– An interview with Susmitha Chowdary, PGDM Class 2016, VJIM talks about challenges of telephonic interviews and how did she overcome them to bag her SIP
You need to have presence of mind and awareness when you have to appear for a telephonic interview. Susmitha Chowdary, student of VJIM, Hyderabad showed just that as she geared up for her SIP interview. “Besides going over all the HR concepts I had learned and keeping notes about them with me, I made sure there was no noise where I was and my phone had full signal,” she says sharply. And the reward for her has been her SIP with ITW Signode manufacturing plant in Rudraram, Telangana.
Signode is a global manufacturer of steel and plastic strapping, stretch film and the application equipment and accessory products for each.
A telephone interview might tell you how technology has changed the game for future managers, but Susmitha had to face last minute challenges and improvise on the spot. “My phone had some problems, which meant I couldn’t hear everything the HR manager was saying. I tried to keep the conversation around the words that I was able to hear. But somehow I think I managed to impress and got this SIP,” she says candidly.
The interview itself was quite challenging according to Susmitha because she was asked a follow up question for every answer she gave. “The HR manager was trying to get me out of my comfort zone and confuse me by talking about the negative aspect of the answer I was giving. In fact, each of the questions and answers could have a positive and negative side to it. I was focusing on the positives and managed to justify my position every time,” she says confidently.
To stay firm on your answers and convictions on the whole, was the biggest lesson learned by Susmitha at the end of the interview. She now intends to build on this lesson and stand by her beliefs as she tries to make a mark in a professional setup. “I think ITW is a great place for me to learn. I will be able to test out management concepts I have learned in the classroom and find out their practical applications. It will be an important chapter in my journey from a student to professional,” she concludes.