love marriages are more successful or otherwise but that’s not the point.

There is striking similarity, when I reliably know how someone’s interview is going to be. It is not 100% accurate. It gives you pretty good idea.

How ?

By glancing at their SOPs or reading their Interview Answers.

YES. This is much more reliable test than Arranged or Love marriage test.

Just reading few answers or few statements in their SOP, I can get pretty good idea. This has nothing to do with percentile as most students believe.

Yes, if you have better percentile, the chances of you writing bad SOP or Interview answers reduce to some extent but not that much as you might think.

So how to improve your odds of converting the calls ? By improving your SOP and Interview Answers.

Read these blog posts to improve your Interview Answers/SOP
3 Step Formula to answer any Interview Question
http://gdwatpirevolution.com/3-step-formula

3 Step Formula to write killer SOP
http://gdwatpirevolution.com/sop

If you want to learn the art of story-telling to engage the panel, learn Irresistible Intrigue Formula
http://gdwatpirevolution.com/iif

If you want more help, I have created a comprehensive solution, it covers everything you can imagine, it’s called GD/WAT/PI Revolution Comprehensive