I recently coached a senior professional Akshay (name changed to maintain confidentiality) who had spent years in the telecom industry and was now wanting to shift industry. One of the most premium segment car manufacturer showed interest in Akshay’s candidature and he is up for a final round of interview for a Business Head position with focus on service and sales. This car manufacture being from the premium segment had an important criteria while shortlisting the potential candidate that he/she needs to have an excellent understanding and experience in terms of technology to support the serv ..read more

What is the general reaction of job seekers when they get rejected at an interview? It is to sulk and feel frustrated as to why one got rejected. You need to remember that your candidature has been rejected for this specific position for now however your profile can always be kept open for future requirements. So you do not have to take a negative attitude towards the individual or the company and close your doors for future requirements. Because it is after all a company which you wanted to join. There is a saying – ‘Every adversity brings with it the seed of an equivalent benefit.’ – Napoleo ..read more

Why are you interested in this job is a common and important interview question. Let us understand why is it important from the interviewer’s point of view? Following are the 2 key reasons : 1] Interest level: It helps the interviewer to know of the level of interest of a candidate.  Unless a candidate can give the interviewer a solid reason of his / her interest level, the interviewer will always wonder – how long will this candidate stick round? It will leave the interviewer with a doubt. 2] Suitability: The interviewer can get an idea of the level of suitability of the candidate.  ..read more

90 percent of job seekers make online applications primarily through job portals which means they are exploring only a small portion of the job market. Whereas there is a hidden job market which comprises those jobs which companies generally do not advertise or post on public platforms at large. These vacancies are publicised internally within the employees of companies and on their own company website and their company pages on social media.  For which companies receive referrals which also translates into saving of recruitment costs. Some jobs are also outsourced to recruitment agencies ..read more

During my interview coaching sessions, many professionals ask me – How does a sales professional move from IT sales to consumer durable sales? Or a project manager shift from construction industry to IT? Or a media sales professional transit to IT sales. I myself have moved from a successful career in media sales to heading my own brand Aspiration focusing on recruitment and catering to job and interview assistance. As it is said “One key to successful leadership is continuous personal change. Personal change is a reflection of our inner growth and empowerment.”-Robert E Quinn. All is possibl ..read more

Worldwide research shows that recruiters spend  an average of 7 seconds on a resume before deciding whether to read it further or not. You may think it is not fair and yes it is not. However consider it from the recruiter’s point of view. With thousands of applications for a single job, it is a challenging task to screen through such a large volume of resumes and do justice. That is why most companies have the ATS (application tracking system) wherein a machine screens out a resume which does not have the relevant keywords. That’s unfair you may say however this is reality which you need ..read more

The saddest thing I have come across in Resumes when it was of 6 pages. And no focus on ‘achievements’ and only elaborating ‘responsibilities’. The focus in Resumes has to be on sharing stories of ‘measurable achievements’ and not responsibilities and it should be mentioned in one-liners or in brief only. In this case, there were frequent Job Shifts spread over a tenure of 20 years, and the only description of responsibilities formed a major part of the content. Looked like the professional seeking a change missed the woods for the trees. And thought that by mentioning everything is ..read more

Most professionals who I coach tell me that they are qualified for so many jobs however their resume does not get shortlisted. They also share with me that the requirements which are presented in the JD resonate with them and they can  certainly contribute to the company by getting results. So where lies the problem? It lies in branding yourself on the resume. Your resume does not tell the recruiter clearly what is your core area of expertise and what is it that you can do for that specific job. With my over 3 decades of experience and having guided 10,000 candidates and personally coache ..read more

“You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be”- Marianne Williamson To succeed in your job search, you first need to change the meaning of every hurdle that you face and then take action. Change your mindset and you will certainly win. Want to know how to do that? I know that it is easier said than done. But if someone had to hold a gun against your head and ask you to think positively, I bet you would do that. So, everything is very much possible if we make it a must. With my over 3 decades of experience in guiding over 10,000 candidates and personally coaching 3000 ..read more

Let me share a recent incident which a professional who I coached shared with me. The daily morning zoom meeting was on and the boss lost his temper- ‘How can you do that? Don’t you have any brains? I had asked you to call me at 7.30 pm after you have completed your calls but you simply sent me your call report? I will now have to check all your daily call reports because I am not sure whether you have really been making any genuine calls??”. He said this furiously to the sales manager in front of the other team members who included those who were reporting into the sales manager. Also, we nee ..read more