Guest Post: Pratik Chawla

Pratik is one of Chris' Summer 2010 Professional Speaking students at Carnegie Mellon University. Here he writes about getting the job you want.

Why do you work? An obvious answer would be to earn money to meet your needs. So, what if you win a lottery? Would you immediately call up your manager to say that he can’t suck any more life out of you? And then you spend the rest of your life of leisure at your new beach house in Miami! I bet many of you would jump to grab this opportunity!

Well, for the rest of us (which accounts to 99.99% of the people), the good news is that a job can be FUN! How? Let’s find out. First of all, you really need to know what you are good at. And knowing your strength to, what kind of job you would want to apply your strengths. Imagine if Zidane had used his feet for tap dancing rather than playing football! Sounds scary! Isn’t it? So, in any case, make sure you do not land up this way! List the companies with expertise in your field of interest. Reach out to people working at the company, through personal contacts or through social networking sites, and check how well you fit into the job and the culture of a company.

Now that you have aimed your target, it’s time to shoot. But hold on, do you have the right bullets? That is when a strong resume plays its role. A resume should be strong enough to pierce through the multiple filters that HR guys apply to select candidates for interview round. How to get that? Well, make sure your resume reflects the perfect fit for the desired role. Highlight all your skills and accomplishments, and most importantly get it reviewed by an expert. All set? Now find the best way to get your resume across. If you know someone in the company, tell him to refer you. If not, then try to find a person through networking. If you can’t get to know anyone in the company, only then post the resume directly on the website of the company.

Did you get the email saying “you have been shortlisted for the interview”? Leave your computer, get out of bed and get your best suit to dry cleaners. You cannot afford to wear a wrinkled shirt on your D-day. On the interview day, dress neatly, do not put a lot of cologne; make sure you carry many copies of your resume and that you reach at least 15 minutes before the interview. Use this time to fix your dress and redo your hair.

At the time of interview, be confident and relax. I remember one of my friends was so terrified at his interview, that he actually asked the interviewer if he could go for a piss! So, empty your tanks well before. Try to turn the interview into more of a conversation. How? Ask questions!

Lastly, thank the interviewer for giving you the opportunity and if possible, acknowledge the interviewer over an email, when you reach home. Well, you have done it all. Congratulate yourself for a good interview, and learn from the bad ones.

Hope you do not have to wait long to hear the golden word, “Congratulations!” from the company. All the best!