Dated 08th Sep 2004
I'm a greenhorn as far as job interviews are concerned. Please give some tips on how to handle them.
AMAN ALAGH
Ludhiana
In a job interview, you have two objectives: to convince the employer that you are the best candidate; and to gather information to assist you in deciding whether the position is the best suited for you. An interview is a two-way communication between the candidate and the interviewer.
Research the specific position you are applying for. The excellent starting point is the job description.
Think through your background and make note of instances to cite, examples to give and experiences to narrate. All these should aid you in proving that you have the skills required for the job.
It is vital that you know as much as possible about the company or organisation before the interview. You have to make the best possible impression on the employer and demonstrate your interest in their organisation.
Keep in mind that you too are interviewing each potential employer to see if you can get along well in the organisation; at the same time they are determining your fit in their organisation.
I am going to complete my graduation next year. I'm interested in multimedia and animation. What are the career prospects in these fields?
SHUBHA MISRA
Kandwa
Multi-media professionals and animators work primarily in computer and data processing organisations and advertising, motion picture and television industries. They manually draw images and use computers to create a series of pictures that forms the animated series or special effects seen in movies, television programmes and computer games.
Some draw storyboards for television commercials, movies and animated features. Storyboards present television commercials in a series of scenes similar to a comic strip and allow advertising agencies and advertisers to evaluate proposed commercials. Storyboards also serve as guides to placing actors and cameras and to other details during the production of commercials.
Animators use their drawing skills to create moving images and effects for feature films, TV commercials and short features. Drawing skills are crucial for all animators. Technical and computer training are integrated into the professional training. Personally, they must be artistically inclined, imaginative, skilful and practical and be able to generate new ideas and put those ideas into sketches. One can work as an animator for Cartoons, feature-length movies, TV commercials or motion graphics and multimedia or as a game designer. Proficiency in graphic software or a graduate or postgraduate degree in Fine arts, Applied Arts, Graphic Design, Animation Design, Visual Communication Design, etc is helpful in getting into this field. The basic qualification for training in this field is 10+2 or its equivalent.
I have a post-graduate degree in History and am interested in becoming an archivist. I wish to know the career opportunities available for archivists?
HARSHITHA
Nagpur
Archivists work for a variety of organisations like government agencies, museums, libraries, archives, religious organisations, historical societies, corporations and educational institutions that use or generate records of great potential value to researchers, exhibitors, genealogists and others who would benefit from having access to original source material or any place where public documents and records are kept.
What kind of people do you like to work with, or have difficulty working with? The interviewer caught me unawares by posing this unexpected question. Please explain how to answer such questions.
SANGAMITRA
Bhubaneshwar
Don't get into personal details here, just give a short, sweet and obvious answer that you prefer working with people who are motivated and have integrity and pride in their work. No one likes working with slackers so you're not likely to offend or influence the interviewer negatively with this comment.
I do not have the drive to study because of which I am losing interest in academics. Could you provide me with some valuable tips on how to get motivated?
LALITHA
Chitaranjan
Set goals for yourself. They don't have to be big ones; in fact, the smaller the better. Start by setting goals you know you can attain easily.
Set a schedule for studying and put it on paper. You may ask, why write it down? A written word makes it harder to ignore things. Once you write something, the chances are you bend over backwards to do it; it's harder to not do it.
Arrange to get together with a friend to do a task. They would be counting on you as much as you would be on them, so you can't let them down.
Do the task you dislike the most first. If there is a job you find most difficult, do it first while your mind is fresh. However, if you have a number of small assignments and one major assignment to work on, doing the small ones first will make it seem like you are making progress quicker.
Use rewards to mark your progress. Pamper yourself once you reach the set goal.
Think positive. Moaning about how many upcoming events you have or how hard it is to get your job done does not resolve the issue.
Find a way to turn your work into something that interests you. If you have a choice, opt for something you always wanted to do. Some of these tips should work for you.
The faq column deals with career concerns addressed to The C&K Management LTD. PO Box 2178, Secunderabad 500003 or email to faqs@cnkonline.com
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