Firstnaukri: Hello Everyone, Thanks for logging in. Let us welcome Mr. Rahul, Ms. Roshni & Mr. Rohit to this interactive session. Request Rohith for his opening comments and open the floor for student question
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Hope the students got some insight into the importance of soft skills during the interview process and in the corporate world at large. Will be happy to
Prashant: Should the candidate volunteer a hand shake with the interviewer?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Ideally, one should wait for the interviewer to offer a hand shake.
Shubham: Should we cover personal information during introduction?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: One can definitely share personal information but keep it brief and focused on yourself- you can talk about family background, interests, strengths & development areas
Kajal: How can I showcase leadership skills during the interview?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Kajal- you can talk about a college project which you may have been a part of and your contribution in it. If you were leading any aspect of the project, focus should be on that. Did you motivate others, did you find solutions when others had given up? Instances like those
Amit kumar: What are the important areas on which we should focus for the placement in zs?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Amit- ZS generally looks for candidate who have a combination of strong analytical and collaborative skills. Team orientation is very important to us
Ajay: Is there any disadvantage for candidates appearing for placements having vocabulary problem?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Ajay- Limited vocabulary is not a problem. Infact, we encourage people to use simple (uncomplicated words). Having said that, one must have an attitude to keep learning in every aspect
Neha: Does body language plays an important role during interview?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Neha- Body language plays a very important role. A straight posture, attentive nods, pleasant demeanor go a long way. On the other hand, constantly shaking legs or hands, fidgeting etc are a no no
Aditya Vikram SIngh: Rohit Sir , can you please tell me about the skills required to be in your firm
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Aditya-ZS generally looks for candidate who have a combination of strong analytical and collaborative skills. Team orientation is very important to us
Aditya Vikram SIngh: i want to know about the kind of work and the skills (technical abilities) required to be a part of ZS associates
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Strong analytical, problem solving skills, team orientation, good communication skills are the recipe for a ZS offer
Shubham Ganguly: how should we prepare for case study interview if we wish to apply for technical analyst position
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Shubham- There are many practice case studies which you can undertake, While assessing your solutions to case study, we are interested in the approach that you take to arrive at the answer more than the answer itself
ruchi: How soft skills effect team spirit
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Ruchi- Sost skills help you build your interpersonal skills. And if one has good interpersonal skills, they will be great at working in teams, learning together, solutioning together which affects team spirit and result
Pankaj pathak: What should be the proper way to answer when asked about your strengths and weaknesses
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Pankaj- you can be completely honest about your strengths and even development areas as long as you are able to support it with instances. Generally in development areas, candidates tend to say " I'm a perfectionist" :) Not so honest
Ajay: How to improve soft skills during this short period of time ?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Ajay- We tried to share some very practical tips in the video. Please have a look and it can help. In a nutshell, practice as much, give mock interviews, some interview videos can help as well. Go through your resume and be able to substantiate everything with relevant examples
Ravi Shankar: What all skills would you be checking when you come for placements to NIT Calicut?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Ravi- we will be checking for the same skills everywhere- which is a combination of strong analytical & problem solving skills, team orientation, good communication, adaptability
laxmi: What is the difference between hard and soft skills?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Hard skills are generally referred to technical skills whereas soft skills are more personality/behaviour oriented
GAURAV KUMAR: What attitude should we have to attain during interview
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Gaurav- A positive attitude for sure :) We would be very impressed with people who are willing to learn, have their own point of view yet, are flexible.
AAYUSH: what should be the strengths in communicating with clients?
Himesh: How do companies general check stress management skills during an interview.
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Hi Himesh, There might be questions related to a project experience or an internship that you pursued to gauge how well you could handle stress. For instance; How well were you able to multitask, work independently or in a team environment as required, work against set timelines to name a few
Shreya: At the time of hiring how much soft skills is important for the organisation in the candidate?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Shreya- the split between technical & soft skills would be 50-50. If one is strong technically but is unable to articulate, he/she may not be able to do well at ZS> Similarly, if one is an excellent communicator but weak analytically, will not help either
SACHIN CHOUBEY: Will you please elaborate how can we showcase analytical and collaborative skills?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Sachin- your analytical skills will be assessed through the case study or some questions that we ask. For collaborative skills, you should give examples of projects which you may have been part of and did something to help the team achieve better results
Amit: how to handle questions like why should we hire you, where do you see yourself after a certain period of time?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Amit- You could definitely talk about some of your key strengths or attributes that make you suitable for the role you have applied for. Sharing suitable examples from your project experience to support your answers is ideal. About seeing yourself in a certain period of time, you could talk about how you think you want to see yourself grow personally and professionally.
Neha: How does soft skills matter where candidate is involved in analytics / developer role?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Neha- Soft skills are important no matter which role you are in. One is expected to grow from their current role over a period of time and a rounded skillset comprising of both hard skills and soft skills are important for that
shweta: How to improve clarity of speech?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Shweta- Practice out loud, answers to questions which could be asked from your resume. Brief intro of yourself, project experience to name a few. Conduct mock interviews with friends, faculty members.
GAURAV KUMAR: If a student does not know any answer in an interview than what should he has to do
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Gaurav- if you do not know any answer, it is best to be honest and admit. So that, the interviewer may ask you another question
ruchi: is there any scope for mechanical branch students in ZS ?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: yes. we have students from various/all branches joining ZS
Ujjwal Vij: Apart from case studies ,are puzzles also asked in the interview?
Aditya Vikram SIngh: sir should we ask for permission to sit down or simply wait for the interviewer to instruct us to sit
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Aditya- It is always polite to ask the interviewer if you can sit down
Aayush Jain: What is the eligibility criteria for siiting in ZS campus placements?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Aayush- We have an eligibility criteria of 7 CGPA and above
Dhruva gupta: Is there any written test too during campus recruitment drives ?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Dhruva- We conduct an online aptitude test during campus recruitment drives.
Gurbani Sachdeva: What should be the answer for "tell about yourself?" should it be personal or professional?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Gurbani- it can start with a brief personal introduction moving to your education, projects/internships moving to interests, strength & development areas. One can also talk about their short term and long term goals if you have clarity about it
Shreya Sood: what would be the recommended dress code?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Shreya- definitely formals
Shadual Sinha: Is it necessary to get the final answer of guesstimates somewhere near to the correct answer or just the approach matters?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Shadual- It will be a split of 75-25. 75 for approach and 25 for final answer
Sourav Mondal: How do I define professional ambition ?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Sourav- It may be a good idea to break it down into short term and long term goal. Long term goal reflects your overall vision and short term talks about the approach you want to take to reach your goal
Prathamesh: Being more expressive or just answering on how much is required. how to maintain a balance between the both while attending an interview?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: .Prathamesh- Giving concise and precise answers is ideal. However, if the interviewers have follow up questions and need additional details they will definitely ask you for the same
Anushka : once a fresher hired, does communication plays important role in his survival in an organisation?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Anushka- Absolutely. effective communication will not only help you in getting a job offer but it also goes a long way in sustaining your growth. Its important for all leaders to have effective communication skills
Aavriti: Sir, could you tell us about the interview round that happen for campus recruitment?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Aavriti- there's online test, video interview, case study round and final behavioral round
Rahul: What should be the proficiency level in English of a student attending Interviews.
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Rahul- it will be tough to point a proficiency level but we do want candidates to be able to communicate effectively to drive the message across. If you are explaining a solution, one should be able to do that smoothly.
Sachin: If one have future plans for higher studies, will it have any effect on hiring ?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Sachin- there will not be any affect on hiring as long as one plans to go for higher studies after 2-3 years after joining ZS
Gaurav kumar: How we have prepare for puzzles for interview ?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Gaurav- You should definitely prepare for puzzles or guesstimates.
kunal sharma: does your aptitude test comprises of just verbal, non verbal, quantitative or some technical parts like coding etc?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Hi Kunal- Our test evaluates candidates on quantitative ability, logical reasoning, English language, attention to detail, data interpretation, technical ability (depending on the role)
Avi Rastogi: Rohit sir, what if someone hasn't worked on a team project yet? What should he/she to convince the interviewer if he/she has the team work skills or not?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Avi- even if a person has not worke don a team project, you could think of a personal example (sports maybe?) where your team skills have come to the forefront
ruchi: is it necessary to question at the end if interview?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Ruchi- while its not necessary to ask questions at the end of an interview, asking relevant questions is a sign of interest and conveys that you have done your homework on reading up on the organization
gourangkalra: how you check our analytical skills ? what should we do to prepare for the same?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Gourang- Analytical ability is evaluated from the case study round, puzzles, guesstimates put across during the interviews
priyanka: What does it mean to have soft skills?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: soft skills are personal attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmoniously. According to a study by Harvard, 85% of ones success at work place is attributed to soft skills and only 15% to technical skills
Aditya: What should be the format for a good resume? Should it be a coloured or simple in its format?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Colour or otherwise is not important. what is important is- no grammatical errors, authentic information
shivani sengar: how to avoid fumbling at the time of interview?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Shivani- Practice as much as much as you can to overcome nervousness. Think of possible introductory questions and note down pointers which you want to include in your answer. you can also take help from friends to conduct and undergo mock intevriews
abhi: asking recruiter, towards the end of interview , about our chances to make into or chances to make into any xyz organisation, is polite enough? or should be avoided
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Abhi- most companies give away the results at the end of the day so its best to wait till then. Asking point blank can come across as arrogant
Saket Modi: If i spent have of my summer holidays preparing for some competitive exams and i am not supposed to reveal that during interviews, what should i answer if specifically asked this?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Saket- Yes, we recommend you be transparent and tell us if you have plans to pursue higher studies. This also to some extend depends on when you plan to go for higher studies.
Saket Modi: I have done several online courses, on Coursera, do they have weightage in interviews?
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: Saket- please mention the relevant courses, The objective of mentioning these courses should not be to impress the interviewer with the list but to inform them that you have a background which can be relevant to the job
Firstnaukri: Thank You Rahul, Roshni & Rohit for your insightful views. Thanks everyone for logging in. Tune in to Firstnaukri Net-Engage for more such events in future.
Rahul Mitra ; Roshni Khanna ; Rohith Balakrishnan: For any further questions, do write in to us at campusbeats@zs.com. Also, feel free to share your feedback
