Remove the Illusions in Job Search  

You are worried about your upcoming interview. You are dreading the guy who would be on the other side of the table, what he'll ask, will he fire questions after questions, will it be a stress interview and so on? Lots of questions are crossing your mind. But hey, relax! At one point, your interviewer was probably in the same position that you're in right now, as you begin your search.

Thinking that interviewers are genetically superior beings is one of the misconceptions that many job seekers seem to have as they prepare themselves for the interviews at the time of placements. There are a lot of fallacies going around among the young MBAs. CoolAvenues tries to provide an explanation for some of them, so that you can ease yourself and plan ahead.

So read on. …

Illusion # 1: My Résumé Is Plain Jane
A lot of job seekers think that there resume is a bland one, just like others floating around. So they try to add panache to their résumé by making them unconventional. Believe us, that your CV does not require the ideal lace of your creativity or wit. It might seem like a great idea to print your resume on colored paper, or in case of musicians, sketch some musical notes on the CV. You're trying to prove your creativity and individuality, as well as give the recruiter a little taste of who you are. But have you given a thought whether this is what the recruiter wants to know about you? Believe us, this is not what he is expecting. And this creativity shocks him to react on the negative.
Recruiters want résumés that let them know what you will bring to the company and how you'll be a good addition to the team. This information should be presented in a format that is easily comparable to other résumés; a format that won't make a recruiter split their hairs to get to. Your job is to make the recruiter's job easier so that he or she will want to hire you.

Illusion # 2: The Recruiter will F*%$ me
Inexperienced job seekers are usually psyched about the impending interview and think that an interviewer is going all out to attack them and leave them at loss of words. In fact, the interviewer isn't going to be waiting to ambush you when you show up neatly dressed for an interview. . Such recruiters are seldom in-charge of corporate recruiting for long. It is their task to separate the capable ones from the crowd, to identify the potential winners and they are not seeking a boost to their egos by rejecting or psyching the people.

This doesn't mean that interviews will be all goody-goody. You can expect a stressful interview, also depending on the individual recruiter. No one would like to give the impression that a job with his or her company came without a fight / toughness. So you will be quizzed about the various aspects, asked lots of questions encompassing all the aspects. They have to make sure that you have the proper skills, education, and attitude to make it in the business world. Even if it is a stress interview, they are deciding whether you are capable to take the stress. Remember - the key to hold your end is with you. And pray that sweat doesn't show and fingers are not twitched.

Illusion # 3: I'm Jack-of-All-Trades and will Fit in Anywhere
You have joined the company and it's your first week at the office. On Friday, your boss asks you to come to the weekend beer-party. And everyone from the company goes there and has a lot of fun. But you are not a party-person. And worse, you are a teetotaler.

If probably you had done a little research of your own, you would not have got that shock. You'll be expected to participate in full tomorrow, and for the rest of your life at the company. You can't run away from the thing, if it's a ritual.

So, when you're sitting in front of your computer at three a.m. trying to get your résumé right, corporate culture might not rate high on your list of concerns. But once you get the job, it can become priority number one no matter how many times you tell yourself that you'll make do. If you don't fit in with the culture of your company, it will affect your happiness, your ability to work, and possibly your long-term health. It would be advisable to find out a little about what you're getting into before you sign on. If you don't, you might regret it in the morning.

These were three basic illusions you would do well to get rid of. In the hindsight, there are the small, little things that count in the end. Especially for the starters, this could lead to the path of glory.