the 'interview'
i think i really haven't applied for something for too long.. lost touch or sth.. somehow an interview is the only way i thot a company could evaluate and choose a potential employee or scholar.. yet i was totally proven otherwise today..mistake number 1: never happily assume a 'scholar selection exercise' to be an interview.. without checking it out before hand.. that was precisely what i did.. until perhaps yesterday i went back to read carefully the email they sent to me.. i realised that the timing was rather weird.. it starts at 1.30pm and they mentioned that it will end at 5pm.. i started to suspect it to be more than an interview.. but din go deeper than that..
going there expecting to enter a room with, if they are friendly prob juz 2 or 3 interviewers, if they are mean prob 5 to 7.. haha.. in the end i saw groups of people leaving and individuals coming for the 'interview' at the same timing.. i sort of knew it wasn't solely an interview.. at least there was a group exercise coming my way.. i found the idea refreshing.. and weirdly exciting..
apprehension was inevitable, no matter how much i tried to convince myself and calming myself with whatever inspiration i could think of.. but the idea that everyone else there would be my official juniors somehow gave me confidence.. it's cool to be different, though feeling quite old sometimes.. but soon after we were brought to a room with an exam setting.. and right away i could sense that it was a written test.. i juz couldn't guess that they wanted us to write an essay.. within 45minutes, choosing 1 question out of 4.. it felt exactly like an extension of exams.. since i was in exam mode i really din mind.. i'm always better in writing as compared to verbal communication..
after writing an essay and doing a somewhat familiar personality test, i experienced one of the most interesting ways a selection exercise can be conducted.. to me at least.. coz apparently it was rather expected when i started asking the rest.. prob they have really improved on innovation and creativity even in terms of choosing their talents.. it was a group exercise, in which a case study was given to us, giving us 5 minutes to read, 40 minutes to discuss and 5 minutes to present. It really sounded simple.. but there are factors in which totally slipped my mind.. and every other group member's minds..
mistake number 2: never lose track of time in a discussion.. and never wait to be told what to do.. and never underestimate the requirements of a good group discussion.. and that is again what i did.. hahaha.. with 2 HR people observing us on the side after giving us abt 30 seconds of instructions, we were all on our own.. no communication or consultation whatsoever with them.. interesting.. and so we started our discussion after being told 10 minutes later that our 5 minutes reading time was up.. so we commenced on our discussion.. the question was simple because i knew the answer they were looking out for.. i knew the intention of the question and the politically correct answer.. yet interestingly.. no one in the group saw that to be the main crux of the question.. prob because helen told me what the firm was actually looking out for.. of course making some more insightful suggestions (*ego*) i realised that no one actually kept record of the time.. it totally slipped my mind (and everybody else's) how impt time management is.. hmm.. so i didn't do so badly there since it was me who pointed it out.. but i think all of us screwed up at the back.. because after being told there was 5 minutes left, we assumed that someone would tell us to commence our presentation.. but to the contrary, after 10 minutes the HR people told us that our presentation time was over! haha.. frankly i was in a state of shock at that time, because i didn't see that coming.. totally.. and after that i din expect myself to overlook that point.. it's about initiative.. about not being told to start; instead telling them that u are starting.. of course in the end they gave us a chance to present.. but i knew the contents of the presentation was secondary..
although i din fare as well as i would like to.. (considering that i'm a business student i should have known group dynamics better and saw that coming.. i did fare better than my fellow group mates though.. ) but i really look at it in a positive light.. the experience was invaluable.. and now i know what companies look out for through their innovative selection processes.. honestly, my chances are not high and i noe it.. not because i am less competent, but because of the discipline i am in.. (it's complicated..) however i'm not less proud that i'm in biz.. if i were in that same position a year ago, or in fact looking at people one year my junior, somehow i realised how much exposure i have been through and how much i have learnt throughout my uni life.. and i cannot deny the fact that it was biz training that made me more outspoken in the discussion, insightful in my analysis, and confident in my presentation.. no least bit of regret in my performance today.. although there was a miscalculation on my part.. i put in my best shot.. at least i don't think i have disgraced my reputation nor anyone else's..
that was 6 hours gone for that eventful 'interview'.. plus the preparation beforehand would make it more.. meaning that amount of time less for my revision.. i don't think i can sleep for the next 2 days if i want to finish my revision.. oh well.. but beauty sleep is always more impt.. hmm.. that's a tough one.. anyway mugging time!
rebec inspired @ 10:06 PM
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