Navtej Kohli Career Mission Blog

Navtej Kohli Compiles a few interesting incidents of unusual behavior by Job Applicants at interview. Hope we don’t see you fooling around at the interview like them all

• Said he was so well-qualified [that] if he didn’t get the job, it would prove that the company’s management was incompetent.
• Stretched out on the floor to fill out the job application.
• Brought her large dog to the interview.
• Chewed bubble gum and constantly blew bubbles.
• Kept giggling through serious interview.
• She wore a Walkman and said she could listen to me and the music at the same time.
• Balding candidate abruptly excused himself. Returned to office a few minutes later, wearing a hairpiece.
• Applicant challenged interviewer to arm wrestle.
• Asked to see interviewer’s resume to see if the personnel executive was qualified to judge the candidate.
• Announced she hadn’t had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries in the interviewer’s office.
• Man wore jogging suit to interview for position as financial vice president.
• Said if he were hired, he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.
• Interrupted to phone his therapist for advice on answering specific interview questions.
• Wouldn’t get out of the chair until I would hire him. I had to call the police.
• When I asked him about his hobbies, he stood up and started tap dancing around my office.
• Bounced up and down on my carpet and told me I must be highly thought of by the company because I was given such a thick carpet.
• Took a brush out of my purse, brushed his hair and left.
• Pulled out a Polaroid camera and snapped a flash picture of me. Said he collected photos of everyone who interviewed him.
• Candidate asked me if I would put on a suit jacket to insure that the offer was formal.
• During the interview, an alarm clock went off from the candidate’s brief case. He took it out, shut it off, apologized and said he had to leave for another interview.
• A telephone call came in for the job applicant. It was from his wife. His side of the conversation went like this: “Which company? … When do l start? … What’s the salary?” I said, “l assume you’re not interested in conducting the interview any further.” He promptly responded, “I am as long as you’ll pay me more.” I didn’t hire him, but later found out there was no other job offer. It was a scam to get a higher offer.
• An applicant came in wearing only one shoe. She explained that the other shoe was stolen off her foot in the bus.
• He came to the interview with a moped and left it in the reception area. He didn’t want it to get stolen, and stated that he would require indoor parking for the moped.
• He took off his right shoe and sock, removed a medicated foot powder and dusted it on the foot and in the shoe. While he was putting back the shoe and sock, he mentioned that he had to use the powder four times a day, and this was the time.
• She threw-up on my desk, and immediately started asking questions about the job, like nothing had happened.
• Pointing to a black case he carried into my office, he said that if he was not hired, the bomb would go off. Disbelieving, I began to state why he would never be hired and that I was going to call the police. He then reached down to the case, flipped a switch and ran. No one was injured, but I did need to get a new desk. (Wall Street Journal 1989)

When seeking your true love, one always looks for someone with a compatible personality. The same thing is true when choosing your career.

U.S. News has selected the top careers for each of six different personality types. Researchers have observed that most people have certain characteristics that can be grouped into a small number of categories. For each, we’ve selected careers—both white-and blue-collar—with good job availability and respectable pay, in fields that offer psychological satisfaction and reasonable quality of life. Most people are expected to recognize themselves in at least one of these categories:

Realistic, hands-on people tend to be practical and straightforward. They like to work with concrete objects. Careers compatible with this personality type: electrician, orthodontist, surgical technologist, biomedical engineer.

Investigative people are analytical, intellectual, and scientific. Typically, they like to gather a lot of information before making decisions. And they question ideas that aren’t backed up by rational data. Compatible careers: professor, software developer, physician’s assistant, veterinarian, librarian.

Artistic people are creative and imaginative, as you might expect. But they can also be strong problem solvers, since they bring an intuitive mindset that complements the more rational approach others might offer. Compatible careers: landscape architect, graphic designer, director or producer, interior designer, editor.

Social people often end up in “helping” professions where attributes like patience, empathy, and generosity make a difference. They’re often strong team players good at achieving consensus. Compatible careers: school psychologist, mediator, nurse, physical therapist, social worker.

Enterprising people are competitive, energetic extroverts. They often end up as entrepreneurs or group leaders, and prefer to delegate the pieces of a project while focusing on the big picture. Compatible careers: executive, financial manager, sales rep, sales manager.

Conventional people, also described as orderly, are somewhat misnamed. They’re not necessarily bland, though they do tend to be reserved, careful, and efficient. These are the folks who handle all the details that keep the trains running on time. Compatible careers: accountant, actuary, financial planner, technical writer, building inspector.

Many people might be a hybrid of two or three different types. A few people might feel they don’t fit into any of these categories. But whatever your attributes, the odds of finding a fulfilling career are greater if you match your job to your personality.

Try your luck with these maths questions. Seems easy but tricky… 

1. There are 8 Apples on the table, you take 3. How many do you have?

2. 10 Birds in a field. 2 were shot, how many were left?

3. Take away the first letter, take away the last letter, then take away all the other letters. What do you have left?

4. If you have 4 melons in one hand, and 7 apples in the other - What do you have?

5. A box has nine ears of corn in it. A Squirrel carries out three ears a day, and yet it takes him nine days to carry out all the corn. Explain?

6. Why do white sheep eat more than black sheep?

7. A man wanted to plant 4 trees, but all 4 had to be equal distances from each other. How did he do it?

8. I have 2 coins in my hand that add up to 60c. One of the coins isn’t a 50c piece. What are the coins?

9. A fisherman was asked how long was the fish he had caught. He said “it is 30cms plus half its length” How long was the fish?

10. A Hammer and a Nail cost $31. If the Hammer cost $30 more than the Nail, what is the cost of each?

11. It takes 7 men 2 hours to build a wall. How long does it take 3 men to build the same wall?

12. “I will bet you $1″ said Fred, “that if you give me $2, I will give you $3 in return.”
“Done,” replied Tom. Was he?

13. “How much will one cost?”
“25 cents”
“How much will fifteen cost?”
“50 cents”
“OK then, I’ll take one hundred and sixteen”
“Thank you, that will be 75 cents please”
Explain.

14. What comes next in the following sequence ?
1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11,…

15. In a scientific context, what could the following phrase mean?
How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy chapters involving quantum mechanics

Good luck - Navtej Kohli

Navtej Kohli has a fine sense of humor. Below are some really funny job search jargons brought to you by Mr. Navtej Kohli. See for yourself what these terms actually mean:

COMPETITIVE SALARY:
We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.

FLEXIBLE HOURS:
Work 55 hours; get paid for 37.5.

GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Management communicates, you listen, figure out what they want you to do.

ABILITY TO HANDLE A HEAVY WORKLOAD:
You whine, you’re fired.

CAREER-MINDED:
We expect that you will want to flip hamburgers until you are 70.

SELF-MOTIVATED:
Management won’t answer questions

SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED:
Some time each night and some time each weekend

DUTIES WILL VARY:
Anyone in the office can boss you around.

COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT:
We have a lot of turnover.

SALES POSITION REQUIRING MOTIVATED SELF-STARTER:
We’re not going to supply you with leads; there’s no base salary; you’ll wait 30 days for your first commission check.

CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE:
We don’t pay enough to expect that you’ll dress up; well, a couple of the real daring guys wear earrings.

SOME PUBLIC RELATIONS REQUIRED:
If we’re in trouble, you’ll go on TV and get us out of it.

SEEKING CANDIDATES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE:
You’ll need it to replace three people who just left.

PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS A MUST:
You’re walking into a company in perpetual chaos.

Navtej Kohli career mission blog is back again with some cool informational stuff. Navtej Kohli suggests a list of reading resources of interview processes.

1. Adams Job Interview Almanac
2. Sweaty Palms
3. 101 Great Answers to the Toughest Interview Questions
4. 101 Dynamite Questions
5. Complete Q & A Job Interview
6. The 250 job Interview questions
7. Ask the Headhunter

- Compiled by Navtej Kohli

Navtej Kohli firmly believes that ‘Clothes reflect the character of a person’.
This indeed holds truth when you’re going for an interview. Of course, clothes alone won’t decide your fate at the interview, but at least it beefs up your chances. On this Navtej Kohli career mission blog I have posted some basic dressing tips for job seekers. Proper dressing help you get a competitive edge and leave a positive first impression. Gone are the days when dressing didn’t matter. Today organizations admire intellectual sensibility with presentable looks. Here is a quick look at some of the basics dressing etiquettes:

Men and Women

•     Conservative two-piece business suit (solid dark blue or grey is best)
•     Conservative long-sleeved shirt/blouse (white is best, pastel is next best)
•     Clean, polished conservative shoes
•     Well-groomed hairstyle
•     Clean, trimmed fingernails
•     Minimal cologne or perfume
•     Empty pockets–no bulges or tinkling coins
•     No gum, candy or cigarettes
•     Light briefcase or portfolio case
•     No visible body piercing (nose rings, eyebrow rings, etc.)

Men’s Interview Attire

•     Necktie should be silk with a conservative pattern
•     Dark shoes (black lace-ups are best)
•     Dark socks (black is best)
•     Get a haircut; short hair always fares best in interviews
•     No beards
•     Mustaches are a possible negative, but if you must, make sure it is neat & trimmed
•     No rings other than wedding ring or college ring
•     No earrings (if you normally wear one, take it out)

Women’s Interview Attire

•     Always wear a suit with a jacket; no dresses
•     Shoes with conservative heels
•     Professional hairdo
•     Conservative hosiery at or near skin color
•     No purses, small or large; carry a briefcase instead
•     Manicured nails
•     Minimal use of makeup
•     No more than one ring on each hand
•     One set of earrings only