Brag Blog

Disclaimer: Before I start my first day at work, I wanted to reminisce my experiences during the various stages of job hunting. This entry is just a recollection of my experiences and will hopefully be of help to those still in school and looking for jobs. Though all of it is based on my experiences here in the US, most of it should apply to job hunting in India as well.

Deutsche Bank
Novellus
Schlumberger
A.T. Kearney
Google
Bloomberg
Amazon
Microsoft
SPX
Menlo Worldwide
Skyworks Solutions
Siemens Healthcare
Atlas Oil
Capgemini Consulting
Schott AG
Epic
Deloitte Consulting
Caterpillar

This is list of companies (maybe not exhaustive) that I can remember to have been selected to interview with, after joining Michigan, not necessarily in that order. Some of these were for internships while most were for full time. I made it to the final round for some. While I can now heave a sigh of relief, Touchwood; Recollecting the experiences during that entire timeline, when I was job hunting more fervently than I had ever prepared for an exam gives me the jitters to this day and the professional growth that I have undergone during the two and a half years is the motif to this entry.

Though the original intention behind this blog was to make it public (read brag) about how I was deemed to be a potentially good fit for some of the world’s prestigious Management Consulting companies, Investment banks and High Tech corporations, the whole idea actually got me thinking.
I started to wonder if this is really something worth bragging about. Did I have to face so many interviews to finally ‘make it’? I delved further into the whole job scene in the United States and for immigrants in particular. Most Indians coming to the United States land a job by: Joining a consultancy where one’s experience is boosted manifold (fake credentials) and they eventually land a job in the field of IT.

I am going to talk here about a lesser known jog hunting story if one wants to land a job in one’s field of interest without relying on any consultancy.

In the US, getting an admit into a top ranked University does not guarantee a job, as I have seen people who have graduated from the best Universities in the country with an excellent academic record struggling to land a job; especially during a recessive economy. Most companies which usually sponsor visas are trying to cut down costs by giving preference to Residents or Citizens. So to land a job in:
1.    The field that you are interested in
2.    In a Fortune 100 company
3.    After graduating from a world class university competing with people from all over the world who are as smart as you in the field and some of whom even have work experience in the field
4.    competing with citizens and residents who are as smart as you are and who do not require sponsorship and who usually do not have the issue of ‘accent in speech’

, the chances for an immigrant are quite slim.

My answers during the initial interviews were so lame, that when I look back and share some of them with friends, we end up in fits of laughter.

Thankfully I secured an internship in Menlo worldwide later in the summer of 2009. This was the ticket to my first work experience ever and also my first experience in the American Corporate world.
Here, I have learned a lot. Not only have I honed in on my hard skills (One learns so much more and faster, while working in a company than in school simply because one has to know.) but also my interpersonal skills (which is a learning process that is never ending.)

Whenever a career fair approached, I became a little apprehensive. The Career Fair system in USA is analogous to their Capitalist economy. People, who get interview calls, keep getting multiple calls while those that don’t, struggle to get one. A good University only brings good companies to campus and one gets to have the University’s name on the Resume. The rest depends on the Confidence, energy and the enthusiasm of the individual.

To stand out, one needs to beef up the Resume, but in an honest way. I owe these skills to the University career development center, numerous representatives of reputed corporations and my friends for numerous Resume critique sessions.

Once this is done, the next step is to prepare for the first round which is the behavioral interview. These interviews are deceptively dangerous. They seem like a normal conversation but this is the major filter that one needs to seep through.

The best way, I have learned to prepare for these interviews is to create an extensive list of behavioral questions and WRITE down answers for them.  Also writing down descriptions of all the projects/experiences on your Resume in a detailed paragraph and below that in concise bullet points in CAR/STAR* format helps in creating crisp verbal answers.

Once the first round is cleared, the second round is usually a day long interview lasting about 8-9 hours, on site, usually where one ends up working if selected. One should be prepared for some serious grilling on technical questions, case studies and behavioral questions by multiple people ranging from Directors to Managers of several departments for the whole day. Some interviews will be stress interviews while others can be more like a conversation.

Then, there is the period where all you can do is keep your fingers crossed and wait. Whether one gets selected or not, there is always a learning experience and some people are really nice to give feedback.

Taking business cards/email addresses and thanking them for their time as soon as possible shows one’s Professionalism and seriousness for the role. (This is ideally done every time after a Professional contact is made.)

P.S: It always helps to be active on LinkedIn-Network-Get recommended-Make more connections. (Crucial especially in the USA)

* Context-Action-Result (CAR)/ Situation-Task-Action-Result (STAR)

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